The ‘Respect Campaign’ has been tested to the very limits this season as managers; players and pundits have struggled to keep their feelings about officials in check. In the most part the criticism is partly down to individual’s paranoia; feeling a referee has an open agenda to harm their football club rather than officiate fairly and while that is a ridiculous thought, you do have to question some of their performances and decision making at certain times this season.
I know the referees are quick to hide behind their limitations; happy to play innocent suggesting they don’t have the numerous camera angles in which to see the incidents that the media has and while that is hard to argue against, given the ludicrous way the authorities turn a blind eye to technologies, there have certainly been times where it can be no excuse and the officials have to be accountable. The Wayne Rooney elbow springs to mind immediately, as does the incredible decision of the linesman to award Chelsea an equaliser on Saturday evening.
It is very hard to sympathise with an official when they make such a poor judgment. Referees always preach that if they can’t see it then they can’t give it in defence of their mistakes, yet how can the linesman be sure that ball had crossed the line at Stamford Bridge? It was just a ridiculous call and while he maybe was influenced by supporters screaming down his neck, the bottom line is he shouldn’t have made that call. The mistake could cost Tottenham in the region of £30m should they miss out on the Champions League spots by a point and all because of a decision given on a whim.
The linesman was in the wrong no question, but I do wonder why Marriner felt the need to back his assistant in this instance; surely he is savvy enough to realise that it was a nigh on possible decision to call? You hear past refs like Winter and Poll bleat on about the need to allow referees to officiate freely and use common sense (something that their strict guidelines don’t allow), but how is that responsible for such a horrible and potentially costly decision like that. The respect campaign has never really taken off, but judging by incidents like Saturday it is easy to see why.
