NEIL MOXLEY The men in suits MUST back the men in black
Follow us on Twitter: @peoplesport JAMIE VARDY’S snarling face is not the side of football we want to see.
The contorted features of the England international – while jabbing his finger in referee Jon Moss’s direction – was one of the few images to mar Leicester City’s historic title triumph.
Vardy had been booked for diving against West Ham. The referee called it as he saw it – and cautioned the forward for cheating, leading to his dismissal.
The striker’s emotions then took over.
In such a high-profile game at such a crucial stage of the season, the stakes were as high as they ever would be for Claudio Ranieri & Co.
Vardy’s frustration at the decision was understandable, but his reaction overstepped the mark.
The Football Association must have thought the Leicester striker’s antics were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
So, this week, they issued yet another initiative to clamp down on players and managers abusing our 28,000 referees.
Yes, everyone – the FA, Premier League, English Football League, Professional Footballers’ Association ( PFA) and the League Managers’ Association (LMA) – have all agreed that the poor old man in black needs protecting from the chaos.
Punchline
But – and here’s the punchline – have those august bodies looked at themselves? What have THEY actually been doing to protect referees from verbal abuse? Have they stood shoulder to shoulder with refs in a fight to restore common decency in the game? The answer is a resounding no. Oh, the fine words have been spoken and the initiative put in place, but it’s the refs who will have to administer justice themselves – flashing yellow or red cards, should any player or manager swear at them.
In FA- speak, they have been “empowered”.
This new campaign should be called “Respect - the sequel” because the FA went down this road in 2008 when they launched the original “Respect” campaign. It had similar goals and went so well that virtually everyone in the professional game ignored it.
So, let’s look at what all the bodies charged with looking after the soul of our national game have been doing with themselves. The FA is supposed to administer discipline.
That’s gone well, hasn’t it? Is “Respect” still running, or not?
The Premier League has stood by and watched the money that has poured into the game foster a “win-at-all-costs” mentality where match officials are pressured at every turn. The English Football League has become an increasingly irrelevant voice. The PFA doesn’t sanction its own members for repeatedly stepping out of line. Cheating and diving are almost valued commodities now.
Are we meant to believe that, all of a sudden, Gordon Taylor & Co have developed a conscience? Ever since Roy Keane chased Andy D’Urso around Old Trafford, almost 20 years ago, we’ve had a serious problem.
But the attitude has been: “Hey, it’s not directly our issue – so let sleeping dogs lie.” The LMA lost its voice for years when Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson were laying into the men in the middle. Now, amazingly, all of these organisations have lifted their heads above the parapet. Unfortunately, it was only for a few seconds. By letting referees do their dirty work for them they’ve ducked their responsibilities once again. Way to go, fellas! Don’t hold your breath if you expect real change. We’ve been here before. When former Premier League referee Graham Poll released his autobiography, almost 10 years ago, the overriding theme was the lack of back-up he received from pretty much every single quarter when he had the guts to apply the game’s laws.
Undermine