Why does the media so rarely criticise a referee?

One of the prime issues that it can be easy to forget when thinking about football, is that there are three reasons why referees can make mistakes…  One is because the referee is incompetent, one is because he might not have seen the event clearly but has to make a judgement, and one is because he is biased.

And the problem is that most of the time, the commentators in broadcast and written media will never ever admit admit either to bias or incompetence, so they either ignore mistakes or put them down to the ref not being able to see the situation clearly.  The implication is that the ref is honest and good at his job, but he just couldn’t see that issue.  

Unfortunately we, the fans watching the game, have no idea what the referee has been like in other games not involving our team, because the media won’t give us fair unbiased reports.    If supporters of certain clubs see Arsenal, for example, being hammered by referees in an unfair manner, they are unlikely to make or support any complaint.  And Arsenal fans complaining about a referee’s behaviour in an Arsenal match will be put down as simply whinging.

Now this raises an important issue, for if referees are being unfairly harsh or indeed biased in favour of or against one team then the opposition (both in terms of players, managers and fans) the media are not likely to comment upon it much because that’s the deal.  And even if there is no “deal” it is simply something that is not done.

So because the media don’t write or talk about referees, a general view results which says that referees should not normally be blamed for anything and their lack of bias, or competence should never be questioned.  I am not sure if any other profession is in such an exulted position as referees – but that’s how it goes.  Incompetent doctors, solicitors, teachers, bathroom fitters… you name the trade or profession, they can be challenged.  But not referees.  Not now, not ever.

To achieve this situation I would guess that the PGMO must have leaned on the League to say, “Part of the deal is that you do not allow journalists to saying anything against the refs.   And “if you criticise the referees in what is considered too strong or too regular a manner, we will withdraw your press card allowing you free tickets to every game we play.”

Indeed it is possible to imagine that the PGMO has somehow persuaded the media never to comment on the performance of a referee beyond the regular “I think he might just have got that one wrong,” and even then that can only be said very occasionally.

Of course the club could then make that situation public, but the problem then would be that other clubs and their supporters would just see this as special pleading.   Reports would point out that “It is typical of Arsenal to suggest they are being harshly treated by the referees – they are always moaning and complaining”.   That story could circulate very quickly, turning neutrals against Arsenal, while possibly encouraging referees to be more active in calling out anything that a member of an Arsenal team does that is considered beyond the pale.

As a result, even if nothing is said, this possibility will be known, so the clubs stay quiet on the issue of referees.

PGMO and the referees are then aided, inadvertently, by fans who feel that referees are against them, since most such claims are seen by supporters of other teams as being special pleading.

So if I say that Arsenal are being particularly harshly treated by some referees, supporters of other Premier League teams will come back with their “Same old Arsenal” complaint – as if we are the only supporters who feel our club is being mistreated by referees.

This division between supporters of course is natural, and this refusal by the media to point out refereeing problems and errors, leads to a situation in which every complaint by an individual or group supporting one particular team, can be rejected by the rest of “special pleading”.

Now although it is rarely spoken about, referees obviously do make genuine mistakes from time to time just as we all do.   But although players can complain on the pitch this can’t be taken any further as there simply is no mechanism that will have an impact on a referee.

Occasionally referees are removed from the PL rosta but this is never made public in relation to the reason for his removal.  One referee is removed another is appointed, very few people notice, and journalists are told not to comment on the issue.

The really odd result of this is that refereeing in the PL is one of the very few jobs in which poor or biased performances do not result in any action being taken against the individual.  I am not sure where else this happens in English society.

Thus we have the situation: being a PL referee is one of the securist jobs that exists in England today.  Errors, mistakes, bias are all ignored … because the story has been established that anyone complaining about a referee is just trying to excuse his club’s failings.

It’s actually a very clever set up, and one that the media is very happy to go along with. since it keeps their life nice and simple.  They congratulate the winners, blame the losers for being not very good, and say not a word about any strange decisions by the referee.