18Oct

Make referees accountable

by Neil S

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This week it’s back to domestic football after the international break, but after all that has gone on in Serbia this week with the under-21 game and the disgraceful attitude towards our players, I want to ask what were the match officials doing?

Yet again the people in charge of the game have done nothing, they certainly did nothing during the game, maybe they have hearing problems. With the game’s popularity stretching across the globe the standard of officials seems to be getting worse. Danny Rose was on loan at Watford a few seasons ago so to see an ex-player abused because of the colour of his skin while representing his country abroad and the referee doing nothing is beyond belief.

With football’s governing body now looking into the circumstances of the game, it begs the question why have the officials not been quizzed? Why did they not take the players off the pitch when the monkey chants started? It seems referees are beyond reproach, they cannot do anything wrong, yet when a player or club dares to criticise them they are charged with bringing the game into disrepute and eventually fined and banned.

When was the last time a referee or their governing body issued an apology to the club after they made an all too regular blunder? The red card issued wrongly against one of Watford’s players in our last home game has rightly been rescinded, but that does not help Watford now after the game in which they lost 2-1 having to play with 10 men. It seems in this country of freedom of speech, if done in a right and proper manner people can criticise anything from royalty to the government, but dare to question referees, the clubs do so knowing they will be parting with m0ney.

From major incidents like the disgusting one that Rose and the England Under 21s suffered to the unexplained decisions the domestic refs make, they should be made accountable and decisions about them made public.

Posted by Watford fan Neil Stevenson

Follow Neil on Twitter at @Neil_WFC