How Do You Solve a Problem Like Bad Refereeing?

The role of the referee in soccer is something that has plagued the game for a long time. It is not the quality of the referees because at least in the UK you have to assume that the quality is same or better since the professional era, however with incredible financial growth comes an associated increase in pressure amongst everyone involved. You add money and you increase the penalty for failure.

Consequently fans, players, managers and owners place winning ahead of all other considerations (since at the moment, prize money is not given for attractive play or gentlemanly conduct). Indeed given the scale of finance in the game now, not only is winning the number one priority, it is the only priority.

Players and managers though can handle it. They have to otherwise they are replaced and it is not like they aren’t handsomely remunerated for it. Every facet of a Premiership football club is performance driven and high-pressure. The only weak link in the football product chain is the referee; a man paid less than many players earn in a week scrutinised by television pundits, news reporters and fans often for making decisions in a split second that are reviewed in multi angle slow motion afterwards.

While I will put my head on the line and say that soccer is ‘best’ sport in the world (reasons in another article perhaps) there is no other sport where the decisions of the rule-enforcers are deemed to have such an impact on the outcome of individual games.
Comparisons with American sports are interesting. The first thing to notice is the number of refrees; in the NFL (American Football) there is a seven-official system which compartmentalises decision making. Take for example this definition,

“You are primarily responsible for the Tackle on the HL side of the field, the Passer, and the Kicker/Holder. Your primary calls are action by or against that Tackle, action by or against the Passer (illegal forward pass, roughing the passer, pass vs. fumble), and action by or against the kicker/holder (roughing/running into).”

So his “Primary Responsibility” is largely to watch for fouls (holding, visor-grabbing etc.) and minor rule infringements which are localised in the area of the two lines where the referee is located. And this makes sense, these are the calls that the referee can make clearly. When the Quarterback throws the ball 30 yards downfield, another referee rules further down the pitch from the side lines to judge distance and infringements.

I imagine that American Football realised long ago that one referee could not officiate over a whole game (since you are unlikely to be able to spot every foul and infringement), so they dedicate referees to particular areas of the game, enabling each to concentrate more on getting their fewer decisions correct. They compartmentalised their refereeing system.

Gone is the notion that a single person dictates the rules of the game such as in soccer; since the soccer referee is limited in the number of demonstrably correct decisions he can make, his opinion controls many (or all) of the others. Introduce that, and it allows the players the leeway to influence how the referee perceives them, not just in cases of diving or play-acting, but how friendly a player might be to him before and during a match (and how convincing it is), even the players past transgressions in previous matches. Maybe the player wished him happy birthday after their last game… since a referee cannot make every decision with absolute certainty his fallibility (and hence his harassment) is guaranteed. American Football almost completely negates this with compartmentalisation.

So how could an American style of refereeing be translated to soccer? Personal fouls such as in American Football and Basketball would be unfeasible; there are many ways to punish players for misdemeanours, hoping to strike the balance between too harsh and too lenient in an attempt to get the players to play like gentlemen. But this is not advancing the game… adding more rules, different punishments is not seeking to act on the cause, but react to the symptoms. To advance the game, you need to eliminate the concept of the bad decision.

How about compartmentalising the refereeing of a soccer match with seven officials;

Referee

Infringement Referee

Linesmen

Offside Referee

Dugout Referee

Video Referee

The Referee’s purpose is to stay with the play as best he can and watch the game progress. His calls are for fouls on players on the ball. That is either with it in their posession, or in a challenge (two, maybe three players). Also, fouls such as handling and shirt pulling while one player is in possession. His eyes are on the ball and only those players who are immediately around it.

The Infringement Referee (either two on the sidelines or one at a distance from play, on the pitch) watches the general area of play. Which players are likely to receive the ball and which are likely to have an influence on future play (be they attacking or defending). His calls are for fouls off the ball, interference etc. He catches all of the play surrounding those immediately on the ball and signals what happened and who did it, to the referee after he blows his whistle.

Linesman work either side-line, keeping up with the last defender. When the ball is played forward by any player in the direction of the attacker and he is behing the last defender (applicable to the last touch of course), he raises his flag (pressing a button would be better) to send a signal to…

The Offside Referee. His role is what his name suggests, but it is more contextual than that of the Linesmen. He decides whether the last touch was by the attacking team and whether the player (or players) in the offside position is interfering in play. If he thinks he/they were, he signals to the Referee for offside who then blows his whistle.

The Video Referee’s job is to have the last 10 seconds of play buffered on computer screen. If a foul is given and not acted upon or he is asked to rule on a decision, he can rule quickly to the Referee.

Dugout Referee. This guy (or girl) organises substitutions by signalling to the Referee.

When the ball goes out, the Linesmen signal, the Referee rules on who touched it last. When there is a foul on the ball, the Referee rules. A foul off the ball, the Infringement Referee rules. Offside; the Offside Ref. Close penalty claim, the Referee either rules or plays on until he hears from the Video Referee. Play acting or a foul away from play? The Infringement Referee signals to the Video Referee who rules and tells the Referee when the ball goes out.

Players will not foul because they know they will get caught (or the odds of them getting away with it are so small as to make it not worth it).

Players will not play-act because they will always be found out.

Players will not fake injury because the will always be found out.

By compartmentalising the refereeing system, the concept of the bad decision is eliminated along with the subjectivity of decision making. Indeed the decisions made on the field immediately change from being a one-person human ruling to one of a logical consequence of player interaction.

People may be concerned that the game would stop more often however if the referee allows play on until the ball goes out of play then this should not be a noticeable effect. Add to that, remove all deliberate fouls and play-acting and the game should run more smoothly.

Even if it did not, I for one would still rather watch a stop-start game with everyone adhering to the laws and spirit of the game than what we have at the moment.