Freebie Friday: Are referees getting the support they need?

Report reveals referee abuse is not going away

Welcome to the Freebie Friday posting and welcome to those of you who are new to www.footballwriting.co.uk this is the free posting every Friday for all to read and get some feeling for what is behind the paywall.

Finding topics is never hard, there is so much to write about when it comes to non-league football and plenty out there to catch the eye. Earlier this week the BBC released a report on a questionnaire sent out to referees via Radio 5 Live and 900 responded in total.

The results were fairly disturbing in terms of nearly one third of those who replied had been levelled some sort of abuse whilst in charge of a football match from grassroots games upwards including youth football.

We’ll look a little more in-depth at this as we go through, I actually listened to a couple of podcasts this week where the same report was mentioned and some interesting insight, Talking Wanderers with Dorking manager Marc White as the guest featured a part on referees, and the excellent Non League Show hosted by Tim Fuell contained an interview with Ref Support UK (links below) CEO Martin Cassidy about the released report, definitely worth a listen if you wanted to hear more on the subject.

Referees. The hardest job in football. You might disagree and find me another one, but without these men and women controlling the game there isn’t anything for you and me to watch.

Football is a game of passion and excitement, a game of opinion and this divides everyone like the ability of players, managers and everything else but no one should be subject to some of the abuse they receive and it’s far worse the lower down you go.

In the report almost a third experienced physical abuse, a similar amount had a threat of violence made against them while 57 respondents received a death threat aimed at them or their loved ones. Most believe they are not backed by the FA to have these alarming incidents dealt with effectively.

I steer clear of criticising referees when I go blogging, rarely will you find in any piece from me and certainly not straight after a game, that is dangerous territory for venting. I wouldn’t do their job for all the money in the world so I stay away but for reasons I’ll write below.

Firstly, it’s no wonder they come under attack when you watch a Premier League game and plenty of players surrounding and gesticulating towards the referee because he or she gave a decision they didn’t like. They get away with it, the FA do nothing, the Premier League do nothing, and everyone watching sees they can get away with it further down the food chain, only at times it’s taken one step further than verbal abuse into physical abuse.

On the street that’s a criminal matter, why should it be any different on a football pitch? Why should they suffer the level of abuse they do just because someone disagrees with a decision? They’re human beings after all, just like you and me, we all make mistakes at times.

Granted there is big money at stake for some so why aren’t they given better tools to help them do their job? It would be like me packing stuff up at work only to not be given a tape gun to seal the box, fighting a losing battle.

Common sense seems to have gone out of refereeing over the years and that’s not down to those officiating in games, instead the pen pushers have sucked some life out of it. I don’t believe referee’s should be told an assessor is watching the game, I’ve seen some change the way they control the game and the players react differently to that, stop doing it and let them get on with it!

Feedback afterwards but respect everyone is an individual with maybe a slightly different way to do things but if the same end result is achieved then encourage it, it’s stifled too much for me at times and that in turn can create some of the more vocal players ‘getting in your face’.

It was interesting to hear in the Non League Show interview that a couple of members of the full FA decided bodycams were a silly idea, luckily those members are no longer inside the FA and there is to be a trial rolled out beginning I think within the next two weeks.

That to me is a no brainer, if players, coaching staff, parents, supporters can’t control themselves then video footage is a must as a deterrent and harsh punishments handed out for anyone who still thinks the referee or their assistants have a right to receive mountains of abuse.

We don’t want to one day be discussing an incident where someone actually loses their life because steps weren’t taken that could have prevented it. How would you feel if it was your son or daughter who so desperately wanted to be a referee but felt afraid to do so because of what the repercussions might be if they got something wrong?

It’s about time they had the support to try and make a change within the game, allow them to manage a game with no knowledge that someone else is marking them in robot fashion.

Consistency is probably the one or one of the biggest gripes people have with the officials, one week a decision is given, the following week it’s not, simple ones being time wasting from goalkeepers and players standing in front of a free kick to prevent it taken quickly. It’s the same rule book at all levels, but lower down the referee’s need to have the confidence of those above them that following the letter of the law applies everywhere but they will be backed, things need to change.

It’s not unfixable but it’s about owning the problems and issues, and as mentioned give those in black the tools to do the job effectively and sensibly, football’s a simple game isn’t it, let’s keep it that way……….

You can find the full BBC article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64584541

For more information on Ref Support, you can find them here at www.refsupport.co.uk, on Twitter, @refsupportuk, and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/refsupport.co.uk