“I can only say it’s someone who’s never played the game who’s made the decision.”
Managers often take the opportunity to vent their frustration at refereeing decisions in the immediate aftermath of a match that has gone against them, but David Moyes’ scathing comments following West Ham‘s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea last Saturday will no doubt have stung the officials involved.
Moyes was referring to the joint call made by on-field referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Peter Bankes to issue a straight red card to Fabian Balbuena for catching Ben Chilwell in the calf after launching a long ball upfield.
Moyes isn’t the first manager to pivot to that line of criticism, nor is he likely to be the last, but while his comments were inflammatory, did he have a point? Would football benefit from ex-pros becoming the men in the middle after calling time on their playing careers?
“I was lucky enough to play at a semi-professional level which I think helped me in my refereeing career,” Mark Halsey, Premier League referee of 14 years, tells i after being asked that very question.
Halsey, who retired from officiating in 2013, has been outspoken in his criticism of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) and its chief Mike Riley for overseeing what he describes as a “steady decline” in refereeing standards in the Premier League over the past few years.
Among the changes Halsey would like to see brought in to revitalise refereeing in England is to encourage former players in the lower leagues to become officials by fast-tracking them into the fourth or fifth-tiers of the pyramid, rather than starting at the bottom rung of the ladder.
“Professional cricketers go into umpiring when they retire,” he says. “They take the course, take the exam and they start off in the second XI and are accelerated that way so they don’t have to start at the bottom.
“If you become a referee, you’ve got to start in Sunday league or senior county leagues and then you’ve got to make your way all the way up through the system.
“There’s no way that ex-Premier League players are going to become referees with the money that’s involved in the game today. You’re not going to become a referee when you’re a multi-millionaire.
“So I would target the professionals that play in the National League, in League One and League Two when they finish their careers because they don’t earn anywhere near what they do in the Championship or Premier League.
“If they’re looking at finishing their careers in their early 30s and show an interest in wanting to be referees then I think there should be an opening there for ex-professional footballers.
“They learn the laws of the game, take the exam and when they pass they go straight into refereeing at the National League or perhaps even League Two.”
The Balbuena red card, which was subsequently rescinded this week upon appeal, was the latest in a long line of VAR-related controversies to occur in the Premier League this season.
As the campaign has worn on, an increasing number of supporters, pundits and even managers and players have voiced their displeasure at the current system, with many calling for VAR to be scrapped entirely.
According to Halsey, though, VAR is not going anywhere and rather than add his voice to the ever-expanding mob of dissenters against it, he insists that those in charge are to blame for its defects, rather than the technology itself.
“The problem with VAR is the personnel operating it,” he adds. “Unfortunately, what we’re getting at the moment is the VARs are re-refereeing situations because certain referees are not making big decisions themselves, they’re relying on VAR to come and bail them out.
“They’re looking at incidents too forensically and if you spend a certain time looking at them, you’re going to find what you want. VAR is here to stay, it’s not VAR, it’s the personnel operating it.”
Halsey believes the PGMOL should take inspiration from how officials in other countries are using video technology in order to make decision-making more consistent and less controversial.
“If you look at how MLS [Major League Soccer in the US] deals with offsides, they don’t use the lines, they use the naked eye on the replays. If you can’t tell with the first or second replay, then it’s not offside.
“We’ve seen so many goals chalked off this season for really tight situations and that’s not what VAR was brought in for. It was there for the horror offsides, clear and obvious errors or for a serious incident missed.
“It’s good to see Arsene Wenger and Fifa are trialling a new system in China whereby if there is any part of your body that’s onside, you won’t be [ruled] offside. That’s how it should be because we’re seeing far too many goals ruled out where they shouldn’t be.”
In March 2019, a clip of Australian referee Jarred Gillett discussing key incidents with his assistants via his microphone during a match between Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory went viral, largely due to the novelty factor of hearing how in-game decisions are made.
It led to fans in England calling for the same access in the football league and Halsey sees no reason why discussions between on-field referees and VAR officials in Stockley Park during Premier League matches cannot be made public.
“I think everybody should hear the conversations between Stockley Park and the referees and vice versa,” he says.
“Everybody would know exactly what is going on, everybody would know exactly why they’ve made a decision. They may not agree with it, but at least they’ll have an idea as to why it was or wasn’t given.
“There’s no reason why that [mic’d up refs] can’t happen in time.”
Although Halsey admits he is “hurt” by the current level of officiating in England, he namedrops Michael Oliver as England’s best referee, with Anthony Taylor a close second and talks up the experience of seasoned Premier League officials Mike Dean, Martin Atkinson and Andre Marriner.
Nevertheless, he is concerned by the quality of those coming through the ranks. Perhaps if Halsey’s advice is heeded, England’s next top referee could be someone who, to paraphrase Moyes, has actually played the game.
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