By Tony Attwood
Go back a few years and no newspaper would have published an article on referees other than to say what fine fellows they were and how foolish football fans are to barrack them.
Over the years Untold has tried to change that, particularly by focussing on the highly secretive organisation that runs Premier League’s referees in a way that is utterly different from the way in which refereeing is organised in the rest of the world.
If you want to take a look at what we’ve been saying there is the article which compares PGMO to a blind, lame man shuffling backwards into a wasps’ nest.
But over the last few years things have changed a little. We got the impression that something was up in August 2014 when the Daily Telegraph’s Henry Winter wrote a piece very quickly after the series of articles on Untold which set the scene concerning the issue of video referees.
This series included an article in which we showed what the football authorities from Holland are doing to improve the refereeing standards. The third article showed what the PGMOL are doing in England to improve refereeing (nothing much as it turned out) and then the final piece referred to how PGMOL works to silence its critics.
That final article was published on 7 August 2014 and Henry Winter’s piece appeared in the Daily Telegraph five days later announcing that, “The two most influential figures in English refereeing, Mike Riley and Howard Webb, are preparing for a future with ‘robo-refs’ with caveats about the need for a proper debate and lengthy experimentation. Riley certainly feels the dawn of the video age is not that far away.”
That article in August 2014 also told us that PGMO “has been instructing managers and players that referees will be clamping down on holding and blocking this season, focusing specifically on those ‘under the flight of the ball, the player who doesn’t look at the ball, but is just looking at the opponent.”
And then some funny figures follow…
“There were 25 fouls per game in 2010-11 and 23-ish now and that reflects the nature of the game the players want to play. They don’t want continual stoppages. Contrast that to Champions League football where you’re looking at 30-35 free-kicks a game. In Italian and Spanish football it’s more than that. Even at the World Cup it was over 30 a game.’’
It was an amazing revelation, as PGMO admitted for the first time that they were bending the rules of football to meet the will of “players” (which almost certainly must mean some players of some clubs – you can’t imagine the most skillful players wanting anything but protection).
So the implication was that referees, instead of following the rules were following what some players wanted and the Telegraph then quoted Riley as saying, “We analyse every decision the referees make and their accuracy rate was 94.8 per cent two years ago and last season was 95.1 per cent but that’s not the story that comes across, because you can always point to one decision in a game that generates the week’s interest in newspapers and TV. There is not another group of referees in the world that has that strength in depth.’’
It was a strange piece in the extreme: to come out and openly claim that the PGMO’s refs were not giving fouls because players liked having fewer stoppages per game, and that as a result we were getting a very different type of football in the PL, was odd.
To claim figures of around 95% accuracy was odd too. I know not everyone agrees with our figures, but to have such a difference without any explanation was bizarre.
And after that outburst either the Telegraph let matters rest or the PGMO stopped handing out press releases. Either way there was not much more said, although two days ago the Telegraph’s Jeremy Wilson, billed as their deputy football correspondent, wrote a piece about Mike Cairns, who stepped down from the Premier League’s select group two years ago. He then returned to grassroots football (which I must say is something to admire him for) and according to the Telegraph, in 30 games last season sent off 12 players and filed eight misconduct reports.
Since 2013, “he has also been driven into by a car, slapped repeatedly on the back, seen a club official floor an opposing player with a punch, sent off five players in one match and endured endless volleys of verbal abuse.”
And this from a man who was trained up by PGMO to avoid the use of the rules of the game because players don’t like it. It is a curious contrast.
In the article Cairns says that indiscipline has risen greatly, and that “many of the referees are turning a blind eye to foul, abusive and insulting language quite simply because they feel it is not worth the hassle.”
Now this is the second piece in the last week or so that the Telegraph has run about referees – both as it happens about grassroots football, and both in absolute direct contrast with the press release style of work that it produced seemingly under instruction from PGMO.
The point here that the Telegraph carefully fails to address is that while refereeing in the PL is a closed-door process in which no one speaks out and the PGMO remains a society so secret that it makes the Masons look like a “Come all Ye” singalong at the local pub, grassroots football is not under PGMO’s vice-like grip.
