A&H

Be careful what you say.........

mikedn

Referee/Mentor
My F.A. has stated that we have to be careful what we say on Social Media as it could lead to disciplinary action, this includes football related matters or even homophobic or racial comments.... Not that i would ever consider doing such thing.... I am now going to distance myself from this forum and any other so as not to put/involve myself in such proceedings..... onward and upward !!
 
The Referee Store
Stop being so melodramatic!

That policy has been in force for a few years now.....it's just another way the FA want to control every aspect of your life just because you choose to give your time to facilitating games of football within a defined framework.
 
They don't want us effing and jeffing on open forums such as facebook, twitter etc.

Not sure many non refs are on this forum!!
 
I did a joke about Howard Webb years ago on a previous forum and was reported!!!
I had my suspicions who it was but ***** left the forum just after!!! ****!!!
 
It's the same with everything.

If your social media accounts can connect you to your employer then they could take disciplinary action against you if you post something that could reflect badly on them.

At least if you get in trouble with the FA the worst they can do is stop you from refereeing football matches.
 
I think the FA monitors this website and if we overstep the mark by naming teams or individuals we would get into trouble. As for posting homophobic or racist comments if you are that kind of person you probably already posted theses on social media already.
 
also i think we can police ourselves on here to an extent... anyone looks like they are going to overstep, or indeed do overstep the mark, someone can recommend the edit button
 
Let's be real though... are they ever going to catch you? Unless you make it pretty obvious who you are. They could catch me, an RNFA referee with the initials B_D... they'd soon work out who I am after a bit of invertendo. But for most, they wouldn't know who you are.

The way to be safe online is to not write anything that you wouldn't say to someone's face - like your RDO, your Governance Manager etc. Or, do t say anything that you wouldn't want them seeing.

Before Cornwall's RDO got made redundant, there were rumours going around that he wanted me banned from refereeing because of my "influence" on social media. I run a Facebook group for Referees in Cornwall which is used very regularly with no problems. I also comment regularly (well, I did... I've come off it now) on the County's football forum. Thing is, they had no grounds because I'm careful with what I say. That's all you have to be
 
The problem that exists with the FA, probably more than with most civilian employers, is people trying to score points off each other and stabbing people in the back.

In a civilian workplace office politics is generally a bit softer, I.e. People are more likely to suck up to the boss and laugh at his jokes etc.

The same opportunities don't exist within refereeing so the best way to get one up on other referees would be too make them look bad/get them in trouble so they don't get the good appointments which would enhance their standing within the FA/CFA/Academy etc.

Of course, you don't necessarily need to do anything wrong as such, if your face doesn't fit, or someone takes a dislike to you then you might just not get good appointments, or, always get teams and/or oberservers which mark poorly.

Of course, for most refereeing will never be more than a "hobby" of sorts, and unless you aspire to get on the national list(?) or select group 1 or 2 most of the above probably wouldn't affect you too much anyway.

The best advice is what DB gave, don't post anything you wouldn't say to someone's face, or that you wouldn't want to explain to your grandma.
 
They don't want us effing and jeffing on open forums such as facebook, twitter etc.

Quite correct too in my opinion. I've seen some rubbish on social media which does no credit to the individual referee or referees in general. I honestly believe that referees have an obligation to be sensible and discreet when discussing our matches, particularly if we are involved in youth football. There is a thin line between banter and abuse/accusations. In Scotland the SFA is already cracking down heavily on improper use of social media.

This is the only forum where I will discuss refereeing issues as it is predominantly used by referees who are generally smart and discreet enough to make blatant references to teams or individuals.
 
and never discount the fact some colleagues are just waiting to brown nose and stab you in the back
 
  • Like
Reactions: DB
I've heard Neale Barry be very disparaging of those who report other colleague's social media use.
 
Not just refereeing, there are lots of stories of people who have lost their job over social media posts. Just as lots of referees have been suspended for the same, I know of one who received a 2 year ban for a Facebook post before it was reduced on appeal.

Commenting on decisions and general refereeing issues is fine, its only when people move onto personal attacks or things that are deemed to be offensive that the FA are ever going to get involved, and rightly so.
 
Back
Top