queried it with the football league and got this load of pre-prepped drivel back from them
still - at least they replied
'Thank you for your email, this has been passed through to the referees department for their information.
Firstly, it is worth stating that The League receives numerous queries and complaints regarding individual referee's and match officials’ decisions and their overall performance. Without usually commenting on specific incidents, we can advise that the performances of all officials are constantly monitored by way of club and assessor reports, match videos or DVD and, at some grounds, Prozone statistics. Matches are also analysed by the Referees' Manager, a referees’ coach and the referee and, despite the perception of some, match officials are most accountable for their performance.
In relation to the incidents you refer to, it is at the discretion of the referee to manage the situation as he sees appropriate. In a general sense, in some cases it is extremely difficult to spot every single incident that occurs on the field of play, whether this be due to the proximity of the ball to players, the position of the referee, and/or other players obscuring views of the officials. In addition it is a fact that the human element of the sport means referees do also make mistakes during games, just like players and managers do. With only one chance to view every incident, and no benefit of replays, the modern referee has a sometimes difficult task. In all situations the decision of the referee is final.
The Referees’ Manager also works with his group in a bid to constantly improve standards. The match assessor is asked to consider the referee’s and officials’ overall performance and circumstances of the match in determining the mark awarded for his performance. This will include consideration of any proactive or preventative measures taken by the referee which aided his control of the game, of how the referee responded to situations that occurred in the match and how the referee managed the consequences of any difficult decisions or situations.
Specifically, the assessor is asked to appraise the referee’s performance against the following competencies;
• Application of the Laws of the Game and disciplinary control
• Management of the games and players
• Personality
• Teamwork
• Fitness, positioning and movements
We trust that this highlights to you the procedures in place designed to improve performances and thank you for contacting us with your comments, which as aforementioned have been noted and passed on.
Thank you for contacting The Football League.
Regards,
Jessica Crook
Customer Services Department
The Football League Limited
www.football-league.co.uk