Here is what Mr Cairns says,
“I am currently mentoring a young referee and, a few weeks ago, he spoke to me after one of his games. He shared that at least four players could have been sent off. One player, right in front of a children’s playground, had shouted to an opponent, ‘I am going to rip your —-ing throat out at the end of the game you —-ing —-’. I asked why he did not send him off and he replied, ‘It was easier to leave him on the field’.
The paper reports Cairns speaking of a fixture in the Somerset County League when he sent off two players. “I was approached by a lot of spectators and had to be chaperoned to the dressing room,” said Mr Cairns. “In the car park, a guy connected to the same club drove a car at me that caught my leg. It resulted in a police caution.”
A misconduct charge was levelled against the chairman of the club yet what he most remembers about the disciplinary hearing was the chair of the three-man panel. “In my report I had referenced the club chairman by his surname and the chair opened the hearing by saying, ‘Do you, referee, not subscribe to the Respect campaign? Why do you not refer to the chairman of the club as Mr?’ He then focussed his attention on me. The meeting had to be stopped because I refused to be subjected to what was happening in the room.”
The story then continues…
“A player was dismissed because he directed foul and insulting language at an opponent,” he says. “On the final whistle, another player received a red card for his comments towards me. The manager then runs the width of the field and, when he gets to me, says, ‘Well done referee’ and starts to slap me on the back heavily.
“I asked him to refrain and warned him that it could be construed as an assault on a match official if he did it again. He did it a third time and goes to his mates, ‘He thinks this is an assault’ and slaps me again.”
The incident was duly reported, the manager appealed and, to his shock, Cairns was informed that the case would be heard by the same chairman as the previous incident. A request by Cairns and supported by the Somerset FA referees’ committee for a different chairman was turned down. “So I decided that I was not going to put myself in front of this individual again,” says Cairns. The outcome? “The manager walked away from the incident and I was charged with misconduct for not appearing. The case heard by an FA commission was proven against me, however the panel agreed there was a conflict of interest and no further action was taken. You had an allegation of potential assault on an official and it ended up with the referee being charged.”
There are more examples of this, and I would applaud Cairns for speaking out, and the Telegraph for publishing it. But we must ask, why is the Telegraph publishing this but not picking up on the point about PGMO refs changing internationally agreed rules? Why does it not consider that several organisations including Untold are regularly coming up with reviews by refs on refs which show figures utterly different from PGMO? Why does it not ask why PGMO alone in football is a) so close to the league it serves, b) so secretive?
All it needs is one journalist working for a major news organisation such as the BBC, or one of the serious newspapers, to take up these issues and point out that secrecy always means there is something to hide.
One journalist with a willingness to step outside the cage and look at the world beyond the bars. That is all it would take. Why no one will take up the challenge is as much a reflection on the media as it is on PGMO. But I am sure, one day, someone will break the silence.
- What is it like to get a call from Arsenal to ask you to come for a trial?
- The biggest problem in football is the failure of the media to recognise how complex the problem is.
- The press are suggesting Thierry Henry cheated his way to his coaching badges. But there is more to this than it seems.
- Next season’s line up as commentary remains in the days of witches and Enlightenment is as far away as ever.
- Alex Iwobi chooses, David Ospina is blessed and injured (or injured and blessed) and other international events
Tony you cannot possibly use untold ref stats. They are bias in the extreme.
I like the sound of robo-refs….always provided their job description is not drawn up by the likes of Riley.
The professional game has become such an integral part of big business that parts of the tail have begun to wag the dog.
Corruption is rife among FIFA, UEFA and even the PGMOL.
The day is not far off when video technology and its aftermath advancements will weaken the power of the referee on the field. Human mistakes, whether deliberate or not, will gradually disappear.
Matches will take longer to complete although spectators will get used to this in order to view an honest result.
Explain yourself Murphy. Use the words accuracy and precision.
@ Bleeding gums,
The detailed evidence of bias in the Untold analyses you speak of would seem to be by the PGMO against Arsenal
Tony & Walter pointing this out is not bias in itself, rather just a single source of information being presented.
