Former Wallaby flyer Drew Mitchell is of the opinion that referees must front up before the press after matches to explain their decisions.
As a proud reactionary, I say, "BULLSH*T. Absolute bullsh*t!"
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| Marika Koroibete is controversially sent off by Ben O'Keefe. © AFP |
Keep your hands off our whistlemen and women. They do not have to explain anything to the public. Sports around the world, including rugby, are losing referees in high numbers already, and having them appear before the media is another way to discourage participation in officiating. It's hard enough trying to reason with an irate player, let alone the abusive degenerates seated in the stands and those throwing projectiles at the TV back home because of mystifying decisions. You know full and hell well that the attendees of the press conferences would love nothing better than to excoriate a fumbling match official! The bloodbath would be unsightly.
"It would provide clarity and understanding which may lead to less negativity from fans," reasoned Mitchell in a tweet.
"Referees are such a crucial part of the game and we need to see/hear them more post game."
I understand where he comes from one hundred percent. There have been plenty of decision by referees I've witnessed or been on the receiving end of - or benefitted from 😉 - which made me wonder if the man in the middle was either on some particularly potent Durban Poison... or if he needed to be taking some!
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| Drew Mitchell has been on the receiving end of a contentious red card. © Rugby Dump |
However, I believe that this is where the match commissioner and/or the referees' representative must be on hand at the said post-match presser to explain the match officials' decisions after a debriefing session.
We have to create a buffer between the public and referees for the latter's protection, while also offering satisfactory clarity in one fell swoop.
A dangerous precedent can be set with the idea of refs explaining themselves in front of the microphone, harking back to my point about us supporters. They already cop enough abuse as is at school, club and senior level, so you can imagine how much more the heat will rise when a Jaco Peyper or Marius Jonker is hauled over the coals in front of the watching world. We can't have that.
Referees do not go out of their way to cheat or put on spectacular displays of incompetence deliberately. Yes, there are exceptions, but they really do try their best, fam. As Mitchell puts it, they ARE a crucial part of the game, and their craft can only be described as a... calling. We tend to forgot that referees are interested and invested individuals within a match, and thus, will make mistakes just like the players. Controversy will always be part of sports, and as far as I'm concerned, adds to its mystique, which brings us viewers back week after week. Even with technology made available to assist them, referees will make mistakes, so leave them be. It's up to the individual - and the authorities which govern the profession - to continuously raise and maintain a high standard of officiating as much as they humanly can.
Yes: refereeing decisions must be communicated to us, but protect the decision-makers at all cost. Leave the politics to their handlers, and allow the rest of us to debate whether someone should have been sent off for a high tackle or not. There are no do-overs in sport, and that's how we like it.
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