Article in Telegraph about referees and RESPECT

[lincs22]

An article in today's Telegraph about refereeing, assaults, etc. Normal sort of stuff rolled out regularly but no answers being supplied.

www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/10/18/save-game-referees-seek-talks-fa-abuse-reports-soar/

Culprits have to be dealt with seriously (long bans & heavy fines), I think we also have to think how to educate players, team officials better to minimise the continuing assaults/abuse referees are receiving.

Every player, regardless of level, expects Howard Webb ability from the referee. This is simply unrealistic!
Every referee performs to the best of their abilities on the FOP, regardless of their abilities. Every game is important to referees.

Yes, we need to invest more in observing and mentoring referees to help them develop but that is not going to solve the whole of the problem. As poor as this sounds, should the FA have more of a campaign about the levels of referees, their expected abilities, their continuing need for training and they are at that level of football because of their current abilities!.

Getting into grassroots football, both OA and junior, somehow we need to tell the managers/players/parents that the referee is a "work in progress" and trying to improve. They won't get every decision correct but they make less mistakes than the players per game!

How, as referees, can we change the discussion from "there has been another assault" to "that referee has improved over the season"?

How you all see what can be done?

 

[Big Cat]

Thanks for posting @lincs22
Could the spike this season have anything to do with the implied instruction to referees to tolerate dissent and abuse at this year's World Cup?
We live in a world in which Luke Shaw can get a £195K/week contract, yet two out of three grass roots facilities are woefully inadequate. The Respect campaign is just a bunch of posters and whilst the Sin Bin initiative is reportedly going well, who among us would take the statistics at face value?
A recent similar newspaper article claimed that there's a pool of 25 to 30000 registered officials, with 5000 newly qualified refs each year. Yet the total number of refs is stable or slightly in decline. I don't hold out much hope for better times. Attitudes on the pitch reflect those in society imo

 

[santa sangria]

How, as referees, can we change the discussion from "there has been another assault" to "that referee has improved over the season”?

This a million times. Brilliant line.

 

[Tino Best]

Maybe as well as fines and bans for the players, the guilty clubs who only pay for a ref also have to pay for 2 NARs for the rest of the season as it is harder to intimidate when there are three officials. And if there is a significant change of culture by the end of the season, the FA repays the amount the club has shelled out? It might be an unworkable idea but if the club has to shell out more but know if they change their culture they are not penalised financealy in the long term and it might change players actions. It might not stop assaults but it might make clubs take a better view on how their players act.

 

[Sheffields Finest]

When the thing they desire, a free voice for referees to speak out on a particular subject, is removed, how's that helping?.... how ironic!!

 

[Brian Hamilton]

Maybe as well as fines and bans for the players, the guilty clubs who only pay for a ref also have to pay for 2 NARs for the rest of the season as it is harder to intimidate when there are three officials. And if there is a significant change of culture by the end of the season, the FA repays the amount the club has shelled out? It might be an unworkable idea but if the club has to shell out more but know if they change their culture they are not penalised financealy in the long term and it might change players actions. It might not stop assaults but it might make clubs take a better view on how their players act.

As a Ref Appts Sec for a Step 7 Supply League, the last thing I need is to have to find 2 additional ARs for a team with a bad disciplinary record. Instead of fixing their record I'm more likely to expose more match officials to their antics. As these ARs are likely to be lower than L4, they may have lower commitment levels and may be more easily discouraged from staying in refereeing.

 

[RustyRef]

When the thing they desire, a free voice for referees to speak out on a particular subject, is removed, how's that helping?.... how ironic!!

What you posted wasn't a free voice, it was an abusive comment that was inappropriate so it was removed (not by me I should add, and then a different mod removed your next comment). What you posted amounted to defamation of character, so if you want to pay the legal bills when we get a solicitor's letter send us your bank account details and we will pass it on …

 

[Padfoot]

Maybe if referees used the tools they have, took a firmer stance on dissent/OFFINABUS and stopped finding excuses not to caution/dismiss players the problem would start to diminish?

We have the power on the pitch to deal with the abuse......

I’ll make no comment on the instigators of this ‘campaign ‘.......

 

[one]

Let's blame the referees for the abuse they are receiving. I am sure that would help.

 

[Ben448844]

Well I've just got dogs abuse for 90 mins, complete with abuse all the way back to the changing rooms. The crime, punishing fouls on the keeper at corners. I had the usual nonsense about how he will report me to the league, give me 1/10 (not sure I'll sleep tonoght now lol) how I was a disgrace and then threw in that he was a professional football coach when I have him a thorough warning that he will be removed from the pitch if I have to go over there again.

He clearly does this every week, hes the type that screams for everything and tries to intimidate. I'll report his conduct to the league but nothing will change. The intentions of the respect campaign are good but I'm afraid I've yet to see evidence of its benefit in adult football. I can't comment on kids stuff

 

[Tino Best]

As a Ref Appts Sec for a Step 7 Supply League, the last thing I need is to have to find 2 additional ARs for a team with a bad disciplinary record. Instead of fixing their record I'm more likely to expose more match officials to their antics. As these ARs are likely to be lower than L4, they may have lower commitment levels and may be more easily discouraged from staying in refereeing.

