Source: Daily_Mail
GRAHAM POLL: The official line - Forget Fergie, a REAL refereeing crisis is looming
Referees make mistakes - I should know - but Sir Alex Ferguson's attacks on Alan Wiley and Andre Marriner have been wide of the mark. [LNB]However, much as it hurts to admit it, he is not far from the truth; there is a very real refereeing crisis looming in the Premier League. [LNB] Tough task: Referee Andre Marriner attempts to keep the Liverpool v Manchester United clash under control[LNB]When refereeing went professional in 2001 there were 24 of us, most already very experienced in the Premier League. We averaged just 16 games a season, even the best doing only 24 top-flight games. [LNB]We were fit, felt we had earned every appointment and were up for the game from the first whistle. Despite that, we still retired aged 48. [LNB]Over-worked: Chris Foy was refereeing at Barnsley on Tuesday night just 48 hours after taking charge of West Ham v Arsenal in the Premier League[LNB]Only a few years ago, we seldom had more than one appointment eachweekend, either as referee or fourth official, and often dropped intothe Football League, not as a punishment but just to keep us fresh andmotivated. [LNB]When moving up the pecking order a referee would do a top-four gameand then aspire to the toughest game, that is Liverpool v ManchesterUnited. You need to understand the pressure that game brings, howpassionate the crowd is and how intense the two most successful teams'rivalry is before stepping out at Anfield to try to control it. [LNB]Now we have only 15 professional referees; incredibly only 11 were fit and available last Saturday and Sunday. Five refereed at a game on one day and acted as the fourth official on the other. Three of those are refereeing again this week in the Carling Cup. [LNB]Yes, the ProZone statistics will tell you that they covered more ground than the majority of professional footballers 20 years younger. But the statistics do not measure mental fatigue, which can be crucial in making the wrong decision. [LNB] HAVE YOUR SAY... Is Fergie right - was Andre Marriner too inexperienced to referee Liverpool v United? Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claims that referee Andre Marriner does not have enough big games under his belt to handle a major match like Liverpool v Manchester United. Do you agree with him? Or is it just another case of sour grapes from Sir Alex? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK We now ask much of our professional referees and scrutinise them like never before, utilising slow-motion replays which they, of course, cannot benefit from. [LNB]The resource pool for refereeing looks bereft of talent, but for the odd exception. Why else would the management let the numbers of professional referees drop to 15, those including six over the UEFA retirement age of 45? [LNB]FIFA used to allow referees to continue until they were 50 but recognised the speed of the game and its demands had intensified and so reduced the retirement age to 45.[LNB]England remains the only senior professional league to retain referees past that FIFA age (Italy, Spain and Germany respect the 45-year barrier) and looking at the resources one can see why. [LNB]There is a stark choice for the Premier League: either keep extending the age limit and risk fatigue causing mistakes or throw inexperienced referees into the big games. [LNB]And if that happens, the next time Sir Alex explodes he may well be proved right.[LNB] GRAHAM POLL: Big games like Liverpool v United need brilliant referees but we're down to 11 top officials for 10 matches - there used to be 24 to pick fromGraham Poll's Official Line: Sir Alex, you're wrong - Vidic rightly saw red Graham Poll: The official line - it is clear referee Alan Wiley is fit for the jobGraham Poll's Official Line: Referees should be tested after a right balls-up at Sunderland[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People:Alex Ferguson, Graham PollPlaces:Liverpool, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, GermanyOrganisations:Football League
