Dunny’s Hairdryer

AS Mike Dean (above) gets ready for his new role as a full-time VAR official, the referees’ old boys club is clearly still a thing.

Meanwhile, over in Serie A, 31-year-old Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi has been appointed as a referee for the 2022-23 season.

The Premier League and English football likes to think it leads the way on all things to do with the modern game.

Alas, when it comes to the refereeing and officiating set-up, it is miles behind other nations.

For goodness sake, never mind the dearth of female officials, where is the racial diversity of referees?

Great product here, as they like to say. But old and stale in other ways.

JUST one thing to say about the use

of semiautomated technology World Cup at

2022… why semi? Controversy over decisions offside will not change

if automated semi

technology is introduced. Wait

for fully automated – or

don’t