I wanted to raise for discussion the thorny issue of officials, Referees and their Assistants, in football and, especially in grassroots football, whether at youth or open age level.
It is a topic that has prompted my reflection and increasing
concern over the last few years, especially and which has been exacerbated by
reports and comments on social media about the treatment officials (whether
formally ‘appointed’ or last-minute volunteers) receive from managers, coaches,
spectators, parents’ and players.
It also seems, again from social media comments, that many teams
are not now having officials appointed to club games this season (2021-22).
Following the resumption of football post Covid-19 lockdown,
the Club with which I am involved received a communication from the local
County FA informing us that when football resumed after the previous Covid
lockdown there was a spike in Misconduct incidents and charges and especially with
abuse towards referees.
They also pointed out that, of around 650 active officials
in our county, almost 20% were under the age of 18 and therefore, in the eyes
of the law, minors - children.
CHANGING
PERCEPTION
Please, when
we attend football games, let us make a change in how we regard the referee and
other officials.
I heard a
great phrase once, from an American company for which I used to work that “Perception
IS Reality”.
So, I wanted
to implore readers to change their perception of how match officials are
regarded.
Referees and assistants are not ‘the enemy.’
They are qualified, impartial and do their best to manage
games to the best of their ability so that everyone can enjoy the game.
They are, or, in my opinion, should be regarded as guests of
the club at which they are officiating. I strongly believe that if we can all
change our perception of officials and strive to manage our reactions we will
all be calmer and as a result enjoy the game more and be less stressed.
DECISIONS
MADE ‘AGAINST US’
Officials do
not give decisions “against us” – they just give decisions in accordance with
the Laws of the Game.
Do they make mistakes? Of course…. Just like players,
managers, coaches….as we all do.
As an active coach, previous referee, my local Club’s
Welfare Officer and with some friends who are referees, I can absolutely ASSURE
you that referees officiate because they love football too.
YOUNG
REFEREES
Especially at
youth games the appointed officials will often be only a year or two older than
the players in the games they are officiating and are also therefore children.
Young referees are learning to referee the game in the same
way that clubs’ young people are learning to play the game.
So, please, help football by intentionally acting as a
positive role model for good behaviour and demonstrating by example that this
is how you do things at your Club.
Some County Football Associations have introduced Yellow
Armbands for referees Under 18 and to draw attention to the fact they are
children.
Parents / spectators at youth games should feel empowered to
challenge inappropriate behaviour considering this information, though I
recognise it is not always advisable to do so if it would cause a confrontation
or puts you in a threatening situation.
If that is the situation, please draw such behaviour to the
attention of your team’s coach and ask them to address it with the opposition
coach. If it is your coach, can you involve the assistant coach to modify
behaviour?
Or report it to your club’s appointed Welfare Officer.
WE WANT
FAIRNESS / CONSISTENCY
Many, many
people, coaches, managers, players, parents, spectators, TV pundits often say
they want ‘fairness’ or consistency.
Referees are fair – they give decisions (or sometimes, not)
based upon their interpretation of what they have just seen and having cross
referenced the incident with their knowledge of the Laws Of The Game.
My personal view, which has developed over the years is
that, actually “We” (our team’s players, fans, coaches) just want decisions to
go OUR way – to be given ‘in our favour’. But if they do, is that not giving
decisions ‘against’ the other team (see above)?
As followers of the game, we perceive an ‘injustice’ when a
decision presents possession to the ‘other’ team.
THE REF
COST US THE GAME
The referee
cost us the game, or a version of that comment, is something I suspect most
followers of football would recognise that is occasionally made about
officials.
Conversely, though, I have never, EVER heard a team coach,
manager, fan say “We only won because the ref cheated the other lot out of it”
– Never, in over 50 years of following the game.
If you believe what I have stated above is true, why do you
think that is the case?
Officials don’t ‘lose’ games, players do. I have often used
this phrase in conversation and am always happy to discuss other people’s
perspective
I have often heard the example offered “What about the last
minute ‘dodgy’ penalty when it’s 0-0?”
DO PLAYERS
CONTRIBUTE TO THE LOSS / DRAW?
In that
circumstance I would look at the challenge that led to the award of the
penalty, initially. E.g. The starting position of the defender – wrong side,
too close, too far off, did they tackle with the ‘wrong’ leg, should they have
tackled at all, could they have shown the player away from the goal instead of
challenging….etc?
