Matt Maher: It’s time to blow whistle on the refereeing omerta
Anyone who stayed up into the wee small hours last Sunday night to watch the Super Bowl was treated to a classic.
At least, that was the case until just before the finish.
Having traded blows for the best part of three-and-a-half hours, it appeared the Philadelphia Eagles would get one final swing at either beating the Kansas City Chiefs or sending a thrilling game into overtime.
Then the officials stepped in. A late holding penalty called against Eagles defender James Bradberry allowed the Chiefs to keep the ball and effectively ended the contest there and then.
Talk about an anti-climax. This was like watching the most fantastic of firework displays, where the last and potentially biggest rocket failed to ignite.
Condemnation from fans and pundits for what most perceived a rather soft decision was predictably swift. After a season where officiating has come under severe scrutiny following a series of high-profile blunders, there were some who pointed out it was perhaps a fitting end. A common opinion is despite referees in the mega-rich NFL now having more technological assistance than ever before, the standard of decision-making has never been worse.
All sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it?
Indeed, anyone who has argued against the use of VAR in English football couldn’t help but raise a smile. No sports league in the world has invested more in video officiating than the NFL and yet the biggest talking point in the aftermath of its global showpiece was a contentious decision. It was a reminder, if any were needed, that no technology will ever completely kill debates over whether or not the referees got the big calls right.
The reason is those decisions are still made by humans, for whom the presence of countless cameras and slow-motion video replay has been both a blessing and a curse. Never has it been easier to sit in your living room and deliver an instant critique of someone tasked with making a split-second judgement in front of millions (and in the case of the Super Bowl billions) of observers.
Sunday delivered a reminder of that when, decision long condemned on social media, Bradberry himself admitted the call had been the correct one.
Maybe a sad but inevitable truth in almost every sport is referees can never really win. As supporters – or journalists – there is a duty to accept the majority of decisions are never clear-cut.
Mistakes are inevitable, in the same way they are from players. Except these days, the errors are much easier to spot. Any criticism should reflect that.
None of that means we shouldn’t demand officials are held to the highest possible standard, or seek to make improvements where possible.
Last weekend was pretty rough for the Premier League too, with two calamitous VAR blunders in matches involving Arsenal and Crystal Palace and the infuriatingly unexplained dismissal of Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina at Southampton.
The latter highlighted continued issues of consistency and transparency. Nearly a week on, we still don’t know why Jarred Gillett chose to show Lemina a second yellow card after the Gabon international joined Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho in protesting a decision.
Was it for something he said? Or simply the action of running up to the official?
Ultimately, we can only trust Gillet but not knowing the precise reason prompts frustration. So too does the image of nine Manchester City players surrounding referee Anthony Taylor at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium with nary a card in sight.
Perhaps there are a couple of ideas the Premier League could borrow from the NFL to make things easier?
The first of those would be to make the referee available for post-match interview.
In the NFL, the head umpire must speak to a designated pool reporter and though the quotes can often be quite bland, at least an explanation is there. Had Gillett spoken at St Mary’s last weekend, it would have tied up the mystery over Lemina’s early exit.
Of course, many will rightly argue players need to be showing referees more respect in the first place.
Might it also be time, then, to consider giving the official a microphone?
In a sport seemingly committed to making VAR work, this would have an additional benefit of allowing referees to explain on-field decisions to the crowd, in the same way they do in rugby. Too often, supporters pay significant money to attend Premier League matches only to be left in the dark by critical decisions.
It would also prompt players to behave themselves a little more. Footage of David Elleray “mic’d up” for Millwall v Arsenal in 1989, as part of a documentary, can be found online and the language directed at the official is no less shocking.
Football has changed an awful lot in the following three decades. Players have become brands in their own right with carefully crafted images and sponsorship deals to protect. You’d have to think they would be somewhat more reticent to use bad language – and referees more emboldened to penalise it – were there a risk of it being audible to a global TV audience.
Referees explaining VAR decisions to the crowd was trialled at this month’s Club World Cup and it is surely only a matter of time before its use is expanded.
We see too much of the game now to be satisfied with the grey areas which persist.
