Alan Pattullo: Final arbiters on the pitch are guilty of a questionable decision off it

Published on Thursday 25 November 2010 20:57

THE wish of the referees is for no-one to question their judgment. While they are perfectly entitled to expect this on the pitch, their decision-making off it is becoming harder to comprehend.

It's true that a few weeks ago, even just a few days ago, referees were succeeding in doing the impossible. They had garnered some sympathy for themselves. They had been cast as the good guys, the ones who were being persecuted for having the balls to go out there and make decisions. And, in the case of Dougie McDonald, over-turn them again. However, they now stand accused of a crime with which they would not want to be associated. The press statement released yesterday was woolly and full of grey areas. These arbriters of the game's laws have become mired in a nebulous world where no-one knows quite what it is they want, except - and rightly so - some respect. But that might become harder to obtain after the news yesterday that nine matches in the SFL have had to be postponed.

The referees do ask for a "moment of reflection". While this might be a nice sentiment not everyone appreciates being directed to do something, particularly when if the referees were to actually take their own advice they might come to appreciate the chaos being invited. It might not be as controversial as firemen striking on Bonfire night, but referees threatening to withdraw their labour on a weekend prior to Christmas has extra ramifications. It's other clubs, those who habitually exist on the breadline, which are being affected by this stance rather than the top tier sides. Clubs who, in the weeks before Chrismas and when attendances are traditionally down in any case, require every last penny of ticket and hospitality money they can muster. Yet last night arrangements were being made by many Scottish Football League clubs to play matches next midweek, a hardly appealing prospect for fans in the midst of the first cold snap of winter.

Possibly only lawyers are more lampooned than referees yet the latter had managed to get the public on their side, and rightly so. No group of workers should be expected to work under the pressure they have had to bear, with the spotlight having increased in recent weeks. Their threat to strike was understandable, the insistence on going through with it less so. All negotiations require a degree of compromise from both sides, but the referees have fired their only cannonball now. The useful tactic of threatening to strike is no longer contained within their armoury.

They have now risked letting the public support for them evaporate. It also puts the match officials under even more intolerable strain when they do deign to re-appear.

Their welfare is of course one of the central concerns, and they should be allowed to work without fear of the harsh judgment of those who simply cannot get their head around the fact teams sometimes lose football matches. Sometimes they may not deserve to, but they do.In Celtic's case, of course, they actually won the match which sparked a furore which continues to make headlines even outwith Scotland.

You imagine that in private John Reid and Neil Lennon are slightly embarrassed at how quickly this has got out of hand. Indeed, Lennon has admitted that his touchline actions have 'crossed the line' on occasion.

But the referees have reached a Rubicon of sorts with this insistence to sit out this weekend Referees, as much as anyone, have a responsiblity to ensure the show goes on. They are part of an entertainment business though they will argue they have tended to be the sport in recent times. This is an easy complaint to understand. There is indeed a bigger issue to be looked at here. The day has to come when a referee can make a decision without being subjected to a torrent of bad language, from not just players but also managers. In fact, managers, who are often viewed writhing and spluttering in the technical area, tend to be the most foul-mouthed offenders.

A debate on Radio Scotland on Monday was enlivened by the contribution of Peter Wright, the former Scotland prop who has also qualified as a rugby referee. The conclusion was that football was a different sport to rugby, and thus we could not expect such basic behaviour as learning to resist swearing at a referee to ever take hold in football. The bar has been set very low if that is the case. And the need to weep becomes greater if we consider how damaging this week has been for Scotland's national game.