Cutting Some Slack

What do you want to be when you grow up? A big question, and not an easy one for so many of us to answer. I actually think it is easier to work out what we do not want to do - and often that means doing a job, and finding out the hard way that it is just not for you. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about what I consider to be one of the hardest jobs around, and one which I have no desire to even consider for any amount of money. I have had a number of conversations and meeting about and with referees, and I genuinely do not envy those guys at all.

At the Europa League final in Hamburg, I spent some time with the referee Nicola Rizzoli both before and after the game, and I found him to be an incredibly good guy. Extremely friendly and polite, and willing to be interviewed, photographed, and professional when it came to our official duties. I expected a harder time – indeed, surely it would have been had the game been different. Thankfully, it was probably one of the easier games to referee despite the cold temperatures and driving rain.

Fast forward a week at the Under-17’s event, and we had lunch each day with a handful of referees, all of whom seemed pleasant and professional. Spending time with them all and getting to know some of them was a learning curve for me. The guy who is usually stood on his own in the middle of a field of grass, the one usually called every name under the sun, is just another guy.

In general, these guys are in no-win situations. If they are not noticed or the game is quiet from their perspective, nobody makes much of a fuss about how well they did. We generally only ever hear about them when something has gone wrong, or a decision has been made which has upset one set of fans.

The guys at the elite levels are probably the lucky ones even if the spotlight they are under is something I would avoid at all costs. The ones who I genuinely feel for are those refereeing at amateur level either doing it for the love of the game or trying to work their way up the ladder. The stories and incidents involving referees and how they are treated is nothing short of appalling. The number of referees who are attacked and abused is absolutely horrendous. It is a major issue in England and I was shocked to hear several similar cases in Switzerland where referees have been attacked, purposely hit by cars after games in car parks, and so on.

Why would anybody even consider being a referee when stuff like this is happening? I have absolutely no idea. We will face a problem, it exists already but it will become worse, where it is increasingly harder to attract young people into officiating. There is not much that can change at the top level at there will always be such media scrutiny with so many eyes from across the world on the one guy in the middle, but something has to be done at amateur level.

I was as guilty as the next kid when I was young in terms of giving referees a hard time, purely verbally. I feel bad about it now to be honest. That was not even anywhere near as bad as physical abuse and threats which occur every single week all over the world. It is no fun when a decision goes against you and your team – whether it is right or wrong. It is even worse playing a game without a referee. I do not envy them at all, and I have the utmost respect for what they do. I am certainly mellowing in my old age, but I hate the treatment they are given and people should think twice before they hurl such crap at them. They are just normal guys doing their job.