Are our Refs really that bad?

Sometimes we are quick to blame the refs, to criticise them, say they determined the outcome. Yes, sometimes ref’s get it wrong, but you make your chances and take the ones given to you.

Our refs are often blamed for the outcome of the game. They are subject to immense pressure and abuse at all levels of the game whether it be a local competition or the world cup final.

I may not have reffed a professional game, but I have reffed the lower levels of our game, and been subject to abuse from coaches, players, fans and groundsmen. I have also been praised by many.

Being a ref is not an easy job. You can’t see everything. Sometimes a player is in your way, or the angle wasn’t right, and you are under pressure to make that on the spot call. Sometimes you make it, sometimes you don’t. It all depends on how much doubt you have in your mind, and how well you cope under pressure.

Now sometimes a line needs to be drawn in the sand. When a player gets his head cut open because of a boot to the face, you have to call it a red. If not, a review must be taken of your performance.

In all honesty though, the refs have not been that bad this season in the A-League. I know there have been some bad calls. I know fans are annoyed because their team lost. Or their team should have been given that penalty. But have a look at it from a refs view. Could the ref actually see it clearly? Was it a clear cut foul? Was the ball 100% over the line?

I can think of a few recent occasions where the refs have gotten it wrong. But that is always going to happen in a game of football. Small mistakes people can live with, game changing ones are the problem.

Last night everyone was complaining about the ref’s decision to give Melbourne Victory a penalty.  It was a close call and could of gone either way. That is not the decision I have a problem with. The mistake that decided that game was when Perth weren’t given a second Penalty. Nagai went down with 5 minutes to go and should of been awarded a penalty. His feet were clipped by the defender and he was denied a goal scoring opportunity. But that is just one mistake in a whole game, where the ref really didn’t do too bad.

Now another aspect of reffing that you have to look at, is that the rules of the game are open to interpretation to some degree and that every ref is different. Some refs are harsh and pull up everything, some refs like to try and keep the flow of the game going and may not pull up every single offence. Soft calls lead to controversy too.

Refs just need to make sure they are consistent throughout the game and cannot be deemed to be favouring one team. For example, if you pull up one player for something, you must pull up an opposing player for doing the same thing. This is only ethical and keeps fans and teams a bit more happy.

One thing that many people get angry at refs at are offside calls. Especially close ones. Now do you realise how hard it can be to call an offside? Especially when there may only be a matter of centimetres in it? It can be extremely hard. And yet the majority of the time our ref’s get it right. But that one time in the game that an official might get it wrong? Oh that is such a controversial decision, that was never offside. Stupid ref, should be sacked.

Now this should not be the case. We should remember how many correct decisions that ref made and put the wrong decision in context. How close was it? How good was the ref’s view? How often does the ref make calls like this?

We should be supportive of our refs and provide positive criticism. They undergo a lot of training and sometimes they just make a simple human error, it may just be that the ref needs a quick refresher course.

Now one thing I have seen is the sudden abuse towards certain refs that have won awards in the past for being great refs. Why are these refs suddenly so bad? Jarred Gillett is a great example. Many people think he is the worse ref in the league this year, yet last year he won the award for best ref? Many fans refer to his 2012 grand final penalty decision as being the wrong decision when other top refs, Fox Sports and The World Game all defended his decision.

Is it that our refs aren’t receiving enough refresher courses to improve their skills and keep them up to date? And it’s not just A-League refs, but all refs. Look at the Manchester United vs Real Madrid game or Wigan Athletic vs Newcastle. Is it a case of FIFA not keeping its refs up to scratch?

This may be something that FIFA and national governing bodies might want to take a look at. Perhaps the FFA should do a review of all its refs and provide a comprehensive refresher over the offseason. Maybe FIFA and other governing bodies should set up independent ref review panels where complaints about refs can be viewed and action taken? Should Delovski need to go through the process of becoming a top ref again and be fined for his failings in the Smeltz incident?

These are all questions that need to be asked. But we also have to remember to keep things in context and praise our refs when they do good. We need to be supportive of our refs and provide them with the best opportunities to become better. And this doesn’t just apply to professional refs, but young and aspiring refs that are coming up through the system.

So next time you are at a game, be it your local club game or the A-League Grand Final, if the ref does a pretty good job, thank him or her. If they do a bad job, don’t over abuse them, but rather ask questions. You might get the ref admitting he made a mistake, or get his take on the situation. They do know the rules of the game better than you may think, and you may be the one interpreting the rule wrong; After all, don’t forget that they are only human.

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