Football is changing. The biggest sport on the planet has had a significant amount of new rules and regulations that have been implemented by FIFA within the last decade.
From the introduction of goal line technology which was way overdue but desperately needed, to the use of vanishing spray on set pieces, there have been many rules and guidelines that have been placed into football that it’s getting hard to keep up with. Football will never be perfect and I don’t think we as fans want it to be, it’s part of the game to debate the official details of the offside rule or what deliberate handball actually means etc.
One rule however, that can have nothing but positive repercussions for not only the Premier League, but for all the European leagues and international tournaments, is the new ‘respect the ref ruling’.
A new rule will be introduced in the Premier League at the start of the 16/17 season meaning that a straight red card will be given to any player caught swearing or verbally assaulting a referee or match official, as well as further measures of discipline being issued to staff and management doing the same from the touchline.
It goes without saying that such ruling can only boast positive ramifications for the game, not only for the reputation and sportsmanship of the game at the top level, but it can also be an example for young kids and footballers playing at grassroots level. Often referees are prone to the same or worse type of verbal abuse due to the lack of punishment being issued but this is a major step forward and something that will be embraced at that level of the game.
Officiating a high intensity, high-pressured Premier League football match containing 22 individuals, heated managers contesting almost every decision and a 40,000 capacity crowd on your back for 90 mins, cannot be easy
It’s the fast-paced nature of the game, as well as the time they get to make decisions that make it impossible for the referee and fellow officials to get every decision correct. However, what cannot be denied is that, on the whole, referees, particularly in the Premier League, actually do a fantastic job and are a major factor as to why the Premier League and English Football League is one of the most exciting and free-flowing in Europe. They definitely do not deserve the abuse that they get from the crowd let alone from the players on the pitch, and any rule that punishes the players for verbally abusing the referees for doing their job can only be positive.
Similar rules have in fact been implemented in the Premier League before. 8 years ago, prior to the start of the 2007/08 season a similar ‘Respect the Ref’ campaign was launched whereby all the Premier League captains met and made statements saying that they will no longer argue with the referees over any decisions that the official makes and that only the captain can approach the ref in regards to a decision.
In the opening weeks of the upcoming campaign players will think twice before voicing their opinion to the ref in an aggressive manner, and hopefully it will be a common feature in today’s domestic leagues, grassroots and European competitions.
