Thorns from the Whistle

Natasha Woods discovers why the SFA are concerned about criticisms of referees

IT may have been a coincidence, but it was an apposite one. On the day the Scottish Football Association fined Hearts £10,000 after Vladimir Romanov criticised the country’s referees, Donald McVicar was warning about the dire consequences if the current lack of respect is not addressed.

“At the top level of Scottish football, people have to understand that by not publicly showing respect to referees all they are doing is affecting what happens at grassroots level,” said the SFA’s head of referee development.

“They will always have referees for their games in the SPL, but down the road there might be a game not starting on a Saturday afternoon because there simply isn’t a referee.

“Because I’ve no doubt that what people see and hear from the top level trickles down all the way to Sunday leagues and public parks and affects behaviour towards officials.”

McVicar has reason to be worried. The latest intake of 225 would-be referees have just set out on the first stage of their training and assessment process.

But he reckons the attrition rate in the first couple of years could be as high as 40%; most disillusioned by the levels of abuse and often ill-informed criticism directed their way.

And Scotland is short of referees. The SFA currently have around 2,000 registered match officials, but would like to push that up to 2,600.

Quite simply, the numbers don’t add up in a country which has some 4,500 clubs, ranging from youth football, through amateur and junior to senior teams.

The nation needs more referees, yet who would be one?

While Romanov, the owner of Hearts, has honed a particularly conspiratorial line in abuse – according to him, his club won the Scottish Cup last season “despite all the referees’ efforts and intrigues” – there is seldom a day goes by without someone haranguing an official.

Last Sunday, Gus MacPherson claimed there was no working relationship between referees and managers after his St Mirren side lost out to Rangers.

Meanwhile, those lining up to pour scorn on Alan Freeland’s controversial handling of last month’s match between Hibernian and Falkirk – which saw ten yellow cards and four reds brandished – included former top referee David Syme, who went into print claiming Freeland was “one of the worst referees in the top level”.

“Amazingly, there are still people – despite it all – who want to become referees and they do that because they love the game.

“I wish people understood that more. One of the reasons we launched the ‘23rd man’ campaign was to highlight the fact that we are part of the game too,” explained McVicar.

“So the fact we need more referees isn’t a refereeing problem – it is a football problem.

“And to address that we have to stop this constant slamming of referees because whether a referee is on a public park or at the top game of the day, they are out there to try and be fair.”

As part of a £600,000 sponsorship from Specsavers, match officials now have the No23 embroidered on the front of their jerseys; a subtle reminder that they are an integral part of proceedings.

For those dreaming of wearing that number, and joining Scotland’s 35-strong group of Category 1 referees, the process starts with a three-part instructional course which must be completed before they can be fully registered with the SFA.

The first two parts are largely theoretical and cover the laws of the game and their implementation, with weekly classes culminating in an examination and instruction and assessment based on real life incidents studied on video or dvd.

The final element is to put what has been learned into practice during two matches which the new recruits will referee while being assessed by a mentor.

If successful, the candidates currently setting out at the start of the process could be refereeing their first games by the start of 2007, although they will be many years away from potentially joining the likes of Stuart Dougal, Dougie McDonald or Charlie Richmond in the SPL – where matches fees of £550 are paid.

Instead, the newcomers first steps will likely be in Under-11 or Under-12 football. Some will be happy to stay at that level, but those with ambitions to go further can gradually work their way up the pyramid, through the amateur and junior ranks, and ultimately to the top level if they are deemed experienced and skilled enough.

“The real tough time is the first couple of years and that’s where we focus a lot of resources.

“There are monthly meetings, coaching sessions, a lot of good banter, and a chance to meet with some of the top referees,” revealed McVicar.

“There is even a telephone number to call so they can speak to someone if they have had a horrendous time in a game.

“It’s almost like an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting at times because it is about providing as much support as we can.”

McVicar says examples of physical abuse of officials are very rare, but those earning their £20 or £30 match fees at the lower levels of the game do face an unacceptable level of verbal abuse.

“Even at Under-11 level you find parents or coaches calling young referees ‘cheats’.

“It’s why I wish managers at the top level realised they have a duty to set an example because we don’t need this trickle-down perception that it’s acceptable to harangue a referee.”

For those with the right attributes, progression to the top ranks can be accomplished in seven or eight years.

The SFA has its own referees’ academy which aims to fast-track the brightest and best young officials, and the list of top referees in Scotland now includes a handful of men in their late 20’s and early 30’s.

McVicar would love one of those number to be a high profile ex-player, but no such role model has emerged.

“Everybody says get ex-pros into refereeing and we have tried.

“I’m not going to mention names, but so far we’ve had one ex-senior footballer in and he lasted four weeks because of the abuse he was getting from the sidelines. And that was only doing Under-14 football.”

Last week, as Hearts were considering whether to appeal the SFA fine imposed on for Romanov’s criticism of referees, McVicar found himself hoping the message might finally be hitting home. Not that he is holding his breath.

Back in August, the nation’s top referees held their usual pre-season meeting. Representatives of all 42 senior clubs were invited to attend. Nine bothered to show up.

No wonder some referees could be forgiven for thinking communication only goes one way – and it’s all critical.

Taken from the Sunday Herald