Falling standards of refereeing in the English Premier League

Wes Brown was wrongly sent off against Stoke

The English Premier League boasts an audience much greater than any in the world, a fact it uses to proclaim itself the best in the world. As with any such titles one would expect it to be of the highest quality possible in terms of sporting talent, coaching wealth, economic draw and as such any other aspects associated with the game. For the most part, it manages to live up to the expectations. However, recent calamities with regards to refereeing decisions have brought into dispute the fairness of the game, and it threatens to cast a dark shadow over the league with no foreseeable diagnostic measures in place.

The odd refereeing mistake had come to be seen as part of the game with the referees not being allowed any technological aid, mainly in part due to the intransigence of the governing bodies that be. But recent mistakes have left a dour taste in the mouth with results being harshly skewed in favor of or against teams with alarming regularity. The number of high profile incidents has dramatically increased and the interest being shown by the FA into this has been tepid at best.

Is it really that bad?

Anthony Taylor opened this season’s proceedings with yet another poor display. The Arsenal fans were aggrieved (rightfully, so) with his decision to award Aston Villa two penalties. Villa went on to claim a famous win while Arsenal fans outraged over their club’s hapless situation. In hindsight, the outcome of that match may not have affected Arsenal so much (top of the league on January 1) but that result could have a say in the relegation battle when the season comes to a close.

Similarly, West Brom were robbed of a win at Stamford Bridge when referee Andre Marriner decided to award a penalty to Chelsea in the closing seconds. This mistake was acknowledged by referee chief Mike Riley when he apologized to WBA on behalf of Marriner, but the damage had already been done.

Other notable incidents include Phil Dowd dismissing a potentially career ending challenge by Mirallas on Suarez as happenstance, Robert Madley awarding Stoke a penalty against Swansea despite there being no evidence of a handball and Howard Webb overlooking Samuel Eto’o’s red card worthy transgressions (twice!) against Liverpool.

What can be done to curb this?

This is not to say the referees alone are at fault. It can be hard to make a decision without the help of television replays and player simulation isn’t helping the cause either. The FA could back the referees by taking steps to reduce the aspect of human error from the game but so far it has refused to act.

The cleanup act could begin with encouraging referees to scout the teams whose games they will be overseeing so they can spot patterns and identify teams and players that indulge in anti-football behavior. Furthermore, the referees should be encouraged to interact with the media post games so they can clarify their decisions. This would ensure that the refs are on top of their game knowing that they will get crucified for any lazy decisions and also help the fans understand the thinking behind their decisions.

Another plan of action could be to use two referees in a match as it has been observed that most of the refereeing blunders happen in the latter stages of a game and could be in part due to the lack of concentration caused by fatigue.

Whatever the FA decides to do, it must do now to protect the sanctity of the game or it risks losing its appeal in the long term; thereby losing its claim of being the best in the world.