Monday 22 November 2010

Referees Strike in Scotland

Referees Strike in Scotland

Just heard a one-sided discussion on Radio 5 about the proposed strike coming up next weekend from so-called experts which was quite disgraceful. The fact that 30+ top referees in Scotland should meet and feel angry and unsupported enough to take this step should give pause for thought. Death threats? Always been there. Abuse? Goes with the territory. Managers claiming you are a disgrace? Blaming you for their teams poor performance? Its the way of the world.

No it damn well isn't. It is the way of Big Football which cannot see further than the next massive payout. Supine FA's failing to support their referees over many years and copious incidents escalating to ref's families getting death threats or their employers getting abusive calls. It is serious. Very serious. It would really bring it home to football authorities if all referees were to support this strike - at every level of the game. 

Why anyone should ever want to be a referee in the current climate is beyond belief. At all levels of football there are plenty of supremely stupid numpties who make refereeing a very difficult job. And that includes Alan 'Gobby' Green. Every time he and his short-sighted colleagues rip into a referee, they do not appreciate the corrosive effect their caustic comments have on the wider game. The diminishing Saturday leagues, the declining Sunday leagues and struggling junior leagues. All having difficulty getting referees. 

Anyone who has watched local football over the years will be familiar with the farcical situation arising when a referee does not show up. One of the non-players usually has a go by standing in the centre-circle (or even off the pitch) and sooner rather than later,  mayhem breaks out.

So Five lIve Sport. Get it into your incredibly one-dimensional heads - no referee = no game. 

It doe not have to be like this. Look to Rugby Union for a solution before it is too late. 

This is a copy of an email sent to 'fivelivesport get in touch'

No comments:

Post a Comment