How often do you hear a television pundit say that the
referee had a good game? What? Why are we paying these figures so much
attention? Suffice to say when I watched football as a kid and subsequently an
adolescent, referees were seen and not heard (yes I see the irony in using that
cliché) yet these now professional men are seen and heard far too often.
Perhaps not solely their fault, as they are given a set of rules to follow
however a number of them seem to believe their own press and behave like they
are the focal point of the game.
I appreciate that it isn’t an easy job to do. That’s as
maybe but who makes it more difficult? Our old friends the media again I’m
afraid, with their umpteen camera angles, slow motion replays, and constant
provocation of managers and players into commenting controversially about the
referee’s performance, usually via one of their grotesque post match intervals.
These days referees are virtually household names. I find
it galling that I can recall several names of referees from the last 10 years
but ask me a referee’s name from 20 or 30 years ago and I couldn’t name one.
Why is it that a chap who years ago was regarded as a background distraction,
is suddenly a noteworthy inclusion to the pre-match build up and post match
analysis? It creates a talking point for a pundit, a reason to have a live
phone in, something to fill the airtime up with, to make us feel like we are
getting our monthly subscriptions worth. Step forward, part of the Sky Sports
circus, the pantomime villain.
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