Respect for referees

[Pardew's Legendary Specs]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/26341392" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think this just gos to show how bad the attitude in football is. Every game the footie refs will get sworn at numerous times, several gestures and then managers slate them.

This passes to the fans...."the referees a w*****" etc

This just shows it is possible to have respect.

[Jaiston]

Mic the refs up and tell them to yellow card ANY form of dissent.

[Don Sholeone]

The difference is rugby actually have decent refs, the quality of refs in football is shocking.
Another big difference is the conduct of the referees, some of them blatantly want their name in the sports pages, times when you see a player get carded some refs actually stomp towards players with faces of thunder just to dramatise the decision, at times I've seen some refs walk away a few feet do a half pirouette then book a player or send him off.

The refs have helped breed disrespect in the sport with their own attitudes and bad performances.

[Pardew's Legendary Specs]

Ther a re a lot of decisions in rugby that are 50:50 especially at breakdowns of scrubs etc. But everyone just accepts the referees decided and that's the end of that. In football, every decision is over analysed to see ether it was right or wrong.

The pen against city in the CL was a prime example. Ref got it wrong but virtually everyone I've spoken to has said they thought it was a penalty in real time yet the analysis was the ref was wrong and pellegrini basically accused him of cheating

[MitroLand]

A few years ago, when they started that Respect campaign, things looked like they might improve. Only captains could talk to refs unless the referee initiated the conversation (such as when a player gets a warning) and there was a lot less surrounding the ref, managers cut down on their bitching and so on. Then it vanished. Everything went back to how it was prior to the campaign.

I think they should mic the refs, bring back elements of the respect campaign (only captains can speak for example). Also, to balance it, they should punish refs who make blatantly poor decisions. Obviously, some poor decisions will be made and some can't be helped in real time but major decisions or ones that are obvious should result in refs being punished somehow. That way, both referees and players willimprove.

[LaFraise92]

Mic the refs up and tell them to yellow card ANY form of dissent.

The problem is that this would make matches completely untelevisable due to the amount of swearing.

[Don Sholeone]

Its over analysed because of the inconsistency, one decision last week can be identical to one this week but have totally opposite outcomes, its a regular occurrence, every week you will probably see a player be hacked down without consequence 5 minutes later someone can get clipped and a player gets booked.

[Speedo]

Should be refereeing my first match this weekend or next

[Jaiston]

Mic the refs up and tell them to yellow card ANY form of dissent.

The problem is that this would make matches completely untelevisable due to the amount of swearing.

That's when the player fines and yellow cards/ bans come in. A player will think twice about their conduct if they start missing games.

[Pardew's Legendary Specs]

25% weekly wage fine and a yellow card should do the trick. All proceeds to go into grass roots footie

[biggeordiedave]

I don't think the quality of PL refereeing is great, but I think the FA make it worse. Their decision making process is so inconsistent that it actually makes a mockery of the game. I also think the fact that they've made referees completely untouchable doesn't help either. If a referee makes an awful decision, he should be held accountable for it and the manager of the team in question should be allowed to make his feelings known.

[Speedo]

The real problem is that there aren't enough referees at the grassroots level of the game. There has to be 15 Premier League referees, and the larger the pool of referees the more good ones there will be. There are a number of reasons, I think, for a lack of referees:

1. Perception of the Job

Through the lack of respect shown at the top level, combined with the level of abuse from parents and players at all ages and levels of football, people see it as being paid to be abused by guys who might kick the s*** out of you if you don't give them a penalty. Added to this, the media attention on mistakes and so on make only the thickest skinned/most arrogant individuals think that they could referee (I'm definitely the latter).

2. Marketing

The referee is the least glamorous position on a football pitch. With the exception of the once-in-a-generation referees like Pierluigi Collina, they are instantly forgettable (unless they've made an error). Who goes to bed dreaming of sending someone off in a World Cup final? Added to this, people don't know how to get involved with refereeing. Most people at my basic ref course were sent from their clubs so they can help out, rather than being there to actually referee.

3. Unclear Prospects

Although there is a reasonably clear pyramid of promotions from being a beginner referee (Level 9) up to being a Premier League Referee (Level 1), it's not obvious how much time or financial reward there will be in the early days before promotion. People play football for fun. People referee for different reasons - a love of the game, but also it is an earning job. There is also a lack of proper training. You know how desperate they are for referees when it takes less than 20 hours of tuition to be a qualified ref (probably less than 15!). In Rugby, referee training takes 6 weeks, and, at my university, they are oversubscribed for Rugby referees.

