Double referee trouble
“Given the pace of the modern game, do we need two referees on the pitch? If so, why?”
– Stefan Effenberg
As a player he won some of the hardest games in European football, and on Answers Stefan Effenberg doesn’t pull out of tackling the big issues either.
“I am a person who always speaks his mind very clearly and doesn’t topple down if I find myself sailing against the wind,” he admits
Sliding into the sticky field of making tough decisions, he’s joined Answers to ask a big question: would two referees be better than one?
Big refereeing decisions can turn a game, or worse still, kill it off all together. Small clubs complain decisions routinely go against them; big clubs suffer on the biggest stages.
Either way, it’s undeniably true that the game has got faster. As referees, often decades older than the players, are required to keep up with the pace of the game perhaps one in each half would be best?
Then again, what if they disagree? Whose decision is it if a foul is committed in both halves at once? Have your say here.
– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team
PS: For more questions and answers try our football category…
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“Sorry lads the Slough Junior Leauge Cup Final is delayed the fifth official is caught in traffic”
The referees decision is final. Why is that?
Why have a referee at all?
The answers to these questions is that someone ‘neutral’ judges the close decisions of the game.
A bad decision after all, is still then neutral.
To some extent the game needing to judge events like ‘simulation’ for instance, requires not another official -but to question ‘the game’. If fouls are committed in each half then what are the players on the field for? Not why did the ref miss it?
Finally the prizes of the game must not become greater than the game.
I was wondering, what happens if they both see the ‘act’ from different vantage points and don’t agree on what has actually happened?? Who has the final decision? (As per the most recent SPL decider games….)
The technology is there for a TV replays. Because the game is so quick the last thing you want to do is stop the game every few minutes and wait for an on screeen decision like rugby as this would ruin the game in my opinion.
With the game being such big business now that teams can win or loose millions based on those important decisions. Something has to change.
I think that during a game of football the each team has 2 opportunities to stop the game and question the original referees decision. One person from each team is authorised to stop the game and view tv footage to which the referee can reverse the decision. This can be important on goals that were offside, balls over the line and so on, i think this will mean that the traditional game stays with one ref and two lineman but with the aid of a replay, i think this will bring respect back to the ref.
A referee makes judgments, often under extremely difficult conditions. So there must be an element of subjectivity somewhere – which means that if one side appreciates the call, the other side is bound to feel aggrieved. Two referees will only compound the disagreements.
Moreover, I think the present single-referee system is what keeps the human element in Football, and the passion, tears and joy alive for the fans. Any attempt to ‘objectify’ the refereeing will only reduce the drama element of this beautiful game.