Most Evertonians will be familiar with the on-edge, slightly queasy feeling I have as we approach an end of season Merseyside derby with a lot at stake.
We approach these games with trepidation because, in our eyes at least, they have delivered some big injustices over the years. You won't spend long in the company of an Evertonian before talk turns to a disallowed late winner in the 1977 FA Cup semi-final and an Alan Hansen handball on the line in the 1984 Milk Cup Final.
Questions of refereeing are never far from the after-match analysis of a derby but today, of all days, I'm hoping the headlines are about the result, not the referee - especially after recent events.
The debate about players abusing referees is not new. But I sense it now has the potential to become a serious issue for the game. There is a real risk that the game is increasingly perceived as becoming arrogant and laced with a culture of disrespect.
The words of rugby league international Adrian Morley struck a chord: "Far too many footballers have been allowed to get away with this kind of petulance and ignorance for far too long. The referee's decision is final and the referee is always referred to as 'Sir', even now in Super League. Footballers should learn from us."
Footballers may be tempted to shrug their shoulders but that would be the wrong response. I would be the first to point out that football culture is different from rugby. No one expects footballers to be angels. As my old Sunday league team-mates would tell you, I was not averse to having a say on referees' decisions myself.
But some of the recent scenes of footballers berating referees go way too far and it's a terrible indictment of our top flight that abuse of referees in junior football is growing. Of course it doesn't end there. Every weekend in the Premier League we are treated to an array of diving that would make the talented Tom Daley proud.
So football needs to act decisively on respect for referees. I'm pleased that the FA, under the leadership of David Triesman, is facing up to the scale of this problem.
The Respect campaign being trailed at grassroots level bans anyone but captains talking to referees. Barnet, to their great credit, recently adopted the same approach and went on a fantastic run. There is a real case for its introduction in the professional game.
The now-established Professional Game Match Officials Board, which draws together the FA, Premier League and the Football League is another step in the right direction.
Everyone in football has a responsibility to take this campaign seriously, including the managers who appear to make referee-bashing their second job. It pains me to hear time and time again some managers failing to take responsibility for a team's defeat and blame the referee instead. So it was encouraging to hear Fabio Capello talking about the importance of respect in relation to the England team.
But David Moyes has a point too. He will strike a chord with supporters of many clubs when he calls for more openness when things go wrong and poor decisions made that can cost clubs dear. If that happened, perhaps it would encourage managers to be more temperate in their remarks.
Everybody accepts that referees will make mistakes. But people pay a lot of money to watch games and it would help take the heat out of these situations if there was more acknowledgement of mistakes.
Why is it all so important? Football is so prominent in our society that it affects the behaviour of young people. Young boys and girls who grow up watching their role models respect authority are much more likely to go on to respect authority in their life.
It matters because football's reputation is in question and the game risks losing support and standing.
But, if we don't get a grip, who will be the referees of the future? It is a thankless job and people will simply not turn out to do it if the reward is abuse. If there is a shortage of referees, there is the risk of people refereeing without sufficient experience at every level - that can only lead to more argument between players, managers and the authorities.
It is a vicious circle football needs to break - quickly.
We approach these games with trepidation because, in our eyes at least, they have delivered some big injustices over the years. You won't spend long in the company of an Evertonian before talk turns to a disallowed late winner in the 1977 FA Cup semi-final and an Alan Hansen handball on the line in the 1984 Milk Cup Final.
Questions of refereeing are never far from the after-match analysis of a derby but today, of all days, I'm hoping the headlines are about the result, not the referee - especially after recent events.
The debate about players abusing referees is not new. But I sense it now has the potential to become a serious issue for the game. There is a real risk that the game is increasingly perceived as becoming arrogant and laced with a culture of disrespect.
The words of rugby league international Adrian Morley struck a chord: "Far too many footballers have been allowed to get away with this kind of petulance and ignorance for far too long. The referee's decision is final and the referee is always referred to as 'Sir', even now in Super League. Footballers should learn from us."
Footballers may be tempted to shrug their shoulders but that would be the wrong response. I would be the first to point out that football culture is different from rugby. No one expects footballers to be angels. As my old Sunday league team-mates would tell you, I was not averse to having a say on referees' decisions myself.
But some of the recent scenes of footballers berating referees go way too far and it's a terrible indictment of our top flight that abuse of referees in junior football is growing. Of course it doesn't end there. Every weekend in the Premier League we are treated to an array of diving that would make the talented Tom Daley proud.
So football needs to act decisively on respect for referees. I'm pleased that the FA, under the leadership of David Triesman, is facing up to the scale of this problem.
The Respect campaign being trailed at grassroots level bans anyone but captains talking to referees. Barnet, to their great credit, recently adopted the same approach and went on a fantastic run. There is a real case for its introduction in the professional game.
The now-established Professional Game Match Officials Board, which draws together the FA, Premier League and the Football League is another step in the right direction.
Everyone in football has a responsibility to take this campaign seriously, including the managers who appear to make referee-bashing their second job. It pains me to hear time and time again some managers failing to take responsibility for a team's defeat and blame the referee instead. So it was encouraging to hear Fabio Capello talking about the importance of respect in relation to the England team.
But David Moyes has a point too. He will strike a chord with supporters of many clubs when he calls for more openness when things go wrong and poor decisions made that can cost clubs dear. If that happened, perhaps it would encourage managers to be more temperate in their remarks.
Everybody accepts that referees will make mistakes. But people pay a lot of money to watch games and it would help take the heat out of these situations if there was more acknowledgement of mistakes.
Why is it all so important? Football is so prominent in our society that it affects the behaviour of young people. Young boys and girls who grow up watching their role models respect authority are much more likely to go on to respect authority in their life.
It matters because football's reputation is in question and the game risks losing support and standing.
But, if we don't get a grip, who will be the referees of the future? It is a thankless job and people will simply not turn out to do it if the reward is abuse. If there is a shortage of referees, there is the risk of people refereeing without sufficient experience at every level - that can only lead to more argument between players, managers and the authorities.
It is a vicious circle football needs to break - quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment