Thanks.
I wish football could be more like rugby, for sure (although i do raise an occasional eyebrow on the level of on-field thuggery that is considered ‘part of the game’). I watched a local rugby game earlier this year (with a proper ref, who they all called Sir) but it descended into fisticuffs several times with no apparent sanction.
I hate the current trend for simulation, which is being dealt with but still can’t quite get to grips with the minor contact resulting in players being ‘within their rights’ to go down, or worse the players that actively seek contact to ‘win’ free kicks and penalties. Yet oddly, it’s part of the game in basketball (my daughter’s sport), to draw contact and win free throws and +1’s, which I’m entirely OK with – I can only surmise that because baskets are ten a penny in a game there isn’t such a premium on each scoring opportunity.
And yes, i hate the lack of respect. It ruined the game as a participation thing in the end for me, made me give up the whistle when I could have been active for another 20-odd years. Yet most clubs at lower league level will say the same, the thing they dislike most on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning is when the manager says ‘sorry lads, we haven’t got a ref this week so one of our subs will do the first half and one of theirs the second’. Ridiculous but that to me says exactly why clubs need to take their own action supported by the FA and others, because the number of younger refs going into the game is getting smaller and smaller, and the good ones progress very fast now and the less thick-skinned / good ones get pushed out.
