World Cup refs return home 'battered and bruised'

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by Dr Errol Sweeney 23/07/2014, 08:06

The World Cup is over for another four years and already the post mortem has started into some “strange” refereeing decisions.
The pundits and commentators were having a field day. The armchair “experts” were putting forward their collective opinions on this decision and that decision and coming up with the correct interpretation.
The man-in-the-street had all the answers and the expression “I told you so” was, no doubt, heard on many a street corner around the world.
But what about the men who had to make those decisions?
What about the match officials whose job it was to get it right first time?
What was their side of the story?
In my opinion the refereeing standard was, to a large extent, quite good.

• Sure there were things that the refs didn’t see, but perhaps should have.
• Sure there were incidents that the assistants could, and perhaps should have seen but didn’t.
• And there were incidents when red and/or yellow cards should have been issued but weren’t.

There was a report in a German newspaper that suggested the match officials, particularly the referees, were given instructions by Fifa to downgrade, as it were, red cards to yellow and yellow cards to a verbal warning. Fifa have denied this.
You could be forgiven for thinking that this was correct, particularly in some of the games, when there appeared to be near anarchy on the field.
It has to be said also that certain players spent more time on the ground than on their feet. The amount of diving and cheating by some left an awful lot to be desired and certainly did nothing to enhance the “beautiful game”.
In my opinion, all players are capable of indulging in shenanigans to achieve their desired goal (excuse the pun) of getting that all-important result for themselves and their country. Of course it’s not only in World Cup games that this sort of behaviour is prevalent.
It’s a common feature at local and international club level. The desire to win is paramount and, if cheating and diving is required to succeed, then the attitude appears to be, so be it.
The introduction of goal line technology (GLT) was only used a few times and each time the ref got it right.
Then there is the “shaving foam”, whereby the referee will indicate where the ball is to be placed and where the defensive wall will line up 9.15 metres from the ball. In my opinion this is also a good idea so as to make sure that the law is complied with.

Isn’t it a sad state of affairs that this “shaving foam” is required?

Isn’t it indicative of the unprofessional behaviour of some players, who will not retire the required 9.15 metres and stay there until the free kick is taken?

Where is the FIFA FAIR PLAY rule in all of this, or does it actually exist?

I believe that more technology is required to help the referees perform their duties. Television has advanced to such an extent that every player and every match official has a camera on them. No matter what they do it will be replayed in slow motion from several different angles and sometimes amplified.

• What chance has the referee got who doesn’t have access to this footage to help him make a decision?
• Is it fair on the refs to be criticised in view of this?
• Is it fair to the supporters that their team could be denied a goal because of a human error?

The major criticism has been that such actions by the ref would slow the game down. Isn’t it a small price to pay in order for justice to be seen to be done?
In my opinion it will have to come into being and the sooner the better for all concerned. Referees have been assaulted, threatened and even killed for decisions they’ve made and perceived to be wrong in the eyes of some.