It is a complaint as old as time itself, something uttered by fans across the world with regularity, yet still feels pertinent: the standard of refereeing is in decline.
Complaining about referees is nothing new. The difference is, this time, there seems to be an admission from those in authority that there is a kernel of truth behind the moaning.
It may be hyperbolic to describe Premier League officiating as being in crisis. But the Professional Game Match Officials Board would not have hired its first chief refereeing officer if it was happy with the state of things.
Howard Webb began his role at the top of the PGMOL on December 1 and has a wide remit which will allow him to rip things up and implement new processes. Webb reached the very top of refereeing in 2010 by taking charge of the World Cup final and Champions League final.
After working as the head of refereeing at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and spending six years working in the United States and Canada in similar roles, the 51-year-old has returned to try and fix things in the Premier League and Football League.
Refereeing overhaul
Webb is tasked with overhauling the preparation, coaching and assessment of referees in order to try to raise standards across the board. “Of course the game doesn’t get any easier,” he explained after accepting the role in August. “The playing standards get higher and the referees are expected to be better and better year on year wherever you are in the world and for sure in England, where there’s so much scrutiny and attention.”
His appointment was described as a “major coup” by PGMOL managing director Mike Riley. Webb’s arrival has been followed by further additions to the structure. Danielle Every (chief operating officer), Dr Steve McNally (performance support director) and Dr Wayne Allison (coaching director) have all arrived to work on the overhaul of the PGMOL.
Riley, who has been managing director since 2009, will leave his position at the end of this season. His pending departure is part of a wider changing of the guard, with veteran referees Mike Dean, Jon Moss, Martin Atkinson and Kevin Friend all retiring back in May. Atkinson and Moss are both now working under Webb to coach referees.
The PGMOL is co-funded and owned by the Premier League, Football League and Football Association. It now needs to get its house in order.
‘Lack of common sense’
The peak of Webb’s career came in 2010 when he was handed the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands. While it may not have gone to plan – he later described it as “a f***ing nightmare” in his autobiography after handing out 14 yellow cards but failing to send off Nigel de Jong for a karate kick on Xabi Alonso – it comes as a stark contrast to the level the current crop are at.
The Premier League sent two referees to the World Cup, Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver, but neither made their mark. Taylor did not take charge of a match beyond the group stages, despite staying in Qatar on standby, while OIiver refereed Croatia’s quarter-final win over Croatia, but was not used thereafter. Poland’s Szymon Marciniak earned widespread praise for his performance in the final.
Taylor took charge of Ghana’s 3-2 win over South Korea, which ended in controversy and a red card for manager Paulo Bento. Bento blasted Taylor for showing "a deep lack of common sense" after the match on November 28, with the South Korea boss furious about Taylor’s decision to blow the final whistle before Korea could take a corner.
Complaints
Taylor and Oliver are considered the cream of the crop, with Paul Tierney, a Premier League referee since 2014, is the most used this season behind the duo. They are three of the 19 in the Select Group One (SG1) referees who primarily work on Premier League games. Webb has chosen officials for the first time for the upcoming matches, with Taylor being handed Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest on December 27 and Oliver getting Arsenal vs West Ham on Boxing Day.
They are the best referees Webb currently has at his disposal, but they are indicative of how far the problem extends. Taylor was slammed by Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola following Liverpool ’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in October. Earlier that same month, Taylor drew strong criticism from Antonio Conte after he sent Emerson Royal off during Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat of Spurs.
"They have to work a lot on this. In Italy, they go on Thursday and stay together for three days to work together, to look at the video and try and improve,” Conte said. "I don't know if they do that in this country but it would be a good idea because the level is so high and we need the level of the referee and VAR the same. The Premier League is a really high level and for this reason every part of this situation has to be top.”
The plans to improve
One of the main criticisms of PGMOL chief Riley is that he is rarely, if ever, heard from following controversial incidents. That is expected to change with Webb now in charge.
During his stint in North America, Webb regularly held calls with media to discuss VAR incidents and videos were published weekly to explain decisions and show the in-game communication between officials.
“I’m a strong advocate for VAR,” Webb said in August. “I think it’s been a positive introduction to try to eliminate some areas that as an active official, I used to really hate when they happened in my games. Sometimes you didn’t have all the information in the moment to make the best decision and now we’ve got a tool that helps us do that.”
Premier League clubs are understood to be keen on Webb’s plans, which includes an elite referee development scheme that is intended to fast-track the best officials through the pyramid much more rapidly than previously.
Those are the plans, but that optimism could quickly evaporate when the Premier League returns over the festive period following a break for the World Cup. All it takes is one high-profile refereeing controversy or VAR mistake for the edifice to crumble.
Webb has a lot of work on his hands.