Also, I would then look at the preceding pass – should it
have been intercepted by someone screening / cutting off the passing lane, did
the immediate defender make the pass difficult for the passer, was the passer
under pressure at all, or should they have been?
Earlier on in the game, I would be looking at the ability of
the team in attack to create shooting opportunities; movement to create space,
unpredictability in the final third, combination play to get into shooting
positions. Having been in those shooting positions did players take the
opportunity to shoot, or delay too long, play an extra pass that meant the
opportunity was lost…. Or did they shoot but off target – over the bar, which
gives no other chance to score although past the far post, for example, at
least gives another opportunity for follow ups or rebounds.
Did other players actually follow in for a far post finish
or to deal with rebounds…or not?
TEAM
STRATEGY & TACTICS
How about the
process to achieve a result? What is the coach/managers approach to the game?
Have they changed approach because of the opposition? Is it something they have
practised with the team before implementing it on match day? Have they made an
in game change that has effectively reduced their chances of creating
opportunities?
SHOW ME A
VIDEO
Show me a
video of any game, and I am pretty convinced I will be able show half a dozen
reasons why a team lost or drew a game that is nothing to do with the referee
A throw in on the half-way line is not, or should not be,
more of a challenge than the opponent having possession in open play, for
example. What does a team out of possession do in open play? Close down, press,
cover, balance, try to force play, position for interceptions etc. It should be
no different for a throw in or free kick.
I would suggest that most deep free kicks delivered into the
opposing penalty box are largely unsuccessful, in any case. (I do need to do
some analysis.)
As soon as the ball is in the air, it’s a bit of a 50/50
anyway. Next game you are watching, consciously watch for deep free kicks and
see how successful they are in creating scoring or secondary opportunities and
what really happens. (Nought From One – if you know, you know!)
CONTROL
THE CONTROLLABLES
I have recently
worked with an U18 group. One of the key messages throughout has been around
Emotional Intelligence - controlling their emotions and responses to stressful
or frustrating circumstances.
Some players naturally have things under control, others
less so and so we have provided guidance, instruction, scenarios to imagine and
prepare for before they encounter them so they have an intelligent response –
we have used the phrase “Be Response-able” (not my phrase; as a coach, I nicked
it from someone else but if you wish to accredit it to me, I will gladly claim
it as my own !)
As coaches/managers we can help players and our colleagues
re-frame things in our minds, deal with the situation in front of us and not
succumb to imagined injustices when, in fact, decisions are just part and
parcel of the game, which, in the cold light of day, we all know, really.
IT’S JUST ‘PASSION’
Another
phrase I have often heard – football is a passionate game – is almost a
justification for losing self-control and shouting insults or questioning a
(sometimes seemingly every) decision that are ‘awarded’ to the other team.
For me, passion is about following your team, being a
student of the game, as a coach, helping individuals as well as the team to
become better players and people, staying up late (especially if you are a grassroots
coach) designing practices to help develop players’ understanding of the game –
generally, or what is required in the match this weekend.
I would expect to be challenged on this, but my view cannot
be that ‘passion’ allows people to shout insults or constantly challenge
decisions of officials and especially, but not exclusively, when that official
is a child.
OFFICIALS
HAVE TO EARN RESPECT
When I was
growing up (quite a few years ago now, I grant you) Respect was afforded to
EVERYONE in every circumstance as a matter of course and was only EVER
withdrawn once the individual demonstrated they were no longer worthy of
respect. But that didn’t mean withdrawing Respect because someone made a
decision with which we didn’t agree …or wish had been different.
The FA’s Respect
Programme was introduced primarily because of the deterioration of respect
across the game; Respect for officials, but also for coaches, our own and
opponents’, our teammates, opposing players, for ourselves and for the game
itself.
LEARNED
BEHAVIOUR THROUGH ‘CULTURE’
But is this
not just learned behaviour brought about by the (toxic? Tribal?) culture that
has been allowed to evolve in football.
The people who live in Britain, generally I think, are still
regarded as having a very high regard for integrity and ‘fair play’. Let us all
try to maintain that global perception and to respect all who participate and
run the wonderful game we call football…..or soccer, if you prefer.
Thank you for reading and I hope I may have influenced your
perspective, just a little, or at least helped you think about how we can make
football more enjoyable for officials and perhaps reduce the stress apparently
suffered by players, coaches, managers, parents, spectators and fans because a
decision was made ‘against’ us.