I think a combination of heavy investment and attempts to fix the above issues is absolutely necessary to make a serious difference to the quality of referees at all levels.

[bodacious benny]

Another big difference is the conduct of the referees, some of them blatantly want their name in the sports pages, times when you see a player get carded some refs actually stomp towards players with faces of thunder just to dramatise the decision, at times I've seen some refs walk away a few feet do a half pirouette then book a player or send him off.

The refs have helped breed disrespect in the sport with their own attitudes and bad performances.

I actually think that this kind of behaviour / bravado by some refs is kind of a reaction to the s*** they have to deal with. Being Mr Nice Guy doesn't wash with these over-paid PL d******** who have over-inflated egos and no grasp of reality. Refs almost have to big themselves up or dramatize their actions for players to take notice.

As others have said, any reported instance of dissent should be met with a yellow card and a post-match fine with money (and there will be lots of it) ploughed into Grass Roots football.

Unfortunately this would take a lot of common sense from the FA and Premier League so it's never going to happen.

[Holystone...]

Referees are only human. Everybody but them has advantage of TV, replay etc to make them look fools. They are making judgement calls on the hoof by what they see. As for being inconsistent, every tackle situation , every off-side is different so impossible for them to call things right 100%.
Do we really want rugby referees with video replay or worse, cricket with automated technology? It's taken FIFA decades to put an extra official on the by-line to help referees ( take Lampards England disallowed goal which would have stood).
The very human frailties make for decisions never being malicious. Managers will always moan. Players will always gripe. Fans will always slag off decisions made against their own team. When decisions go OUR way, not many people complain.
Funny that.

[Donkey Toon]

As a player I used to be a right lippy t*** to ref's. Total disrespect.

But I organised a team in a saturday business league and we were so short of refs we had to resort to getting players from teams not having a game that week to referee other games, each team having to fulfill a rota. I could never get anybody to volunteer so had to do it myself. Took me five minutes of my first game to realise what a hard job it was and I learnt to respect them and get a perspective of the problems they face. It really opened my eyes.

Just an idea but I think the FA should make players who are repeat offenders for dissent against refs do a course in refereeing and make them ref a few local community (sunday league standard) games. Might make a few of them realise what a hard job it is.

And those who don't want to have to go through all that will be more likely to be put off than fining them a tiny sum of money that they propably earn in a few minutes on the training pitch.

[Speedo]

Just an idea but I think the FA should make players who are repeat offenders for dissent against refs do a course in refereeing and make them ref a few local community (sunday league standard) games. Might make a few of them realise what a hard job it is.

And those who don't want to have to go through all that will be more likely to be put off than fining them a tiny sum of money that they propably earn in a few minutes on the training pitch.

This, so much. I think that should be a punishment at all levels. Imagine Wayne Rooney having to referee a few Sunday League games. That'd teach him.

Also your new custom rank

[DarrasHallStalker]

Of course you need respect in rugby, it is near enough a mass brawl as it is without players telling each other and the Ref to f*** off.

The old adage applies, 'rugby is a hooligans game played by gents', and football vice versa.

The interesting thing about this incident is that Saint-Andre agrees with the Ref, this is very common in Rugby. Unheard of in football.

[Donkey Toon]

Just an idea but I think the FA should make players who are repeat offenders for dissent against refs do a course in refereeing and make them ref a few local community (sunday league standard) games. Might make a few of them realise what a hard job it is.

And those who don't want to have to go through all that will be more likely to be put off than fining them a tiny sum of money that they propably earn in a few minutes on the training pitch.

This, so much. I think that should be a punishment at all levels. Imagine Wayne Rooney having to referee a few Sunday League games. That'd teach him.

Also your new custom rank

They'd give him so much stick. That is a game i'd pay good money to watch.

Actually I got the custom rank thingy late last year sometime. But don't worry I often don't notice them either.

[TJR]

Mic the refs up and tell them to yellow card ANY form of dissent.

The problem is that this would make matches completely untelevisable due to the amount of swearing.

Foul and abusive language is a red card offence. GIve the refs mics and then if anyone uses foul and abusive language send the off. Then here would be no foul and abusive language so games could be shown as normal as no one would want to get sent off for it.

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/footballd ... 90868.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just no refs actually stick to the rules

[Speedo]

Foul and abusive language is a red card offence. GIve the refs mics and then if anyone uses foul and abusive language send the off. Then here would be no foul and abusive language so games could be shown as normal as no one would want to get sent off for it.

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/footballd ... 90868.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just no refs actually stick to the rules

It depends on what the referee decides is foul and/or abusive and/or offensive language.