It would be great if other clubs’ supporters were to conduct such inspection of their own games. The current absence of such additional data does not in itself indicate that the sole source of analysis (Untold) is biassed, merely that the sample is incomplete.
I am particularly interested in the ‘free ride’ that has been given to LCFC since Howard Webb took over the appointments of match day officials. Funny that it coincided with their Lazarus-like rise from the foot of the PL to probable champs…
But, good luck to them anyway
Tony
Curious times. For decades FIFA operated like a mafia money laundering organisation and appeared untouchable. The same with the IAAF; just waiting for the FBI to investigate the IOC. The first two have been finally exposed as corrupt fiefdoms that did real damage to their sports.
If hope springs eternal, maybe the PIGMO is next. Look over your shoulder Mr Riley
COYG
Murphy,
Your law notwithstanding, can you elaborate on the “bias in the extreme” issue?
BGM
Do you refer to the reviews that have been compiled by those who aren’t AFC fans? Or is that just a poor effort at a smear?
Don’t be shy with the Corsodyl chlorohexidine digluconate.
According to the FA (one of the sponsors) the PGMOL was originally formed to “improve refereeing standards”.
Irony.Not.Lost.
Can we lure Andrew Jennings out retirement after being ignored for perhaps decades by his esteemed peers who propagate on behalf of the owners of the funny papers for his work on FUFA, or is it fair to say that he has earned his rest?
Ando
There’s some recent fairly condemning info on Football Is Fixed Re Webb & Leicester.
Serge,
Thanks, got it
It seems there is a direct correlation between how the games are being refereed in the PL and how financially successful the league has become.
Surely it’s not the quality of play, since PL clubs get regularly outplayed by their European opponents in the CL and Europa Leage as well.
Arsenal are benefiting from this financial windfall as well, even more so than from anything else the club has been doing on their own, whether on or off the pitch, so it’s in their best interest to keep quiet and not rock the boat about any anti-Arsenal bias they perceive exists.
Besides , Arsenal’s record in Europe this term is average at best, played 8 and lost 5, so it’s not like we do so much better with the continental refereeing, do we.
Mike Riley was never appointed head of the PGMOL for his abilities as a ref, or for his communication skills, but he always did show an extreme aptitude for being subservient to the powerful.
Sadly, the spineless…at best…bodies like the PGMOL and FA are failing the many honest and decent refs trying to do a job out there. No refs, no game. they are not exactly encouraging people to become refs with their antics.
As for revealing their antics…..as Serge has mentioned, FIF is really going to town on Leicester. But the UK media are clearly being kept quiet, I would guess they are all part of the gravy train. However, there is considerable jealousy over the EPL and its riches abroad, dont rule out a foreign journalist looking into things a bit more.
Sadly, Tom, have a feeling there might be quite a lot in what you say about the club not rocking the boat, at Exec if not at manager level. Thats the only way I can think of to explain their silence on some of the things we are seeing….week in, week out.
There are plenty of hints as to how it works and would work with football in the rest of the news.
Look at Boris Johnson this week. I think there’ve been a number of columnists who have stepped up and absolutely hammered him. Not for anything new as far as I could tell- but for his lousy character and behaviour over the decades.
So how does that work, why this week? I’ve long since given up on politics, but it’ll be because of some shift or other in the landscape which means powerful people now perceive it as in their interest to attack Boris.
Point is, it’ll just take some trigger and then we’d have the journalists all piling in about what’s wrong with refereeing here and has been for a decade at least.
In the naivety of my youth I imagined journalists and newspapers worked in an entirely different way- always surveying and investigating, looking for what doesn’t seem right and talking about it if appropriate.
It’s not how it works, but when some trigger goes- as with Fifa- they then talk in a way that shows the awareness has mostly been there all along.
It’s not too dissimilar to the practice of pre-prepared obituaries for very famous people. They could hammer, praise or ignore an individual or a group at a few hours notice, and whether they do or not depends very little on truth (other than political truth or the truth of where powerful people perceive their interests to lie) or morality.
Leicester is the great feel good story that the press can peddle . They are not about to tarnish their local boy done good story.
Arsenal will stand and stand firmly without staggering as the PGMO continue to push the Gunners in their race to the Barclays Premier League trophy table to lift the trophy.
