Warrenpoint Town boss Barry Gray says managers and supporters need to be “very careful” that referees don’t turn their back on the Irish League.
A number of high-profile bosses have recently slammed the standard of officiating while NIFL has also introduced a pilot scheme for managers to provide feedback on referees’ performances.
Gray is all for improving standards but fears the heightened scrutiny and ongoing flak will see officials either strike or walk away from the game.
“Everybody keeps saying ‘the referees are this and the referees are that’, but I’m thinking what if they walk out?” said Gray.
“Let’s see us play next week if we have no referees.
“Yes, we all get frustrated, but it’s a small band of people that officiate our games and I wouldn’t do it for love nor money. Not a chance.
“It’s bad enough being a manager, but a referee? My goodness me.
“You have to be very careful. The referees would be the first to say they’d like to see more support and I think there should be support, but it won’t happen overnight.
“Yes, we can all get frustrated and decisions will be right, wrong or indifferent, but I do think we have to be careful.”
Gray accepts an added complication for modern day referees is the fact that every decision and indiscretion is caught on camera and “splashed all over social media”.
“Everything is televised now and everything is in the spotlight,” he said. “Not only do you see a decision first hand now, you can also see it second, third and fourth hand.
“It’s great being a manager because they don’t record me for 90 minutes. And if someone did film me every week, you’d see a helluva lot of flaws there too. We all would.
“Listen, sometimes we are frustrated by decisions but you also have to cut them some slack and ask ‘what can we do to help?’ That’s my view on it.”
A strike by match officials saw the start of the 2008/09 campaign delayed for a week before the officials' grievances over pay and other issues were addressed.
