Showing Dissent the Red Card

Television hosts rarely analyse it, managers rarely speak about it. Dissent, or questioning the referee's decisions by word or action, is rife in football, and FA campaigns such as 'Respect' have been a complete failure in attempting to combat primarily verbal abuse.

I can use my own experiences as an example. The following do not leave a referee exempt from verbal abuse:

• Being young. I'm a 17 year old referee, at the centre of a game made up primarily of twenty-something year old's. They don't 'feel sorry' for me because I'm young and innocent - in fact, it makes the job much harder, as it forces me to 'rule with the cards', as it's difficult to give a stern telling off to someone who is a few years older than you.
• Being new. Desperately trying to explain that it is only your third game and that you haven't really got to grips with things is no excuse for appearing completely out of your depth on the football field. Turning up for my first game without a badge even prompted questions as to whether I was qualified, and, to be honest, I have no doubt that I looked completely unqualified that day. So, if you are starting out refereeing, don't expect to get the sympathy treatment for a few games. Prepare for the worst.

The game I officiated in today was up there with some of my worst experiences. It was the type of game in which I was checking my watch every two minutes, desperate for it to speed up and allow me to blow for time. It seemed every decision I made was one that could be debated. Seeing as though it was a fairly nondescript clash, I decided to let the game flow a bit, and not blow my whistle for every 'foul'. Big mistake. The home side seemed to think that they were Manchester United, although the only thing that they had in common there was their red kit. They expected each and every nudge and push to be given as a free kick, and seemed outraged when they found that they were at Broadclyst Recreational Ground, not Old Trafford, where things are done a little differently.

But, of course, as soon as one of their players went in heavily - worthy of a red card in any Premier League game - they even questioned the awarding of the free kick. I chose to act with sympathy, handing him only a yellow card. Big mistake again. The said player then proceeded to hurl abuse around for a while, before his manager did the decent thing and substituted him.

On the other hand, maybe these players are following in Manchester United's footsteps. You watch any game on television, more often than not containing United, and you will see their players surrounding the referee when they do not agree with his decision. What good does this serve? Absolutely none. The referee isn't going to change his decision because a few aggressive, overpaid players disagree. The only thing it will gain the players is a yellow card. So why do players at grassroots level look to replicate this behaviour? 

So what is the solution? The 6-Nations rugby tournament is on at the moment, and the contrasts between the referees of rugby and the referees of football can easily be seen. Rugby referees command authority and respect from the players. Football referees more often than not do not enjoy this privilege - or, I should say, do not enjoy this right.

If rugby players argue with the referee, or even question his decisions, they are penalised by a further ten metres. The only measure football referees can take is to caution (yellow card) the player, but this often results in further questioning for the administration of the card. I myself am reluctant to hand out cards for dissent too often. If you wrote down the names of every man on the pitch swearing, you'd be running out of ink.

Can this ten metre rule be applied to football? I can't see why not. It is a genuine deterrent, and its use could be highly effective. That said, football players are different in nature to rugby players, and I can just imagine the rule being implemented and the game moving from one end of the pitch to the other without a ball being kicked, players complaining throughout. However, if FIFA are considering ways to 'help' referees, especially through goal-line technology, then surely the desire to tackle dissent should be high up the priority list too.