I can see that could be problematic. I knew there would be holes in my suggestion

 

[Tino Best]

Well I've just got dogs abuse for 90 mins, complete with abuse all the way back to the changing rooms. The crime, punishing fouls on the keeper at corners. I had the usual nonsense about how he will report me to the league, give me 1/10 (not sure I'll sleep tonoght now lol) how I was a disgrace and then threw in that he was a professional football coach when I have him a thorough warning that he will be removed from the pitch if I have to go over there again.

He clearly does this every week, hes the type that screams for everything and tries to intimidate. I'll report his conduct to the league but nothing will change. The intentions of the respect campaign are good but I'm afraid I've yet to see evidence of its benefit in adult football. I can't comment on kids stuff

Did you card him? Sounds like dissent at very least and you used the word abuse so could you have binned him for that?

 

[Padfoot]

Well I've just got dogs abuse for 90 mins, complete with abuse all the way back to the changing rooms. The crime, punishing fouls on the keeper at corners. I had the usual nonsense about how he will report me to the league, give me 1/10 (not sure I'll sleep tonoght now lol) how I was a disgrace and then threw in that he was a professional football coach when I have him a thorough warning that he will be removed from the pitch if I have to go over there again.

He clearly does this every week, hes the type that screams for everything and tries to intimidate. I'll report his conduct to the league but nothing will change. The intentions of the respect campaign are good but I'm afraid I've yet to see evidence of its benefit in adult football. I can't comment on kids stuff

What did you do about it?

 

[Padfoot]

Let's blame the referees for the abuse they are receiving. I am sure that would help.

Not blaming them for the abuse......but they have tools to deal with it......if they choose not to use them.....?

 

[Big Cat]

I'm guessing the referee (allegedly) assaulted in the ****fosters game would have been Level 5 or better. I'd like to think that two or more rounds of promotion would reflect that referee's competence in terms of using the 'tools at his disposal'
I'd bet that many (if not the majority) of assaults, occur in combination with a player being cautioned or dismissed

 

[Ben448844]

What did you do about it?

Plenty. Plenty of cards for the offending players too but let's stick to those that abuse not those that deal with it. The respect campaign hasn't done much in adult football, that is my experience I'm afraid. 2nd game today also was between the top 2 teams in the first division (under 18s this time). Managers were alot more respectful despite it being just as close a game. Maybe there's hope with those who are coming through the system now, we shall see.

 

[Sheffields Finest]

I'm guessing the referee (allegedly) assaulted in the ****fosters game would have been Level 5 or better. I'd like to think that two or more rounds of promotion would reflect that referee's competence in terms of using the 'tools at his disposal'
I'd bet that many (if not the majority) of assaults, occur in combination with a player being cautioned or dismissed

Seen far better experienced level 7's than over promoted inexperienced level 5's!!

 

[Ben448844]

Did you card him? Sounds like dissent at very least and you used the word abuse so could you have binned him for that?

Yup. Ask, tell, remove. Another member of the large contingent of people on the sidelines took up the mantle. I'm my own biggest critic and I'm a big lad, I can take criticism and I recognise my own failings. I'm afraid some teams/individuals will always be confrontational and will use it as a tactic. They will always try to intimidate the officials and they don't see anything wrong in doing so. Hopefully progress is being made in kids football but I'm yet to see improvements in adult football but that's just my experience.

 

[Ben448844]

Just reminded myself about an incident in my first match. Away team goes 2-1 up with 2 mins to go, it's a big goal as both teams have won every game this year. Everyone runs into the corner to celebrate so I go over to keep an eye on things and after a few seconds tell them to get back into their own half. As they start jogging back the home team take the kick off with the entire of the opposition in the other half, and begin running towards goal. I obviously blow the whistle and remind the players that it is the referee who restarts play! I've never seen this on a pitch before, and more surprisingly, a coach and several of the home team players were exasperated that I stopped them playing on, claiming that because the other team were off the pitch they were entitled to take the kick off without the referee blowing his whistle. Very odd but the home team players were genuinely surprised that they couldn't just kick off when they felt like it. Also, in both games today I cautioned players who were making a genuine attempt for the ball, rather than a red card which the players thought was still the law for DOGSO. All in a day's 'hobby'

 

[JamesL]

Just reminded myself about an incident in my first match. Away team goes 2-1 up with 2 mins to go, it's a big goal as both teams have won every game this year. Everyone runs into the corner to celebrate so I go over to keep an eye on things and after a few seconds tell them to get back into their own half. As they start jogging back the home team take the kick off with the entire of the opposition in the other half, and begin running towards goal. I obviously blow the whistle and remind the players that it is the referee who restarts play! I've never seen this on a pitch before, and more surprisingly, a coach and several of the home team players were exasperated that I stopped them playing on, claiming that because the other team were off the pitch they were entitled to take the kick off without the referee blowing his whistle. Very odd but the home team players were genuinely surprised that they couldn't just kick off when they felt like it. Also, in both games today I cautioned players who were making a genuine attempt for the ball, rather than a red card which the players thought was still the law for DOGSO. All in a day's 'hobby'

People believe anything they see on t'internet....