More and more in the
game we seem to be seeing referees making decisions that defy our
believe and make no logical sense. In that case, surely something
needs to change to ensure the officials keep their mistakes to a
minimum and do not continue to get certain things so drastically
wrong?
I know the idea of
having sanctions for referees and the other officials will come under
scrutiny immediately for a couple of reasons. First, it won't change
the outcome of the match as there is no way there can be a call
for a re-match or the changing of the points if there is found to be
any wrongdoing. This would be impossible and probably a very
controversial set of events. Secondly, the referee is seen to have
the final word because it ensures that he is respected by the players
and fans alike as being the person in charge of the match. But let me
address these points and explain why I believe there has to be
repercussions in response to any major decisions the referees get
wrong.
I understand people may think it's pointless for the referees to be penalised as
it has no bearing on the match they potentially screwed up,
but surely it has relevance on how they perform in future matches?
Sure, it doesn't change the fact that they made the mistake
previously, but there's nothing stopping them from doing it again if
they aren't questioned on it, and it could even occur again in a
match that your team are playing in! In a game like rugby, which is
becoming ever more popular and one of the biggest sports in the
world, there should be no room for big errors. Of course, if the
referee or other officials happen to make minor mistakes, such as
missing knock ons and forward passes, or even making the occasional
dubious penalty decision, there would be no real reason for them to be
brought up on it. However if they make major errors, such as ending
the match before time is up (which we have seen increasingly in
recent seasons) or awarding a penalty to the team that in no way
deserves it, there has to be some sanction. In professional sport,
there should be no mistakes made – after all, if a player makes a
mistake there is usually a reaction. Just because the officials are
not the one playing the sport does not mean their role in how
the match plays out is not important, because it is, and due to this
they have to do as good a job as possible.
As for the second
point, yes the referee is in charge of the match and has the final
say on the day. But people in charge should not be immune from
repercussions if they do something wrong. Just look at Directors of
Rugby as an example – they are in charge of their club and their
players, but they too can be subject to the consequences of their
actions. Take Richard Cockerill – after he made some negative
comments, he was given a ban that meant he had to watch the matches
away from the rest of his team. Directors have a lot of power and
responsibility, but they are not exempt from punishment and referees should not be
either. It just goes to show that those in charge do do things wrong and they too can be held accountable, otherwise they could abuse
their position of power. Obviously I am not suggesting referees will
abuse their position of authority, but it may make them feel
comfortable if there is to be no consequences to what they do. This
shouldn't be the case, as comfortability can work against someone –
referees need to be constantly on the ball, and even feeling the
pressure in a way because it essentially forces them to do a good job
for fear of repercussions.
As my last point, I
want to make quick reference to the idea that penalising referees
could lead to abuse of this power and we could see many citings.
However, my response to this would be that we have these citings for
players and directors alike and there seems to be no issue of abuse
of the power. Having said that, the way the citings work does
come with its own issues that aren't immediately relevant to this
discussion. Therefore, I would sum up with the overall argument that
we need to have a means to hold referees accountable – it's unfair
to players, fans, clubs and everyone involved in the sport if officials should get off with no punishment for doing something that
goes against what everyone believes should have happened. Of course,
all those people involved in the sport may not themselves be crystal
clear on what should have happened, but sometimes it is completely
obvious the referee has made the complete wrong decision. For
all I know, there may be some means of holding referees accountable,
but if there is it needs to be made known to everyone or it needs to
be increased because there are many issues with the way some
rugby matches are being officiated.
Thanks for reading ruckers,
Jess.
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