Respect for Referees

[Mendoza]

There is not much incentive for being a referee in the lower leagues.
Yes you get £35 for 90 minutes work, but the level of abuse you get is never worth that kind of money.

There are some teams in the Sunday league that give the ref so much verbal abuse that he has to give decisions in their favour for fear of physical assault.

It has got to a point so bad that out of our 22 league games, 8 were played without a referee.

The referees often make mistakes, but what they recieve in abuse from players isnt really worth wking up on a sunday morning for. Thats why there is a massive shortage of refs.

In the absence of refs, it is always the manager of the home team or a sub that takes charge, and then the accusations of favouritism kick in.

It gets ridiculous, but then would you get up for a little bit of money and suffer what they go through??

 

[BensGrandad]

Sorry I do not go along with this idea of only the captain being able to speak to the ref. Why should anybody need to speak to the ref other than to ask them to speak to their assistant and this can be easily overcoome in the pro game by giving all refs and assistant/linemen 2 way radio so that they can tell the ref themselves. It only need be a bleeper to tell the ref they have seen something for him to go and talk to the lino. It could even be a direct link from the 4th Official to the ref totell him that linesman a or b is flagging.

 

[steward 433]

It gets ridiculous, but then would you get up for a little bit of money and suffer what they go through??

Bit like being a steward, Getting grief for doing a job for not great money!!

I feel for the non league refs who have no backup their and agree i wouldn't do it for that money

 

[BensGrandad]

The problem is that the rules are not upheld consistently. When I was on Surrey FA disciplinarys a great number of the hearings were against parents of school age sides with abuse from the sidelines and abandonments. As a county FA we always tooka striong stance against players swearing at refs and in moist cases it resulted ina 28 day suspension but unfortunately this cannot be done against pros because you are effectively stopping them earning. I think that that is immaterial but the do gooders and employment laws say otherwise.

When at The Goldstone I sat with my grandson in the South Stand and you could plainly hear the defenders calling the line man a blind useless c..t etc. One of the worst offenders was Colin Pates. Even now at Withdean it can be heard e.g Sullivan in goal for Doncaster so if we can hear it sitting in the North Stand the lino and or ref must have but took no action.

 

[Mr Burns]

OK - For a start you are talking nonsense. How is it that you want to lay the blame soley at Refs. Have you ever taken the course? Have you every refereed a game? Have you ever taken the time to see what a Ref has to put up with? I doubt it

Anyway, I am a level 5 ref going for promotion to level 4. So a reasonable standard. I have done my fair share of kids games (now do supply league matches) and to be honest it is mostly the parents that let the kids down. Refs will take firm action but if you sent a player off for swearing then you would have no players left to officiate with. It is not in the laws of the game to dismiss a player from the field of play just for swearing.

One kids game I did I abandoned due to a parent. You will find most gobby parents are trying to play the game through their son/daughter. They are frustrated players at best. Anyway, this parent kept telling his son to run faster, tackle harder etc but kept adding in the odd swear word to encourage him!!! I asked the parent to try and use more appropriate words to encourage his son. The swearing stopped for 5 minutes then carried on.

At the next break in play I asked the parent once again to refrain from swearing as would he like his son to be sworn at on the street, he replied with a firm no, so I aksed him why was it different on the football pitch, he didn't have an answer!!! I then advised him that if he continued to swear that I would pick the ball up and call off the game and then ask the kids to ask him why the game was abandoned.

The game ran like clock work for the next 10 minutes, the parent was quiet but then he just lept into a torrent of abuse at his own son for missing a tackle and letting the opposition score. This was the straw that broke the camels back. I picked the ball up advised both managers why the game was being abandoned and went to the parent concerned and asked him to advise the kids why they couldn't play football. He went sheepish and walked away without having the guts to own up to the kids. My match report went in and I left it for the County to deal with. I think you will find the County Associations deal heavily with clubs, parents, players. It is more the FA that don't deal harshly enough.

One thing to remember is that every ref whilst applying the laws of the game will also interpret them slightly differently as each of us have a different tollerence level to foul, abusive or insulting langauge or actions plus what is considered a cautionable tackle.

What are your stats to prove that most refs are poor? Yes there are some shocking refs but most will be up to the standard of the league they ref in. I agree the FA need to do more and are gutless at the top as to be honest they do not run the game anymore it is driven by the Premier League Clubs.

I hope I have answred your points and you think my example of abuse was handled within the laws of the game. I still ref and enjoy it and yes I get shouted at but it is how you deal with it that counts and not every player that swears is sayign it with intent.

Well whilst I agree with your action in that one game, I would suggest you are like most other refs, the problem.

How can you say I talk nonsense, and then say all you refs will have a different tollerence level to foul and abusive langauge. That is my point exactly, and why I blame referees like you, for the problem of foul and abusive langauge in todays game.

