Time For Change

After watching so many mistakes by the Premier League referees again this season surely it is high time the Football Association step in and start recruiting ex players. This has to be the answer going forward as an ex player knows and understands the game far better and can judge fouls accordingly.

I know having played rugby to a decent standard and then taking up refereeing you get to see things very differently. A game with an ex player will be blown very differently than by someone who has ever played the sport. Firstly the players would know they couldn't con their way trying to get decisions going their way. The match would flow with less stoppages for time wasting tactics.

It is easy to see how the players try and manipulate the referees as they have no respect for them. How many times do we see players abusing the referees with bad language and nothing ever happens. The referees running around clearly are lacking in football knowledge as they know the rules only.

I know when I played rugby I knew all the rules and it was a rarity as crazy as it sounds many players only know a handful of the basics. Saying that rugby has many more rules than football and they change fairly frequently in order to make the game safer.

Most ex footballers should be looking to at least put something back into the sport and not just through coaching or managerial positions. Refereeing is seen as probably the harder option yet it is the one that needs these players more than ever. The pay is not awful, but then again a footballer who did well doesn't exactly need the money and should be doing it because they care.

A referee in the Premier League elite squad of which there are 3 earns a basic salary of £200 000 per season plus match fees of £1500 per match. There are currently 15 referees on the panel and if you work out every game you need at least 4 plus the VAR referees. There is more than enough work to go around so you would expect over one weekend to referee one game and be an assistant in another. Being an assistant or VAR official you receive another £850 for your time. That is not bad considering you are involved in a sport you enjoy and too old to compete so reffing and earning £10 000 per month over and above your basic salary.

What might explain the barriers for an ex player is that you cannot referee a game with a team you were involved with previously. Many professional footballers will most likely play for two or three clubs and possibly more throughout their careers. I can recall being told I wouldn't be allowed to referee a South African game if I made it that far and was happy with that not that I would have blown the game ay differently. That to me was insulting and dumb, but had no choice.

For me this doesn't make sense as one thing you do learn as a referee is to be neutral to whatever game you are refereeing. It is not something you even think about as you are there to do a job to the best of your ability. I believe those rules were implemented by people who don't actually understand what being a referee really is and is totally outdated. I just think it would be great for the sport to see icon's from yesteryear running around blowing a game knowing you can trust their judgement and have the respect of the players. I know the game will be totally different and most likely the results would also change.