Arsenal will lift the BPL big platinum crowned title trophy this season even if the PGMO push them 100 times, Arsenal will not fall but will remain standing firmly as God Is behind them. Who can be against Arsenal if God is for them? Not even the PGMO can.
By the way, watched a bit of rugby this weekend to cope with the lack of football and it struck me with real force how much damage a dodgy fourth official could do.
I noticed in the rugby more than usual the impact of the other officials on the referee.
Forget the tmo stuff to adjudicate on tries or when checking for foul play after the event, interesting though that is, it was the stuff in real time as the game is in play that caught my attention.
Rugby handily let’s you hear the refs mike most or all of the time, so you get to hear the input to the ref from the other officials. Communication is open constantly and I think it was after one of the instances of a forward pass being called to the ref that I thought ‘oh, oh’, what happens if our fourth officials are ‘advising’ refs on fouls in the same way?
For all the help it gives to rugby refs it does pose the problem of advice leading them astray- e.g if another official calls a forward pass incorrectly. What do they do in the scenario where they think ‘hmm, looked alright to me’? I’d say that everything favours agreeing with the voice speaking with certainty in your ear.
When the play is stopped it’s a different matter and a good assertive ref will make his own call, but with the ball in play that’s harder to do. If, say, Mike Dean was in the ear of a ref from lower in the food chain- i.e nearly all of them- is it likely that ref would ever ignore him if he cries foul, or play on? The inexplicable calls on Ozil in the Swansea game makes more sense if there was a voice in the ear saying play on at that moment.
So it really appears all set up in football for fourth officials to have a lot of influence.
Here’s the thing,though, it’s become clear in rugby that everything is reviewed afterwards. At the moment there’s a bit of controversy because an England player was caught by the mikes calling a Welsh player ‘gipsy boy’ and telling him to ‘get back to your caravan.
Don’t quote me on it, but the plot thickens because while England, obviously, and even the body in charge of the home nations wants to let the matter rest, world rugby is still looking into it and seems likely to punish the player.
So there we have the communications being kept, and reviewed by a number of bodies. Hmmm.
Well, what about football? I think you can bet your life they are kept and reviewed, but almost certainly only by pgmol, with no provisions in the rules for any other body to listen to them.
Once more, it appears to be a system that if not corrupt, looks and functions in a way that would be ideal if you were up to no good.
Arsenal will stand and stand firmly without staggering as the PGMO continue to push the Gunners in their race to the Barclays Premier League trophy table to lift the trophy.
Arsenal will lift the BPL big Platinum Crowned title trophy this season even if the PGMO push them 100 times, Arsenal will not fall but will remain standing firmly on the ground as God Is behind them. Who can be against Arsenal if God Is for them? Not even the PGMO can succeed being against Arsenal.
I must object in the strongest possible terms to the repeated use of the word “journalist” to describe these people. Several definitions I have examined include the phrase “preparing news for broadcast” which they certainly do not do as there is no actual news in what they say.
By contrast, I can find no definition of journalist which includes the phrase, “making up completely fictional stories” or, “showing complete bias by ignoring the actual facts”.
I believe they should actually be known as NRF’s as, when seeking a definition for these types of writer/broadcasters, I stumbled across a splendid definition of what they actually peddle, “Non-realistic fiction (NRF) typically involving a story whose events could not happen in real life, because they are set in an alternative universe or an alternative history of the world other than that currently understood as true.”
Alternatively, a more simple and better known name however would just be media bullshitters.
I’m still working on a definition for those idiots that believe what they say………but that may be unprintable!
can see why the press would initially be reluctant to go for the refs. It might seem a cheap shot, against people who are in the firing line…and cannot easily defend themselves. There may legal issues as well.
And, for those of us who do believe something is going on, it is likely the refs are just the foot soldiers doing the bidding for others, though some clearly are very willing to do this bidding against Arsenal.
but, as pointed out, when it does come out, the floodgates will open. Those representing rival European leagues will love it.
