Time for UEFA to Protect Referees

Who at UEFA feels it necessary to review Anthony Taylor’s performance in the Europa League final?

They need to start supporting the referees instead of allowing them to be castigated.

Roma felt hard done by but I’m not sure why.

Look at the major talking points.

After half an hour there was an appeal for a penalty by Roma when the defender cleared the ball. The striker went down something chronic. Not given. Commentary agreed. Reviewed and no further action.

Roma scored when there might have been a foul given against them in the build-up.

Sevilla were awarded a penalty until VAR reviewed it from another angle and it was unawarded.

Pretty much in favour of Roma so far.

Then a penalty not awarded for handball against Sevilla, reviewed by VAR and not overturned.

If Man Utd’s was a penalty in the FA Cup final then this one must have been, surely? Well, Utd’s penalty was one of the most farcical decisions I’ve ever seen. So much so that I switched off the TV and headed into my garden instead. A fascinating game, ruined. Neither should have been a penalty, more of which shortly.

Finally, the penalty shootout when Sevilla led 3-1. Even if the penalty save had counted, Sevilla were still in pole position but why would you blame the referee? He’s been told correctly that the goalkeeper left his line and the penalty needed retaking. Not much room for debate on this one.

This isn’t about refereeing. This is about sore, aggressive losers, poor rulemaking and organisations that think football is popular because of them when really, it’s despite them.

UEFA should be standing with the referee, not giving Mourinho some back door support. He brought the game into disrepute, yet the ref gets it in the neck.

Mourinho had no place saying what he did but it’s a technique that works well for him. It’s somebody else’s fault when things go wrong yet looking at the incidents in the game Roma didn’t seem to be too shabbily treated. Refereeing is hard enough but when players leave their own leg in place to fall over a defender to make it look like a penalty that’s the type of play that needs eliminating.

Poor rules are a real bugbear of mine. There’s plenty of them about but how football has evolved to produce such a farcical handball rule is a mystery. When there’s no intent, the hand’s in a natural position and virtually no chance of a goal being scored by the attacking team, how can a penalty be awarded?

Compare and contrast the other ‘hand of God’, the great save by Suarez in the world cup. Chance of a goal being scored by Ghana and a place in the semi-final if he hadn’t cheated? Virtually guaranteed and yet it was Uruguay who went through.

The handball rule is in tatters. Offside isn’t much better. Whatever happened to giving the striker the benefit of the doubt. The latest interpretation does little for the striker except in situations where they are obviously offside, interfering with play but deemed not to be by the rules.

Rule changes by IFAB in recent years?

The kick-off no longer needs to go forward, and referees restart play with a drop ball in certain circumstances if it hits them. Presumably that last rule is to make football fairer so how about adjusting other rules to guarantee some fairness in the game?

People talk about the letter of the law. I don’t see how awarding penalties for accidental handball even fall into that category but there are other rules that are completely ignored. How about a goalkeeper being restricted to six seconds with the ball in hand? What about players not retreating 10 yards on a free kick and preventing kicks from being taken?

It’s time the rules were laid out to assist referees. No backchat, let them be in charge. Create rules that ensure they get the protection they require to do their job. Restrict them as little as possible, so don’t give them spray cans to carry around. Use rules to ensure they don’t need a can in the first place.

Who is responsible for assigning referees to the finals? Perhaps they should come under review for their selection policy if they think the ref had a poor match. It’s just the loudest shouters who get their message out.

Referees are hard to find. Don’t make it any more difficult for them than it already is. Support them, don’t denigrate them especially when you’re the organisation in charge.