Football referee survey

[SimonSmith]

This research was done in 2012, and still stands. As a side note, if you're looking for high quality academic articles about refereeing, Mikel Mellick is yer fella:

 

[Volun-selected]

Everything was about the alleged elbow but nothing about the absolute disrespect and abuse of the match officials, including grabbing the arm of the AR - a straight Red, that is endemic in the game.

Maybe it’s partly that the football show ponies are a very, very lucrative product. Joe punter has paid good money for the tickets and their merch and wants to see The Show. If Premiership players transferred between clubs for 10M GBP signing and were on 20M a year, I wonder if they‘d get similar latitude to vent at the refs.

 

[BikingBud]

This research was done in 2012, and still stands. As a side note, if you're looking for high quality academic articles about refereeing, Mikel Mellick is yer fella:

When the person that grabbed the AR's arm cannot link the subsequent motion of that arm to shrug off the contact there is again little hope for:

"and finally to promote the perception of the decision as fair and just."

 

[Dickie E]

Maybe it’s partly that the football show ponies are a very, very lucrative product. Joe punter has paid good money for the tickets and their merch and wants to see The Show. If Premiership players transferred between clubs for 10M GBP signing and were on 20M a year, I wonder if they‘d get similar latitude to vent at the refs.

there are other high profile, high pay sports that don't suffer soccer's dreadful treatment of officials ... golf, tennis, basketball, baseball, motor racing, etc

 

[crossref]

Maybe it’s partly that the football show ponies are a very, very lucrative product. Joe punter has paid good money for the tickets and their merch and wants to see The Show. If Premiership players transferred between clubs for 10M GBP signing and were on 20M a year, I wonder if they‘d get similar latitude to vent at the refs.

not sure it correlates with money. There's a cultural thing as well.

In rugby : where is the worst abuse of refs ? Is it at the elite level where money is involved?

I don't think so, I think the absolute worst place is the coaches and parents at age-group rugby, where there is no hint of money.

 

[didds]

I don't think so, I think the absolute worst place is the coaches and parents at age-group rugby, where there is no hint of money.

I don't disagree, though I'd add overall in 45+ years of involvement Ive actually witnessed etc very little ref abuse at any level Ive been incolved with (even peripheral involvement). What i would say is wrt "the coaches and parents at age-group rugby," it would be interesting to see/find/ascertaoin where this "influence" comes from - ones knee jerk perception is that coaches and parents with a long involvement in rugby themselves may not (?) display this, but _maybe_ those withoutt a rugby background are inflouenced by football and bring those mores along to their rugby involvement? This is only a suggestion with no evidence to back it up, and I feel somewhat uncomfortable even suggesting it with no evidence base whatsoever and realising I could just be looking like a rugby supporter slamming football. [1]
[1] I saw my foirst ever live game of pro football for somehting like 30 years or so at the weekend - Burton Albion v Sheffield Wednesday. I was VERY pleasantly surprised at

* how physical the game was and how that was permitted (no accidental mild tap on the elbow bring a FK etc)
* how the players did just get on with it
* no throngs of players surrounding the referee at every decision
* the crowd was not abusive
Yes there were calls form the crowd of "come on ref, are you blind" and players making a point to the ref (I was too far to hear of swearing was used ! ) - but TBH no worse than at rugby matches I attend. And wrt elite captains chatting to refs constantly way less.
maybe this was all because t was a league One match and not premiership. maybe.

 

[Stu10]

Maybe it’s partly that the football show ponies are a very, very lucrative product. Joe punter has paid good money for the tickets and their merch and wants to see The Show. If Premiership players transferred between clubs for 10M GBP signing and were on 20M a year, I wonder if they‘d get similar latitude to vent at the refs.

I think the money paid to the players might also be part of it... get paid that much and you think you are the most important person in the room, allowing you to behave how you like.

 

[didds]

I think the money paid to the players might also be part of it... get paid that much and you think you are the most important person in the room, allowing you to behave how you like.

or rather a culture has grown up whereby "everybody" treats them as such so as you grow through the system it is the de facto scenario and you know no better ?

 

[crossref]

Parents generally are very emotionally

I think the money paid to the players might also be part of it... get paid that much and you think you are the most important person in the room, allowing you to behave how you like.

or - if you are paid a lot of money you are careful do what the peoplle paying you tell you to do.

 

[Phil E]

or rather a culture has grown up whereby "everybody" treats them as such so as you grow through the system it is the de facto scenario and you know no better ?

Having worked at a Premiership Football club for 12 years I can tell you that the players are pampered beyond belief. They do practically nothing for themselves outside of playing football. Their managers or clubs pay their bills for them, buy their houses for them, pay their fines, sort out domestic staff, absolutely everything. A lot of them are totally lost when they finish playing football as the day to day activities of living that we all do are beyond them.

 

[Dickie E]

The culture thought is interesting. But it's more than just player vs. referee. It's supporters vs supporters, its the burning down of stands, its the crowd pitch invasions, setting off flares, etc. There's too much passion for a sport where a nil-all draw is a common event.

 

[Stu10]

Having worked at a Premiership Football club for 12 years I can tell you that the players are pampered beyond belief. They do practically nothing for themselves outside of playing football. Their managers or clubs pay their bills for them, buy their houses for them, pay their fines, sort out domestic staff, absolutely everything. A lot of them are totally lost when they finish playing football as the day to day activities of living that we all do are beyond them.

Hence why they behave like spoilt children?