Referees Are The Problem

Morris Garren · 21-10-2022 8:27pm #1

On a near-daily basis lately, a story emerges from some sporting event whereby a referee gets attacked, assaulted, abused or trundled into the boot of a car and dumped somewhere. Amid the chorus of Enoch Powell style execration, not much seems to change - this type of thing has been going on forever. There have been some truly terrible referees unsuited to their role in practically every sport.

So what's the worst refereeing decision/performance you have ever seen?The infamous 'Bungling Ecuadorian' from the 2002 soccer World Cup quarter final comes to mind; rugby had some truly ridiculous clowns during the amateur days, when French men squeezed testicles and gouged eyes with impunity every few minutes; boxing refs were an utter law unto themselves, long before Rio in 2016; domestically, some GAA refs have had an awful tendency to do an awful job on a few occasions.

How about the ref who allowed the Meath full-forward score a 'pushover try' to win the 2010 Leinster football final... there was essentially a scrum in the goal mouth and a 'knock-on' occurred, with two garden gnome umpires watching. Victory to Meath. Cue a pitch invasion from half of County Louth, a garda escort for the ref, and of course, the GAA ostriches did nothing.

Why do we put up with atrocious refereeing? It's not like there aren't millions of examples.

sydthebeat · 21-10-2022 8:31pm

Without refs you don't have these sports

Jim_Hodge · 21-10-2022 8:36pm

More power to anybody who puts themselves forward as a referee and has to put up with constant criticism from people who wouldn't and couldn't do the job themselves.

But ask on the Sports Forum for proper opinions.

Burt Renaults · 21-10-2022 8:47pm

Sure they're only games anyway. People who take trivial stuff seriously are the real Problem.

Morris Garren · 21-10-2022 8:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119776860#Comment_119776860

Yes, I agree with much of the above.

I'm on this forum for the mad/crazy stories from the world of refereeing

koutoubia · 21-10-2022 9:06pm

2 incidents spring directly to mind at underage games which directly contributed to my sons giving up playing.

One game where a very dubious penalty was awarded and my son was the keeper.

My son asked the ref , before the ball was even placed, could he tie his bootlace which was genuinley open.

Ref said 'OK'

As he was doing his lace the ref let the peno be taken then gave my son a yellow card for not being on his line.

Another game with my other son where even before a ball was kicked the ref had booked 2 players on my sons team.

10 mins in after a penalty , 2 sending offs and some seriously dangerous tackles that went unpunished the manager of my sons team withdrew the team form the game as it was only a matter of time before a leg got broken.

Violence against refs is unaccetable but refs need to have some sort of accountability and some sort of monitoring of their ability to be able to ref.

thefallingman · 21-10-2022 9:09pm

Refs try their best, hard not to admire the amateur unpaid ones too

21-10-2022 9:10pm

Most of the violence is because dad’s who weren’t much good at sport are trying to use their children as a conduit for ideas about success. Something so tragic about the idea of a man losing his cool at an U10’s football match. Children frightened at the sight of a father confronting a volunteer just because he made a bad decision.

BENDYBINN · 21-10-2022 9:16pm

If Irish dancing is corrupt do we really think that Irish sport is any different????.......

But let's keep our heads buried in the sand....

db · 21-10-2022 9:36pm

So it's the referees fault they are attacked, assaulted, abused or trundled into the boot of a car?

walshb · 21-10-2022 9:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777004#Comment_119777004

Are you saying referees aren’t scrutinised/monitored? They can do as they like with impunity? That there aren’t bodies/regulations that can assess and mark/monitor referees’ performances?

violence against referees is more than unacceptable: it’s criminal.

whelan2 · 21-10-2022 9:42pm

Having no referee is not an alternative

Mongfinder General · 21-10-2022 9:52pm

Only those who do nothing never make a mistake

Ubbquittious · 21-10-2022 10:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119776923#Comment_119776923

They started off as a bit of craic a few 100 or 1000 years ago. Now its hyper competitive and unless your sport is really obscure it's also a massive moneyspinner

21-10-2022 11:01pm

Rugby referees don't seem to get assaulted. Ever. I wonder why that might be...

