About the Author
What's up. My name is Amir, I love sports, A HUGE fan. My Passion and Soul is in Footbal "Soccer", I know mostly everything there is about it. I also love Baseball, Basketball and American Football, in that order. I do my best not to be biased to one team, or any for that matter. I am a huge Real Madrid fan, but I give credit where credit is due. So if Barcelona, Valencia or any other team for that matter, I will not bash them because I can. I love sports and it's fans because for me it is a intoxicating drug that gives me something to do. The only thing I hate are fans who have some narrow minded opinion on something. It is a right for everyone to have a say but please make an educated and reasonable opinion or point of view.More By A QQ
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Dear FIFA, UEFA, & Football Fans... It is time.
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I am writing this letter "Note", on behalf of many fans across this Blue Globe we call, Earth. It has been brought to my attention over and over again that the quality of referees and officials in the beautiful game of Footbal (Fútbol or Soccer in other nations) is, in layman's terms, bloody bullocks.
From missed fouls and penalties, sneaky tricks, Diving, offside mistakes and even one referee urinating on the field in Saudi Arabia (Massimo Busacca are you freaking kidding me!, the same referee who officiated the 2009 UEFA Champions League Fina and 2007 UEFA Cup Final). It is shameful that when Football has changed so remarkably, that the way the game is officiated has not. If instant replays is something that cannot be incorporated into the game "Something I do agree with actually" then more officials must be put to avoid mistakes.
A rule, when it comes to FIFA, is that Officials MUST retire by the age of 45 years, now that seems harsh but necessary because a referee might not run as much as a player but he still needs to be in top shape to keep up for 90 minutes. So this is my compromise, why not put those ref's who cannot run behind the goal lines. A set of extra eyes helping the main official make decisions. We incorporated Microphones so easily into Football, I think it's time to add more eyes to make the decisions easier. It gives the Main referee a more broad decision. A referee in training is already educated to make fast and quick decisions, this will only make it faster but more efficient and well less inaccurate.
Let's take Ice Hockey for example, Hockey is probably the closest game to Football there is, Both teams play non-stop, both teams can score when the ball/puck is taken by the other team right away and there is no need to stop the clock or watch the replay and no team is resting (almost). On the Hockey rink their are,most of the time, 4 referees. On a field so small 4 officials, one is the main referee, while the others are called Linesman or Assistants. The assistants are skating on the side where the main is always in the middle. Think about it this way, on a field that is 3 times the size of a Hockey rink don't you think we might need 3 times the amount of officials?
Football has 4 Officials working each game, 3 are working the field and the last is next to coaches and substitutes. 2 are Linesman and have limited vision of HALF a sideline while the Main Official runs up and down. Now why not add 4 more officials, because then ALL the sidelines (even the goal lines) would be covered and it's less work for ALL the officials, the ones on and off the field. so then we can raise the retirement age from 45 to possibly 50 or 55 giving a better opportunity for the officials to work.
Instant Replays is another matter, but when it comes to the integrity of the Sport things have to change. Football has changed through time, its now faster, more competitive and freaking amazing. It's time for the Officiating to change. But we have to always Remember; "Don't Blame the Ref."
| You Lost | Don't Blame The Ref. |
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To add to this, I think all refs need a tryout year (or every month to make sure they're in shape throughout the year). This could eliminate the bias of age, since there are 45 year old refs who could still be in good shape.
When it comes to adding more refs, who would know more about the game's older refs? They are more experienced and more knowledgeable than the younger refs who are probably in better shape. Have the refs in their 20's run up and down the field, and have the older refs next to the goals.
As people on this site may know, I am one for tradition... which means that I'm not one for the reliance of technology in games. Human error has to be included in a game, and I feel as if technology would just ruin the game. In [American] football, I can understand. 22 players on the field clustered together while one play is so quick... it's confusing for the refs and you don't know what everyone is doing. However, in soccer, everything is more widespread, and the refs can see what everyone is doing.
Great article, Amir!