The ideal way to improve refereeing in the future?

With football matches around the country providing week’s worth of controversial conversations within the football community, ‘dodgy’ refereeing decisions are still as prominent within the game as they have ever been. However recent claims that ex-footballers could provide the answer to our refereeing needs, it appears that the likes of Martin Atkinson , Mark Clattenburg and Phil Dowd, among others, perhaps require the experience of professional football in order to correctly judge decisions in play.

A tough challenge, a dive in the penalty area or a soft red card can provide hideous ramifications for some clubs, leaving these examples as a major part of our modern game and many football fans and ex-players alike calling for changes to the refereeing system.

Over recent months Roberto Martinez and Robbie Savage have each voiced their opinion that, if refereeing quality needs to improve, then ex-footballers could well be the ones to do it. This could leave the Roy Keane ’s and Eric Cantona’s of the game taking charge, as the FA and many fans hope to increase the presence of respect and etiquette in each game.

The hypothesis behind this is potentially correct, as it appears that knowledge of the physical game can have a large impact on decisions. Therefore with 50/50 tackles being penalised consistently, along with tackles from behind resulting in yellow cards and obvious recent occasions of ‘Phantom’ red cards, it seems that the referee is given the discretion to decide what is right or wrong. However these referees appear to have memorised each and every rule in the book, leaving the decisions based upon rules not the human being enforcing them. This in turn leaves complaints of ever increasing magnitude, ruining games for the unfortunate, paying fans. This could leave the door open for the ex-players to come in and save the day, as they attempt to rule with good knowledge and judgement that other referees may lack.

Unfortunately, despite these aspects, respect is something that must be earned, and as a referee, the players will not care about how many caps you got for England, or how many goals you scored for Manchester United. The final result is always the same and players must once again prove their worth, this time as a referee. Furthermore, if the name of the previously mentioned Robbie Savage appeared wearing the lonely black kit, the respect towards the referee would perhaps decrease, leaving us in a more problematic situation than we are currently. This appears to show that the advantages of this idea seem to be flawed in considerable ways.

However, considered in an ideal universe, the ex-players may fit the bill, with the fitness needed to keep up with the game and the right attitude to handle disrespectful players. Yet what is the motivation for these individuals to put their names forward? Those at the highest level will have built up a reasonable retirement fund, and with the abuse and blame that current referees have to brunt, it doesn’t matter who you are, you will receive criticism, abuse and anger week in week out.

This leaves the likes of Roy Keane to choose the managerial route, an arguably more appealing role than a referee. The assets that they gained from playing in the highest division could potentially be put to far more use as a coach or manager than as a referee, as they attempt to pass on their knowledge and experience to the future of our game.

Therefore it appears there is one answer to the question ‘Should ex-players become referees’, and that is ‘no’. Yet the long story is that it is not that simple. Should they be trained properly in the rules and regulations that referees uphold, there is no reason why ex-players cannot successfully become referees. However the end result would be exactly the same, as the ability to see whether the ball has crossed the line, or if a player has hit another off the ball remains the same. This again leaves controversial decisions as a major part of our game, and in turn sends us back to square one once more.

Article courtesy of Patrick Archard from This is Futbol

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