Mrs OBumble · 21-10-2022 11:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777531#Comment_119777531

Rugby, a game for thugs, played by gentlemen.

21-10-2022 11:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777741#Comment_119777741

Football, a game for gentlemen, played by thugs.

Potential-Monke · 22-10-2022 12:12am

I'm waiting for the day a pro ref loses it and starts horsing out red cards to the pansy millionaires who have life changing injuries and miraculous recoveries, sometimes numerous times a match. Had the unfortunate time of having to sit through 2 soccer games recently, that Arsenal PSV one and one other one that I can't remember. Such man children. The abuse these pretty boys then give to the ref is crazy. If one touched me, I'd red card them. Keep shouting after I told you to pish off, red card. Start horsing them out, teams lose because they suddenly don't have enough players on the pitch, money lost by the real puppeteers behind the scenes, things will change.

I'd also be for VAR to be more involved and retroactively issue red cards for diving, abuse, etc. Every game is recorded from multiple angles, why not use these?! Don't stop the game, let it continue and when they've made a decision, do whatever they say at the next stoppage. The amount of money these pampered princes are on and how they act.... madness.

Eoinbmw · 22-10-2022 12:21am

I remember playing a Minor hurling game long time ago now were i was caught by the scruffof the neck by the game referee!

My Father on the sideline quickly intervened and knocked him clean out in the middle of the pitch!

The old saying Referees dont become Kunts, Kunts become referees!

BaywatchHQ · 22-10-2022 2:11am

I don't go near club GAA anyway, it is too insular for a person like me, the parishioners would be gossiping all year if they saw me at the local pitch.

griffin100 · 22-10-2022 2:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777827#Comment_119777827

Said the person who felt the need to put BMW in their user name , yeah it’s all the refs fault.

lumphammer2 · 22-10-2022 2:58am

At the football match there was a row,

About that row I’ll tell you now.

The ref. was kicked by three or four,

Say nothing now ’till you hear more.

Chorus

Will you tell us will you tell us where the ref. was kicked

Say nothing now ’till you hear more

Tell us, tell us, tell us, ah tell us please tell us

Will you tell us please Johnny where the ref. was kicked.

The goalie was a horse of an ass of a man

In the goal mouth now he did stand

He wasn’t big nor he wasn’t small

He never ever let in the ball.

Chorus

Will you tell us, will you tell us, where the ref. was kicked.

Say nothing now ’till you hear more.

Tell us, tell us, tell us, ah tell us please tell us,

Will you tell us please Johnny where the ref. was kicked.

Teams were all togged out on style,

Played great football for a while.

Goalie got a quare lot boulder,

Kicked the forward in the shoulder.

Ref. ran up and blew his whistle,

He gave the goalie his dismissal.

The goalie started to curse and swear,

Next thing there were fists flying everywhere.

Chorus

Will you tell us, will you tell us, where the ref. was kicked.

Say nothing now ’till you hear more.

Tell us, tell us, tell us, ah tell us please tell us,

Will you tell us please Johnny where the ref. was kicked.

Players all started for to fight,

Who was wrong or who was right.

Supporters all jumped across the fence,

Have’nt seen the poor auld ref. since.

Chorus

Will you tell us, will you tell us, where the ref. was kicked.

Say nothing now ’till you hear more.

Ah tell us please Johnny where the ref. was kicked.

He was kicked between the whistle and the full time score.

Be the holy man that must have been soar.

Jim_Hodge · 22-10-2022 8:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777759#Comment_119777759

Gaelic, a game for thugs, played by thugs.

Jim_Hodge · 22-10-2022 8:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777827#Comment_119777827

That says more about your father to be honest. And not good.

nice bit of green · 22-10-2022 8:21am

Why did the ref grab you?

Gregor Samsa · 22-10-2022 8:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777139#Comment_119777139

They’ll come up with some kind of robot referee, with cameras and AI. Built into a drone, so it can escape the furious fans that want to hoof it into the boot of a car.