In defence of the whistlers' human rights and wrongs
JUSTICE, as we all know, is when the decision goes in our favour.
The dispensers of justice are sensible, intelligent beings if they take our side but change very quickly into witless, vengeful lunatics when they support the opposite viewpoint.
And then there are GAA referees, poor souls. The only prize they can ever reasonably expect is to be ignored. Think about it. The referee happens upon a game where the flow is even and genuine, with no match-defining controversies.
It all runs very smoothly and the referee leaves the field with the
satisfaction of a job well done. And that's his only reward. No thanks from the teams, managers, spectators or, very often, none from the media either. It's the ultimate sporting vacuum where success is measured by keeping criticism down rather than by attracting kudos. Referees accept it but are now finding that even that strange world is becoming increasingly inaccessible. Nowadays, it seems no major GAA championship game is signed off without rows over refereeing decisions.
Since controversy sells, it's a bonus for The Sunday Game if their
evening programme can highlight a referee's mistakes in forensic detail.
Throw in a smart-ass line about referees and Specsavers Opticians and have a right giggle.
Very funny. Well actually, no. Despite being depicted as an emotionless species, who hand in their feelings when they collect their whistles, referees are ordinary people with families, jobs and responsibilities.
They should not be subjected to ridicule and certainly not by paid
observers who have the unerring eye of sophisticated video equipment to underpin their comments.
Constantly criticising referees, using video re-runs to support your case, is not only unfair, it's also dangerous. In an age when respect for authority is a devaluing currency, GAA and soccer referees are fair game for a level of criticism and abuse which is gradually eroding the very principles on which sport is based.
With television joining in the relentless witch hunt, it's becoming
increasingly acceptable for everybody to savage referees. It starts as young as U-12, where many parents seem to think that the referee loves everybody except my little Johnny. Might as well let the referee know that by shrieking at him, that is if my voice can be heard over the din of angry mentors.
Little Johnny grows rapidly into a culture where the referee is not to be trusted, a shadowy figure in black who is invariably a closet
supporter of the opposition. And so it goes until in some cases it reaches dark extremes where, as happened in Longford last Saturday evening, a referee is struck a shameful blow by a player and has his cheekbone fractured.
Pat Corrigan was remarkably restrained and dignified when I spoke to him about the incident on Monday but he would have every right not to be.
But then referees are a sanguine breed and, boy, do they need to be! But even they have a right to shout 'stop' when one of their own is assaulted by a player. Apart altogether from the ethics of using technology to highlight an amateur referee's mistakes, what purpose does it serve?
On the contrary, it's counter-productive since it merely increases the lack of respect for referees which, in turn, reduces the intake of new recruits.
And therein rests the genesis of a potential crisis. It's pretty
logical to assume that where there is a shortage of referees - and that applies to most counties - standards will suffer. The highest standard is not established by the top referees but by those at the lower end who are trying to push their way up.
So let's move forward ten years. If the downward spiral in regard for referees continues, fewer and fewer new recruits will become involved.
Why should they? Who wants to spend his Sunday afternoon being abused at a local club game, while he could be practising his driving down at the local golf club?
Okay, so he can always aspire to the very top, possibly even refereeing All-Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park on hot August Sundays, followed by a casual filleting on The Sunday Game. Yes, and he must remember to plug his 'phone out for a few nights to avoid abusive calls from crackpot fans.
It's that serious and it's going to get worse unless players, mentors, officials and media show more respect to referees. Yes, of course, there are ineffectual referees but the way to improve standards is not to vilify them so cruelly that would-be recruits opt for alternative pursuits.
The notion that referee-bashing (in some cases literally) is a part of the general sporting condition doesn't hold up. Why is it that in
rugby, with all its heavy physical contact, players and officials accept the referee's word whereas in GAA and soccer it's merely an opening bargaining position?
It's all down to conditioning. While rugby might tolerate some other unsavoury practices, questioning or abusing the referee is not among them. That applies to the kid playing rugby for the first time right up to World Cup final level.
If the World Cup final is decided by a borderline penalty in November, it will be accepted, whereas in GAA and soccer it would be accompanied by whinging and complaining, usually fuelled by television.
No, I'm not blaming TV for all the problems. It took the GAA an awful long time to streamline the recruitment, training and appointment (and there's room for improvement in all three areas) of referees but when such a powerful medium as television becomes a bashing agent, it can only lead to fewer recruits.
That is the most serious problem of all. A sport can have the finest facilities, thousands of dedicated competitors and a huge support base but, without referees, it's doomed. Would you be encouraged to take up refereeing after studying the hysterical reaction to the handling of the All-Ireland football semi-finals by Gerry Kinneavy and Michael Monahan?
And that's before you wonder how Pat Corrigan's cheekbone is coming along after its collision with a fist while he was pursuing his hobby in Longford last Saturday.
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Irish Independent
