Originally Posted by
kill_the_drum
I’ve said this a few times.
If the quality of reffing is poor at the top it’s because the pool to choose from is ever decreasing at the bottom.
Currently only 50% of grassroots football is covered by willing referees, and the number is shrinking.
From bottom to top, refs are treated disgracefully and we all just accept it.
I’ve ref’d plenty of games at grassroots and it’s so difficult.
All things being equal it’s a tough enough gig but football, like no other sport, is full of players/managers/fans that are totally happy to cheat to win. And just like the treatment of refs, we’re all just happy to accept it, apart from the moments it goes against your team. If a player cheats and the ref makes the wrong call, who gets the abuse…the ref. Why do we accept it when no other sport would?
I think all youth academy players should have to ref a certain amount of grassroots games as part of their football education.
I say all this fully aware that I’ve been just as guilty from the Kop, but I do try these days to not join in with berating a ref….I failed last Tuesday!