Easier than sorting out the real problem I guess.

Turning into a bit of a dictatorship.

This is the solution! Consistency, accountability, better communication, more angles, better use of technology, removing conflicts of interest… No. YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE. See, problem solved.

Aww I was hoping that they would announce that they decided to pay their refs more, so they wouldn’t have to go to the middle east to get an extra pay check from a sovereign nation before they return home and officiate a game featuring a team that that sovereign nation also owns.

Surprised Matt didn’t add Everton to the headline somewhere

North Korea much?

Maybe there’d be less criticising of the referees if they were doing a much better job than currently are, and not having massive fuck-ups every week.

I will say this about the FA. I take a lot more stock in what they have to say about referee abuse than I do the PGMOL. They need to consider the standard of refereeing at every level of the game and there is a huge problem with attracting referees to the sport. The PGMOL are just soft twats.

If they announced this along with at least some guidelines of what they would plan to do to improve the refereeing then I would be fine with this.

But just using some managers interviews to crack down on them and clubs for daring to question the refs further screams of protecting the ‘boys club’. That’s what is most frustrating about this.

I would argue that the abuse will actually increase, because clubs and players will feel that referees don’t want to be transparent. This encourages them and fans to think that refs are out to get their respective clubs. Everyone loses at that point.

I can’t decide if their doubling down on shutting down criticism is more embarassing than the fact that they keep feeding all this embarassing exclusives to the Daily Mail

I’m torn. On the one hand there has to be some vehicle of accountability for referees, on the other publicly criticising them like this does not seem the way to do it, particularly when a lot of the issues with refereeing standards are getting them engaged at a grassroots level and having a culture where it is seen as normal for players or managers to criticise the referee in a premier league match inevitably creates the same culture for teenagers starting out at unders football. Refereeing standards are obviously an issue but a lot of the long term ways that can be fixed are worsened by having a culture where officials aren’t respected

How about they work on improving the standards of referring?

I get why they want to do this, but you can’t say some criticism isn’t deserved. Reffing has never been this bad or biased.

Literally different calls every day, constantly changing rules every week and let’s not forget, literally for no fucking reason removing a goal scored. Refs aren’t even doing the MINIMUM now, they pick and choose which rules. We saw it again in Liverpool and Toulouse. The ref stopped the game and went back when they realised they messed up, yet they couldn’t do this for Liverpool spurs?

If refereeing is so easy like everyone seems to think it is, then I do wonder why they don’t just become referees?

If i was a club owner and my manager was getting fines for complaining about how awful the refereeing was I’d just reimburse him lol

I work as a teacher. Gaining the respect and regulating the behaviour of rowdy students is something I have to do all the time. I wonder how I would fare if I approached rowdy students like the referees approach managers this year. You have a legitimate complaint? Straight to the principal, my friend. You are angry because someone wronged you? Well, fuck you I’ll call your mom.

Don’t think this approach where they dole out consequences for every petty interaction is helping their case. Especially since it’s impossible for them to be consistent.