I saw in the news this week that the French Football Association were trialling referees wearing microphones during games, as part of a move to modernise their refereeing system.
It’s not the first time that it has been trialled and I have spoken about the idea before, but I must say I can’t see how it can be considered anything less than a good thing for the sport. If it was introduced, like in rugby, football fans would be able to hear the interactions between the players and the officials, as well as between the officials themselves.
You would hope that such a move would do wonders for the language and behaviour of those involved in the games, not just the players but the officials themselves.
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I remember I spoke at a lunch once and the other guest speaker was a professional football referee, who was talking about the way he used to deal with players like Paul Ince. Well, he would basically tell them to F-off.
I’ve seen it myself at a South Wales derby in the past, where the referee was shouting at the Cardiff and Swansea players. You could see it from the stands that he was yelling at the top of his lungs at them, it seemed like there was swearing words between them too. It made me think if that’s the way they talk to players, it’s no wonder that players speak like that to them as well. Respect works both ways.
It may take some getting used to for the players, as we’re creatures of habit. It would require a huge culture change in football, given the way that players swear and speak to the officials at the moment. If it was introduced, it could well mean that for the first couple of weekends on Match of the Day, the games will have quite a few bleeps in them!
But of course it’s not just the language that would be addressed. We know all too well about the problems football has with VAR, where there is no replay on the screen and you don’t hear from the referee at all, unlike rugby. In rugby, the referee goes to the TMO and the decision is explained. Naturally, rugby has had its own issues with the TMO too but the fact remains that whether you agree with a decision or not, everybody can hear the reason why it's been given..
But in football, at the moment, if you're watching the game, you don't really know why your decision is changed or what they're checking because you're not hearing any conversation. Having that communication is so important for fans watching back home and helps restore trust in referees. Even if they don’t agree with it, they will know their games are being officiated in the proper way.
When I coach referees, I often pick them up on their decisions, not because it is the wrong conclusion but because their reasoning behind it is sometimes wrong. In a sport like rugby, it is so important to explain your decisions clearly and I think knowing that you’re mic’d up can help you to develop that.
Introducing this change in football would put an end to the endless speculation and debate too. In rugby, where a player abuses another player or an official, then it can quite often be picked up on the ref’s mic. That means it’s not a case of ‘he said this, I didn’t say that’, rather the evidence is there for everyone to see.
The unsavoury incident involving Joe Marler and his comments to Jake Heenan in December is a prime example, he was caught red-handed, everyone heard it and he was promptly issued with a ban.
But in football, we’ve seen players make complaints of racial abuse which have not been picked up anywhere during the game, and without that evidence, the issues have raged on and not reached swift conclusions. Having that evidence would mean anyone at fault is dealt with appropriately and we can get back to focusing on what the sport should be about.
There are bound to be teething problems, of course, but if this largely inexpensive change can restore the fans’ trust in refereeing, curb the offensive language used by players and officials and put an end to the endless debates that often overshadow the sport, I can’t see it being anything other than a positive step forward.
Hopefully this trial in France will lead to greater things in the future.
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