By John Considine
Why not require Jurgen Klopp to undertake, and pass, a course in refereeing? If one wanted to go a little further then make him referee a couple of games at a level where other referees start out their career. If it is good enough for a New Jersey Little League then maybe it is good enough for the Premier League. The Little League is requiring abusive spectators to become umpires (here).
Education is a big part of sport and games. Coaches require coaching badges to coach. Qualifications are required of referees. Those involved with kids teams have to take child protection courses. Recently, agents have been required to undertake an examination of their knowledge. Those who breach some codes of conduct are required to undertake appropriate education. Why not do the same with those who repeatedly abuse referees? Other sanctions don’t seem to work for repeat offenders. Educate them by getting them to walk a mile in the referee’s shoes.
We delude ourselves into believing that we could do the job better than the managers, players, or referees. The less likely we are to have our reality challenged the more deluded we become. Aging ex-players, with fading memories of how they struggled at times, is the best example. Then there are those who never experience the struggles and delude themselves behind the controls of a games console or keyboard. How many of those who question the competence of a referee have taken control of a game? An occasional dose of reality does us no harm. Gary Neville was a much more balanced pundit after his spell as manager of Valencia.
The authorities tend to favour touchline bans and financial penalties. The penalties tend to be larger for those earning more money from the game. Klopp is likely to incur a larger financial penalty than those working in the lower reaches of English football would incur for a similar offense. Klopp pays more because he can afford it.
The currency of a touchline ban is time. Something that is more evenly distributed amongst individuals. It may be more appropriate in amateur sport.
Gaelic games are classified as amateur sport. These games also have their problems with abuse of referees. Only last weekend did the referees in one region withdraw their services (here).
Financial and time penalties attempt to change behaviour rather than values. While it is possible that the changed behaviour might eventually induce a change in values, we could give it a helping hand. The education approach is an attempt to change the values of people. Requiring people to know the rules of the game, and know the difficulty with using this knowledge in a practical situation, is surely worth considering. It is probably not that far from touchline bans and financial penalties approaches as it might also work as a deterrent.
Is Gary Neville due another spell in management? Is Jurgen Klopp due a spell in black?
Education is a big part of sport and games. Coaches require coaching badges to coach. Qualifications are required of referees. Those involved with kids teams have to take child protection courses. Recently, agents have been required to undertake an examination of their knowledge. Those who breach some codes of conduct are required to undertake appropriate education. Why not do the same with those who repeatedly abuse referees? Other sanctions don’t seem to work for repeat offenders. Educate them by getting them to walk a mile in the referee’s shoes.
We delude ourselves into believing that we could do the job better than the managers, players, or referees. The less likely we are to have our reality challenged the more deluded we become. Aging ex-players, with fading memories of how they struggled at times, is the best example. Then there are those who never experience the struggles and delude themselves behind the controls of a games console or keyboard. How many of those who question the competence of a referee have taken control of a game? An occasional dose of reality does us no harm. Gary Neville was a much more balanced pundit after his spell as manager of Valencia.
The authorities tend to favour touchline bans and financial penalties. The penalties tend to be larger for those earning more money from the game. Klopp is likely to incur a larger financial penalty than those working in the lower reaches of English football would incur for a similar offense. Klopp pays more because he can afford it.
The currency of a touchline ban is time. Something that is more evenly distributed amongst individuals. It may be more appropriate in amateur sport.
Gaelic games are classified as amateur sport. These games also have their problems with abuse of referees. Only last weekend did the referees in one region withdraw their services (here).
Financial and time penalties attempt to change behaviour rather than values. While it is possible that the changed behaviour might eventually induce a change in values, we could give it a helping hand. The education approach is an attempt to change the values of people. Requiring people to know the rules of the game, and know the difficulty with using this knowledge in a practical situation, is surely worth considering. It is probably not that far from touchline bans and financial penalties approaches as it might also work as a deterrent.
Is Gary Neville due another spell in management? Is Jurgen Klopp due a spell in black?
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