– By Onyekachi Osondu, ABH PRESS
Referees hold one of the most important jobs in sports. Referees are simply persons of authority responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on-the-fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport.
In football, like in so many other sports, referees are the final decision making body on all facts connected with play, and is the only official on the pitch with the authority to impose disciplinary action against players during a match.
Concerning the ABH football league the question is “Are the appointed referees ruining the league with their decisions or are they doing just enough to ensure the smooth running of the league with as much equality and fairness as they can muster?”
The ABH football league being a 5-a-side league has peculiar rules such as a yellow card warranting a 2 minute suspension from the game and a red card equalling a 5 minute suspension. Also the last man(goalie) is not allowed to use his hands to handle the ball and if he does, concedes a penalty.
As always these rules are subjective to the Referee’s view on the situation, now most ABH referees fail to realise that their decisions are aided by how close they are to the moving ball as most just take a stand in the centre of the field on the side lines. Hence they are prone to fall for the theatrics of some players and make the wrong call. Sometimes also failing to punish bad and dangerous tackles in a bid not to interrupt the flow of the game which is another flaw common in the refereeing of the league.
The linesmen who are meant to be working with the referees to ensure the right decisions are made sometimes fail to be of use as they are easily distracted and miss the incident in question.
Admittedly the task of being a referee or linesman in the ABH league is huge and demanding as the weight of the whole league lies on your shoulder. With so many eyes on you waiting eagerly for you to make the wrong call, it is no secret that they are under an unbelievable amount of pressure. To come out week in week out without no form of training whatsoever to take charge of a league is nothing short of admirable.
Complaints would always be made and fingers would always be pointed at the referees irrespective of how good a game they had seeing as they are the easiest to blame most often by the losing side.
Some decisions made in this season of the league could be questioned and some decisions could be applauded. If the rules of the league are being followed as best as they can by the referees then the question is “Have the referees of the ABH league done enough so far?”
What do you think?