A big talking point regarding retrospective bans from the FA should be the affect it has on their referees. Fundamentally it can undermine the authority a referee has on the pitch, and there could be good reason for the FA to go down other disciplinary avenues for players.
While Tottenham’s visit to Manchester City this past weekend served another highly entertaining slice of what the Premier League has to offer, the aftermath has certainly been overshadowed by the violent actions of individuals who the referee had failed to punish during the course of the game. The disappointing fact behind much of the retrospective bans and witch hunts we’ve seen so far this season is that it takes away from what we should be focusing on: the football.
Why is it that the FA have allowed such matters to become sensationalised stories while diverting away from the real talking points of the game? Furthermore, what does it continue to say about the quality of referees in this country who appear to be getting it wrong time and time again? Aside from the violent conduct that became a focal point of a hugely entertaining game on the weekend, there is also the continued need to re-examine decisions that have maybe been unfairly given. Why should Sky Sports be given an incentive to bring in a former referee on a weekly basis to discuss the ‘talking points’ of the weekend? It’s clearly getting out of hand and the FA need to take action to steer the game in England away from what it could become in the near future.
As always, the desire and the need for video technology to be brought into the game comes charging forward. There would of course have been opportunities during the game to use video footage and hand out the necessary punishment to Mario Balotelli or Joleon Lescott if the referee deemed their respective acts as intentional or violent. Would the story then have continued into this week? Probably not. A talking point maybe, but not the story we’ve become accustomed to seeing in the aftermath of the game.
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Again, the whole idea of trial by television undermines the referee and continues to make his job harder. At the same time, it can overshadow a particularly good refereeing performance which, I’m sure in the eyes of most supporters, are becoming more and more scarce. But how can the FA re-work the way in which they discipline players? Surely with the many camera angles, the slowing down of the play and the many, many arguments for intent or otherwise, there is going to be a sensationalised story out of any major turning point of a game.
Vincent Kompany’s ban was extended following his red card in the game against Manchester United; a decision which was right if the FA wanted to allow their referees to maintain a meaningful level of authority. Whether the booking all together was the right decision is a completely different matter. It’s only with Glen Johnson’s tackle, which was not punished and subsequently replayed numerous times over the course of the following week, where referees were once more brought back down to earth due to their inconsistencies.
Maybe the focus should not be on whether trial by television is correct or not, but instead if the media are encouraging the constant demand for retrospective punishment. Yes, I fully agree that Peter Crouch, Joleon Lescott and Mario Balotelli’s incidents from this past weekend should be looked at and even punished for violent behaviour, but it’s time the FA found ways around the highlighting of their referees weaknesses. Stamping the spark out during the game or immediately afterward would prevent the firestorm that continues to happen on a regular basis. For the sake of the referee first and foremost, it’s important that these matters be dealt with swiftly and with as little potential for hype as possible.
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