The referee’s blunder in awarding a penalty to Chelsea in their recent Premiership match against Liverpool and this week’s interview with ex-Premier League official, Graham Poll, emphasized the need for introducing TV replays to clean up the game.
With the increasing pace of football matches referees not only have to keep up with players 10-20 years younger than them, but must also be able to make split-second interpretations of the rules correctly. To add to their difficulties, they have to handle blatant cheating, on-the-field histrionics, abuse and intimidation by players, managers and supporters, and subtle pressure from clubs. Sometimes they are even criticized for ‘killing the game’ by interpreting the rules too strictly!
It is humanly impossible, under these conditions, not to make mistakes from time to time, i.e. assuming there are no ‘illegal’ reasons for these errors.
Why would anyone in the world want such a thankless job!
Most other sports use TV replays to assist officials. The principal argument against introducing it into football is that it will affect the flow of the game. This is absolute nonsense. Every time the ball goes out of play, the flow is interrupted. Every time there is an injury, the flow is interrupted. Every time players waste time, the flow is interrupted. In fact, each time the referee blows his whistle the continuity of the game is disturbed.
Given his opposition to such state-of-the-art practices, Michel Platini’s election to the top job at UEFA, European football’s governing body, is a set back to the introduction of electronic refereeing.
But TV replays must be used to control at least some aspects of the game, such as cheating and boorish behaviour.
Despite a few protestations to the contrary it is well-known how mercenary today’s footballers are. The best way to punish them then is to hit them financially. Thus in routine post-match analyses players who have cheated must be banned for a number of games, and fined heavily too. If the match result has gone the way of their team then the club or country must be fined too. The fines must be severe enough to hurt the guilty parties.
Referees and linesmen should also be wired up so that every exchange between them and the players is recorded. Players using abusive language on match officials should also be fined.
And sponsors, who are concerned about corporate image, should help clean up the game by insisting on sponsorship deductions for every red or yellow card received and for all behaviour not punished by the referee.
COMMENTS
Devinder
I totally agree with you. It’s time TV replays are used. If rugby and tennis can use it why can’t football use it.
Devinder
© Percy Aaron