Tell me where in the rule book it tells you to ignore foul and abusive langague, or how to "interpert" it. If a referee is called a f***ing ****, a f***ing idiot, or in fact a f***ing anything, the laws of the game require him to send the player off, just the laws of the game require him to award a throwin, goalkick or corner if the ball goes out of play. But from what you say, and what is seen week in week out, this is clearly not done.

I can understand interpertion of tackles, as people are bound to have differing view on this part of the game, but there can be no interpertion on the word ****, pratt, idiot, anything other abuse level towards a ref.

So I would suggest its you talking nonsense, and also suggest if refs like you who make it hard of other refs trying to apply the laws of the game.

My experience suggest, many refs are out of their depths, and I would disagree that most are up to the standard of the league they ref in. Most are at the level they ref in, because there is no one else to do it, and have been pushed on too far too soon. There is no one else to do it, as referees are seen as 'the enemy' to a lot of players and managers, and therefore whereas 10-15 years ago many would have taken up refing when they stopped playing, today hardly any players, if any, are prepared to become a ref.

It's a crying shame, and until the FA pulls their finger out of ther arse and address the problem, the standard of refs will get worse. Not that it can get much worse than today, it'll more of a case of not having any.

And I have to blame refs like yourself, who try and "interpert" what level of abuse they will tolerate. WHen what you should be doing, is NOT accepting ANY level of abuse, and this would make the game better for eveyone. It'll will also let players know where they stand. Because lets be honest, if you let a player swear at you throughtout a game, and most refs do, and then some new ref goes by the rules and sends him off (as the rules instruct him to), this player (if park football) gets a heavy fine and a 35 day ban (for something he's allowed to do every week), then I'm not surprised some off them get wound up and aggressive when they are sent off!

Becuase lets be honest, if it's been left down to the refs to interpert abuse, it's not really working is it?

 

[Mr Burns]

There is not much incentive for being a referee in the lower leagues.
Yes you get £35 for 90 minutes work, but the level of abuse you get is never worth that kind of money.

There are some teams in the Sunday league that give the ref so much verbal abuse that he has to give decisions in their favour for fear of physical assault.

It has got to a point so bad that out of our 22 league games, 8 were played without a referee.

The referees often make mistakes, but what they recieve in abuse from players isnt really worth wking up on a sunday morning for. Thats why there is a massive shortage of refs.

In the absence of refs, it is always the manager of the home team or a sub that takes charge, and then the accusations of favouritism kick in.

It gets ridiculous, but then would you get up for a little bit of money and suffer what they go through??

But thats the whole point of other refs needing to apply the laws correctly. If from the top down, any player gets sent off for directly foul and abusive lanague at a ref, people will know where they stand. The aggresion only kicks in, when someone gets sent off for something others get away with every week. If everyone gets sent off for swearing, AS THE RULES STATE, then people would accept it more. But if someone gets sent of for looking up at the sky and saying "For f*** sake", a week after seeing someone say "f*** off ref" and not even getting spoken to, then I'm not surprised the player sent off is going to get upset at the proscept of a month ban. So if everyone was in the same boat, then I would bet within a couple of games, swearing would almost grind to a halt, because people know they can't get away with it.

 

[BensGrandad]

A lot of referees allow what they term as 'industrial language' provided it is not directed at the officials or an opposing player. I have no objection to a chap saying .f*** it if he has made a mistake himself and it is directed to him self or what the f*** are you doing if to a team mate but I do have an objection to the same player using the same language at a ref, asst ref or opponent. That is where the line should be drawn at all levels of football.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

But thats the whole point of other refs needing to apply the laws correctly. If from the top down, any player gets sent off for directly foul and abusive lanague at a ref, people will know where they stand. QUOTE]

Concur, However Poll did this last year and then had the FA Criticise for doing it.

 

[BensGrandad]

Could you imagine Fergie's reaction if Rooney was sent off every time he did it.

You can easily lip read Ronney at least 5 times in every match swearing at a ref.

Perhaps after a couple of red cards he would learn but I doubt it as it is in his culture and up bringing.

 

[SNOOBS]

I was sent off last season for calling the ref a f***ing idiot as I walked away and I can't argue with the 35 day ban and £38 fine I received. I learn't my lesson from it and will never do it again however I see it happening all the time with some of the twatish refs doing nothing about it.
We had a ref the other day who warned players from both teams numerously to stop swearing, one right infront of me, who then preceeded to call me a 'sack of shit' for being fouled. When I asked the ref if that was allowed he just said 'theres a difference between swearing at someone or out of frustration'

I agree refs are treated badly but the FA need to make them get a f***ing grip, use their cards, issue longer bans for persistent offenders. Why not give the captain thing ago but they need to speak about it nationally NOW.

 

[SNOOBS]

Could you imagine Fergie's reaction if Rooney was sent off every time he did it.

You can easily lip read Ronney at least 5 times in every match swearing at a ref.

Perhaps after a couple of red cards he would learn but I doubt it as it is in his culture and up bringing.

And if its was made a rule used all the time he couldn't argue. All he could do is blame Rooney. Kevin Nolan was given a straight red this season for it and there was nothing they could argue about.