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Are all football referees cheats and cuckold? For many years, they have been the unfortunate targets of insults with degrading adjectives, coming from the losers…of course. Quoting the oft repeated phrase that referees are human beings and as such liable to err, is not much consolation for the angry fans who feel that they have been conned.
It is common knowledge that referees are influenced by external factors. A recent study by academics show that they have proof that referees are homers. But frustratingly for managers and fans looking for a scapegoat, the new study claims that while officials do favour home teams on key decisions, they are not deliberately biased.
Analysing all Bundesliga games in 2000-1, two Austrian economists found that referees were far more likely to give the home team a penalty and tended to add more to injury time if the home team were trailing.
One of the authors, Martin Kocher, said “In general referees are far from being neutral but it is mostly unintentional.
“Psychology has long proven the impact of all the noise and pressure. Our figures simply confirm this.”
UEFA Proposal
Since last November, UEFA has been working on a project which refers to top class referees from the leading eight European national associations to control risk matches of other countries. The UEFA Referees submitted the proposal to the Executive Committee. The main scope is to give European referees additional experience and also to relieve the pressure on domestic referees for key ‘derby’ or high-risk matches in their own countries. The proposal would involve no more than two games per half season, and is expected to come into force as from season 2004-5.
The scheme would involve Europe's top 30 elite and premier-class referees, including such names as Pierluigi Collina, of Italy, for five consecutive years considered as the world's best, Anders Frisk of Sweden, Markus Merk of Germany and other familiar faces from European competitive matches at club and national levels.
The first phase of the programme would focus on bilateral exchanges where, for example, an English referee would referee a German Bundesliga match and vice versa. Three officials would travel to the game. UEFA's refereeing manager Yvan Cornu stated that “At specific special matches in certain leagues, the pressure on referees is ever increasing, and appointing a foreign referee at these matches would be a positive step and one which could achieve further uniformity for our elite referees across Europe.”
Smooth words
One would be naïve to accept these smooth words for many vital reasons. It is a known fact that referees in their national countries are generally more than keen to control high-risk matches, and if the experiment is meant to reduce the pressure on officials, it equally means that the bucket is passed to the foreigner.
Many, many years ago, the Malta FA invited top class Italian referees to control needle matches connected with our calendar. The attraction proved positive, but did not last.
Meanwhile, UEFA seems to cater only for the top eight national associations, when it is evidently clear that the remaining 44 affiliated associations also have their ‘derbies.’ Is it because these are regarded as second class bodies? Or is it that they cannot cope with expenses? Does the project mean that the selected premier-class referees need to obtain further experience solely by controlling matches connected with the top European leagues? What about those referees from the other associations? Don't they need to gain experience? There is a lot to be argued in favour and also against the idea.
C******
Referees are called by a rather repulsive adjective in Italian league matches. Similar references apply to all other countries. Obviously in their own native language, and certainly not too complimentary. Recently Inter's new President Giacinto Facchetti criticised referees and added that they would do well to examine their conscience. Of course, Facchetti is not the only President of a football club who is not always pleased with the handling of particular matches by certain officials. It is always felt that there is a law for the rich and a different one for the minnows.
But it is interesting to note how the same Facchetti and his colleagues, of the Helenio Herrera famous spell, had reacted to an article published in a much-respected daily published in Englnd. They hit back strongly at Brain Glanville's article appearing in ‘the Times’ which alleged that “Inter 's success in Europe during the sixties was due to referees being bent for Inter's home matches,” and cited President Angelo Moratti, the then executive manager Italo Allodi and a Hungarian named Denso Solti who acted as the man between. Briefly Glanville alleged that these referees were corrupt and helped Inter. Facchetti was more than justified to hit back at Glanville's allegations. Why did Glanville wait for more than thirty years to state such thrash? Unfortunately the mentioned persons cannot even defend themselves as they have passed away. On very rare occasions, a few ‘knights of the whistle’ were proved to have accepted monetary presents to assist certain clubs. There were cases when national associations banned referees because of proven corruption.
There are a few facts and figures which make you wonder about certain clubs but it is totally unbecoming to continually doubt referees’ integrity and be suspicious of the way they control matches.
Human misery being what it is may lead to the wrong conclusions. But certain facts can hardly be believed. The Italian Serie A side Empoli complained that they did not have a single penalty in their favour in 42 matches while records show that it is more than a decade since Manchester United had a premiership penalty scored against them at Old Trafford. These details appeared in ‘The Sun’ a couple of weeks ago. Ruel Fox hammered a spot-kick past goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel to earn Norwich a draw on December 4, 1993. Since then only three penalties have been awarded to the opposition at Old Trafford in the league and all of them were missed. Two seasons ago, Leicester's Muzzy Izzet beat Fabian Barthez - but it had to be retaken as Barthez was cleaning his boots on the post. The second time round Barthez saved. Middlesbrough's Juninho also failed to convert as did David Dunn for Blackburn last year. Do these examples prove anything? Not much, but enough to start a discussion.
Similar examples are found in any records of any federation.
The experiment by UEFA will not stop fans talking against referees and refereeing episodes.
With modern technology and so many cameras surrounding the field of play, referees are vulnerable as their sins are clearly exposed. Former international referee Paolo Casarin blamed referees for not taking decisions and allowing play to go on when they should have whistled. He asked whether they are conditioned to do so, and whether they could be lenient with their cards before ‘derby’ matches?
While refereeing is regularly discussed, David Sewell, the Dean of the faculty of Science at Hull University conferred an honoris causa degree on Pier Luigi Collina, the world’s number One Whistler who graduated in economics, at Bologna University twenty years ago.
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