Over the last decade we have questioned whether our young football players are receiving the correct grass roots coaching to improve our country’s performance at major competitions.
Officials have also come under some criticism at the top level of English football. Questionable decisions are a part of the game, yet some calls have been bordering on the ridiculous.
Take Chelsea’s equaliser against Tottenham in April, a farcical goal that echoed of Frank Lampard and his disallowed goal in the World Cup against Germany.
Surely the training of our referees must improve if we are to reach the level that is required in the professional arena?
However, I would argue there are other issues that need to be addressed within the training of referees that perhaps demand more serious attention.
Despite many efforts to combat racism, homophobia etc. there are still worrying cases in local matches where players are abused by their fellow team-mates or competitors for their life choices or colour of their skin.
Of course, this can also happen off the pitch where local fans may have knowledge of the subject and abuse him/her.
But my point is that referees should be in complete control on the pitch and follow the ethical code that the FA tries to drive into the game. However, it is not as simple as merely following the rule book.
Although one would hope that these archaic views are fast dwindling in the local arena, it takes tremendous bravery for a referee to stand up to this type of abuse.Referees often must take action to protect themselves before protecting others, such is the veracity and intensity of some local football matches.
Stories frequently appear in the press citing an incident where a referee has been targeted for physical and verbal abuse.
A great report by The Telegraph in 2009 highlighted the severity of the treatment of referees. Clive Stewart officiating a local youth game in Swansea was approached by a furious parent after the game and punched in the nose, a wound which required 10 stitches.
Indeed, in 2009, a report by the FA showed that 7,000 referees were quitting football every season due to the treatment they were receiving. To think that a referee can be expected to challenge racist and homophobic behaviour without any sort of security is unrealistic.
Top level refereeing sometimes gets criticized for poor decisions and challenging racist and homophobic behaviour is important. But surely protection of the most important man in a game of football is paramount to ensure the future of the game at a local and professional level?
Before the FA attempts to sort out the quality of the refereeing in our top tier, they might want to address and support the quantity in the lower tiers.
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I have refereed for 33 years at various levels in football and I know the game can be immotive. In the heat of the moment I understand players and managers get excited. However these last few years I have seen the “super-thug” appearing.
These players have grown up feral. They not only rebel at authority, but challenge and sometimes physically attack it. From their home lives through school and now into open society they take no notice of discipline or authority.
This year I refereed a Sunday morning game and I gave a simple decision that a player disagreed with. He swore at me and when I sent him off he turned into the beast from hell and threatened to kill me. A team-mate also joined the abusive assault. The match was abandoned. However his vitriolic attacks did not stop and he continued to harangue me.
As far as I was concerned this incident had gone too far. I sent my reports to the County FA. I also contacted the police. The FA fined and suspended the players. The police prosecuted them. In light of these prosecutions I wanted the County FA to suspend, these two thugs.
I contacted both my County FA and the FA, requesting suspension. They virtually ignored me. I received pathetic replies of faint sympathy as if my dog had died.
The two thugs who wanted to kill me will be back playing soon and the FA will be expected me to referee as if nothing happened.
I know of lots of local referees who have thrown their boots in the dustbin and walked away cursing the FA and its inadequate disciplinary procedures. They truly believe they are not being protected from these super thugs.
The FAs attitude is to recruit more referees but their retention policy is abysmal.
I have not registered to referee this coming season. The County FA are aware of this, but no one has contacted me.