Ask the Blogger #3: Daniel Colasimone (Argentina Football World)

In part three of our new feature, “Ask The Blogger”, we speak to Daniel Colasimone, editor of Argentina Football World, a football blog that covers everything from the Barra Brava to Boca Juniors. He is also a regular guest on the excellent Hand Of Pod podcast, a must listen to for all fans of South American football.

Hi Daniel. First up, what is your general opinion of refereeing in the league/country you watch most often?

There are a couple of standout referees of international quality, but in general the standard is pretty poor. Some decisions are downright baffling and certain referees seem to focus on making themselves the centre of attention more than actually overseeing a fair game.

There tend to be two lines of thought and they usually depend on whether the decision has gone for or against your team, either the referees aren’t up to standard and need better training/wages or they have an incredibly difficult job and we should feel sorry for them. Which do you think is the main cause of poor refereeing decisions?

Speaking without any real knowledge of refereeing practice, there seems to be a fairly high amount of training and preparation that goes into being a ref these days. I believe many poor decisions are a result of the intense pressure referees are under due to various factors; the pace of the modern game, the amount that is at stake in big matches, HD television replays which highlight every error, rabid, parochial crowds, etc. In Argentina specifically, many people believe that there are other forces at play, and that referees favour certain teams because they are instructed to from above. It’s impossible for me to say if there is any truth to that or if people just like to believe conspiracy theories, but I suspect that if that kind of thing went on in the past (and there is quite a bit of evidence to suggest it did), it is probably not going on to the same extent now – witness the relegation of River Plate, a huge team with lots of financial value to the league, this year.

We’ve all read about the various features that might help improve the game e.g. goal-line technology, sin bins, hawk-eye etc, but if you had the option to introduce just one system that you felt would help what would it be and why?

I would support the introduction of a video referee to help with vital decisions during games. The arguments against using that technology don’t hold water with me. It could all be done within 30 seconds and if you are worried about halting the flow of a game, you could limit its usage to once or twice per match, similar to the way they restrict the number of times you can appeal decisions in cricket or tennis. As a little aside, I’d like to make mention of the ‘disappearing spray’ which refs use here to mark the distance which the defensive wall has to stand back when a free kick is being taken. It has made a world of difference here – there is no longer any creeping forward of the wall and time consuming in-game discussions about whether the wall was moving etc. I believe it is a really useful invention that should be considered in European leagues as well.

The “Respect” campaign hasn’t been a success, what do you think should be done to change the culture of referee intimidation and lack of respect for officials in football?

Lack of respect for refs is another of my pet hates. In the recent Rugby World Cup, a sport with more complicated and hard-to-interpret rules than football, I was astounded at the way players just accepted decisions and got on with the game. This culture of referee intimidation has been allowed to thrive in football for a long time, so it is not going to be easy to weed out. However, once again I think it will have to start with harsher punishments for players and coaches who show a lack of respect for the officials. Any player who is not the captain who storms up to an official to aggressively argue a decision should be yellow-carded. Stuff like that, along with play acting are afflictions on the beautiful game and affect the enjoyment of watching a match.

If you could change one rule, that you feel currently adversely affects the game, which would it be and why?

It is probably a matter of enforcement rather than introducing anything new, but I believe diving and simulation should be punished with far more regularity, both during the game and with the use of post-match video replays. I suppose it is a consequence of having grown up in Australia and watching sports like Rugby League and Australian Rules Football, but no matter how much I love football, I feel it is blighted by the play acting and constant stretching of the rules by some players that borders on cheating. I’m a huge fan of Italian football and now I cover Argentinian football, so I understand the win-at-all-costs mentality that often entails trying to pull the wool over the referee’s eyes by diving or getting an opponent sent off. That’s why I think it needs to be weeded out by the authorities through the use of video technology – if you allow players the leeway they will continue to try and get away with it. If a Drogba or Di Maria was suspended for two weeks based on video evidence of them diving, I’m sure you would see that part of their game disappear very quickly.

Would you ever consider training to be a referee at a lower level?

To be honest, I have never considered it, no. Perhaps if I was more involved in playing the game I would think about it, but it has been years since I took part in anything other than a kickabout with friends. Perhaps if I have a son or daughter one day who plays, I would consider either refereeing or coaching.

Finally, a quick quiz question. A defender is taking a free kick outside his own area, he plays the ball back towards his keeper not realising that the keeper is standing to one side of the area and isn’t guarding the net. The ball rolls towards goal and the same defender races back to stop it crossing the line, he slices his clearance and the ball crosses the line, much to the delight of the opposition. What should the referee do and why?

Oh boy. I would say that as he is not allowed to pass to himself from the free kick, the ref should award an indirect free kick in the box to the opposition and the goal wouldn’t count. Unless the defender in question is John Terry, in which case the ref should award the goal and red card him.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Daniel for taking part, it was great to get some insight into his view on officials, the job they do and the obstacles they face. If you’re a blogger and want to take part in Ask The Blogger you can contact us by email [email protected] or via Twitter @Deb_Decisions.

As for the quiz question, it’s time to reveal the answer and Daniel is in fact correct, the referee would award an indirect free kick from the position at which the defender touched the ball for the second time. Bizarre.

You can follow Daniel on Twitter, @ArgentinaFW and visit the blog