There were a number of controversial decisions during a busy weekend in the Premier League once again. This has raised the issue of VAR once more but also the issue of player rants and bad decisions. Last Word on Football looks at whether players, managers and the officials should all be punished equally.
Player Rants After Officals’ Errors
At St Mary’s stadium on Saturday, there were two decisions that caused fans, players and managers to express their displeasure. Whilst there were also controversial decisions in other games, notably a close offside call for Fulham when the game against Liverpool was still goalless, it was the Southampton v Watford game that caused the most raising of eyebrows.
Ryan Bertrand scythed down Nathaniel Chalobah in what looked a clear penalty but the referee waved the game on. Whilst the argument surrounding VAR is being discussed, it is these clear-cut decisions that rile people the most. Even at normal speed, it is clear that Bertrand takes Chalobah’s legs away and it is strange that none of the officials saw any foul.
It was at the other end of the pitch that the most upset was caused. Leading 1-0 in a must-win game, Charlie Austin scored a second goal which would surely have delivered three points that were much needed at the bottom of the league heading into the international break. The referee consulted the linesman and disallowed the goal, stating that Maya Yoshida was in an offside position. He was not interfering with play and it was an incorrect decision. Once again, the official got the decision wrong and Charlie Austin and Mark Hughes were not holding back.
Too Soon to be Interviewed
When decisions go against and managers, it is hardly surprising that they are angry. When players and coaches are interviewed, when it is so soon after a game, it is hardly a surprise that they rant with little or no thought to how they may come across to the watching masses. Charlie Austin’s rant was explosive:
“It’s ridiculous, they shouldn’t be in the game,” a furious Austin told television reporters. “We scored a perfectly good goal that was ruled out for offside. The officials cost us two points. They said it was offside, that is a joke.”
Meanwhile, Mark Hughes accused the Premier league and FA of being “in the dark ages” for not introducing VAR this season.
Both Hughes and Austin will be punished for their comments, but should referees be expected to explain their decisions to the fans?
Time for Officials to be Accountable Too
Managers and the players are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times. They are role models to generations and it is never palatable to see them on TV ranting. However, if those that get decisions wrong are not held accountable, there is a clear lack of parity.
If an official and their team have made clear errors, should they not face the media as the players and coaches have to do? Is it realistic to expect players and coaches to say nothing when clearly they have been denied points by bad decisions?
VAR may solve some of these issues in time but isn’t the standard of officiating in the English leagues simply below the standard players and fans alike should expect?
Whilst fining players and managers for misconduct when giving these emotional and passionate interviews may be the norm, surely there has to be some acceptance that this is always going to happen. If we are wronged in life then we tend to stand up and fight back. That was exactly what Charlie Austin did. He will no doubt look back and regret the outburst being so public.
But those two points they lost could be the difference between survival or relegation come the end of the season.
Officials Have it Tough but Need to Improve
Officials have a difficult job. Football is faster than ever, played at high octane speeds, leaving decisions harder to make. But the officials are now professionals. This is their full-time job. We are not still in the days of part-time officials, in the Premier League at least. Some decisions are borderline but this weekend, at Saint Mary’s in particular, clear decisions were wrong. And that is why officials need to improve. The standard in England is simply not good enough.
Making officials more accountable may help. If they are fined for clear errors then surely they will try even harder to get those decisions right. They do get demoted but that’s hardly a severe punishment. The officials need to learn from their mistakes and it is high time they were hit with fines or longer suspensions until they prove they can referee at the highest levels.
Until officials take full responsibility, we will continue to see more errors with no effort to work out how to fix them. And that can only be bad for football everywhere.
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