Acting makes reffing hell

Seeing red: Crawley’s Hope Akpan is sent off by referee Gavin Ward for bringing down Athletic’s Robbie Simpson.

REFEREES are becoming as reviled as bankers.

A catalogue of mistakes over the weekend saw Luis Suarez’s late derby-winning goal ruled out incorrectly for offside, Javier Hernandez's crucial effort wrongly allowed to stand and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres rceiving a second yellow card for a supposed dive - despite being clipped.

Players, managers and pundits were up in arms. Every decision was dissected via replays from numerous angles.

The consensus was that referees and their assistants got things wrong. And that this is not good enough.

Which is a fair stance to take — if you refuse to believe officials never make a mistake.

Even in Athletic's division, offside decisions have to be made so quickly that those holding the flags must rely on instinct. It is physically impossible to look at the ball at the moment it is played and at the receiving player's position, 30 yards further up the pitch.

Paul Dickov remarked recently that striker Matt Derbyshire's clever movement in curving his runs means he is too far advanced for the typical League One assistant referee's skill set. Incorrect offside calls have probably robbed Athletic of a couple of goals this season.

But without the benefit of replays, what chance do the men in the middle have of removing the margin of error? With offside, it is remarkable they get it right so often.

With a stubborn reluctance from FIFA to sanction TV replays, players could aid the cause when it comes to ensuring justice is done on the field.

When players collide with each other, the water gets murky.

Mark Clattenburg sent off Torres - according to retired ref Dermot Gallagher - for exaggerating his dive and trying to get Manchester United defender Jonny Evans in trouble.

By that reckoning, Crawley captain Gary Alexander was lucky not to get a yellow card as he theatrically threw himself to the floor after Athletic defender Jean-Yves Mvoto's shove on Saturday. It used to be said play-acting was a foreign problem, but even Phil Neville took a dive on Sunday (which he later apologised for).

There were other graceless incidents in the lower divisions on Saturday. Even at this level, gamesmanship appears entrenched.

But players who fall to the ground under phantom or meagre touches from opponents, rising from the turf to hoist their arms up and scream for free-kicks and penalties, can't have it both ways. Pulling the wool over the ref's eyes and then crying foul when wrong decisions bite you is pure hypocrisy.

Refereeing is becoming an impossible job. Players, and the managers who fail to condemn play-acting and exaggerations designed to trick officials, aren't helping.




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