Decision Review System ( DRS) in Football ?

DRS-Like System Can Do Wonders to the RESPECT Campaign

The RESPECT campaign has been a major talking point in football over the past year or so. Although the larger picture of the campaign is to create a fair, safe and enjoyable environment, its focal point has been RESPECT towards the referees and officials.

Scenes of players surrounding the referees and having a go at them are so common these days. The referees blame the players for not being respectful enough and the players on the other hand feel that they are at the receiving ends of things…always.

Last week I read about Daily mail’s Stamp It Out campaign where they have decided to highlight and blame/shame the players involved in such incidents. But what’s the point? RESPECT should ideally be two ways. Both from the players side and from the officials too.

Why is it that only the players are at the receiving end of all this flak? First and foremost, they have no personal vendetta against any of the officials on or off the pitch. Then why is it that players don’t think twice before abusing the referee. I guess it is just the frustration that builds up when you are consistently at the receiving end of countless questionable decisions. Also one cannot neglect the pressure these players and referees are under.

Dubious decisions made by the officials more than often affect the outcome of a game. Bigger the game bigger the stakes. But can the referees be blamed for this? To err is human right? The referees have a high pressure job no doubt, but mistakes are unavoidable. It is just the nature of the job that they do.

The only way to move forward is to deal with these situations instead of having hundreds and thousands of RESPECT campaigns. There’s no point trying to stamp out abuse towards referees. There is no point slapping each and every player with hefty fines and suspensions. It is like trying to bury someone alive. It will only worsen the hatred towards the RESPECT campaign. An example of that was seen during the United – West Ham game. What needs to be stamped out is the real cause behind this. Once that is done, everything else will just fall in place.

So is there a way to handle this problem? I think the world of football should take a leaf out of Tennis and Cricket. They have handled similar situations in their respective games. They have put in place systems that help in reducing human error in the game. I am talking about the Line calling system used in Tennis and the UDRS used in Cricket both of which are based on HAWK-EYE.

Why can’t a similar system be applied here? Each team could be given a review per half. If there is any debatable incident we could have the 3^rd official review it right at that moment. This will ensure that with the help of video evidence the decision if wrong can be corrected. This can be applied to most of the incidents occurring on the pitch. Be it off side calls, goal line clearances, fouls and simulation which can turn the game on its head…virtually anything.

Most of the players react in the heat of the moment when they feel that the official has got it wrong. Instead of surrounding the referee and going hammer and tongs against the opposition they can simply ask for a review. Nip the evil in the bud. There is no need of a RESPECT campaign now. The officials get an opportunity to correct their decisions and the players don’t feel at the receiving ends of things. It’s a totally win-win situation.

The time taken for such reviews will be negligible. The time taken will be equivalent to someone getting injured on the pitch. This ensures that the match in progress does not get affected. The referees can do their job. But in case they get it wrong there is a system in place to set it right, right that at very moment. This also guaranteed fairness.

Another advantage of implementing this system is that the players are aware that they can’t get away with anything. E.g. Ricky Ponting nicked a ball during one of the matches during the World Cup but acted as if he hadn’t. The opposition went in for the UDRS and he was given out. On the other hand when Sachin Tendulkar nicked a ball against the West Indies he just walked off. He knew he had nicked it and there was no point sticking around. Once the players know that none of their actions will go unnoticed it will make them think twice before they act. May it be the Rooney elbow or the David Luiz off the ball antics.

I personally feel a DRS-like system can do wonders to the RESPECT campaign. It is worth trying.