But, a word of warning….Any hint of corruption/bias would cost this league, and that includes the innocent clubs….presumably Arsenal…, a total going into billions. It will take some time to recover credibility, probably considerably longer than the Italian league. so there are many vested interests in the silence. The UK media feed off the popularity of the game
How will it happen …..my guess, either via the serious crime unit…perhaps from a separate investigation, or, more likely, a disgruntled whistleblower working with a foreign journalist.
Samuel
So good, you had to send it twice..I ‘Like’d it anyway, thank you
I believe you live in Nigeria? I was in Lagos for a while in the 70s and came to know a littl of the customs and beliefs of the 2 main tribal groups, the Ibo and the Yoruba.
I heard of a god/ anima figure named Idshu (may have got the spelling wrong; ph. Ee-shoo) who presented mankind with puzzlement and contradiction, thus engendering disagreement between those unfortunate enouth to attract his baleful stare.
A story is told of two neighbours who got on well – farmers – working in their fields. Idshu looked & saw a chance to create conflict. He walked on the path between their fields, wearing a hat – black on one side, white on the other.
As they walked back to the village at the day’s end, they discussed the stranger who walked by wearing a black hat – NO! It was a WHITE hat! No, you fool – it was a black hat!
etc
Idshu smiled.
My question to you is – does the lord Jesus support the Gooners, in your view? I like to think he does, although whether he prefers 4-4-2 or 4-3-2-1, I’m not sure..
he himself had a good squad of 12 but that Judas was a ringer from the Sanheddrin, the “yids”(no offence) of those times. Didn’t do him any good, he never played again and ended up topping hisself. It was the booze and the sheilas, i think.
There was once an ad-lib graffito on a church noticeboard back in the 60s.
Below the slogan
JESUS SAVES
some wag scouser wrote
BUT ST JOHN SCORES ON THE REBOUND!
You had to be there, I guess
Have a good one mate
COYG!
https://www.facebook.com/RefereesAssociation/videos/968381736578121/?fref=nf a short clip on how things stand at grass root level and refereeing and bad behaviour…
Goonermickey
Some use the term ‘Presstitutes’ for these lickspittles.
Other options could be:
The Godfathers of Gibberish
The Friends of Stuart Hall and idolisers of Alan Partdrige etc.
Andrew Jennings was getting nowhere as a “Reporter” so he wrote the two books, presenting the evidence, and taking on some pretty shady characters at the same time. Even then, the rest of the UK media weren’t really fighting his corner. It wasn’t until the FBI got involved that the evidence was seen to be the same originals for which Jennings had copies. What happened then was that all the little upstart journos here, suddenly were reporting this as “FBI have evidence” and “it’s a story we have been covering for years” bullshit. Basically, they tried to steal Jennings’ thunder.
I’m guessing the same thing happens from time to time with the Untold Referee stats – and if anybody was ever charged, then the journos would be all over “their” stories like a rash.
So, maybe a book guys – if you can find someone prepared to publish it.
As a footnote, perhaps it’s possible for some of these Journos to be “turned”.
After all, the vast majority of them called him a “poor” appointment and quickly had him to be the first EPL Manager sacked.
Now, it’s those same people who are playing the Leicester tune and saying how much they said at the time what an inspired signing he was.
Like PGMOL, the evidence says otherwise, but do they care?
On the point about referees doing “what the players want”..
Does this include unfit referees stopping games simply because, in the words of Dean “Fuck me I’m fucked” ? Clearly seen on TV a couple of seasons back.
Mandy
Exactly.
What’s the incentive for any journalist to go after PGMO?
Refereeing has never been an exact science. The whole country and most of the continent saw what Riley did at Old Traford against the Invencibles and shrugged their collective shoulders.
Any independent journalist worth his salt must surely realize there is no mileage in writing the “PGMO has an anti-Arsnal agenda” story, since even half of Arsenal fans don’t subscribe to the idea, let alone fans of other clubs.
Unfortunately Walter’s work has been compromised by some of his own remarks and statements, a fact that’s highly unpopular on this site but something I have mentioned on more than one occasion.
Sorry Walter but you can’t write one thing in the match report regarding refereeing, admit openly to being bias, and then claim to be impartial in the actual referee report of the same incident . It doesn’t work like that outside of this forum anyways.
It doesn’t mean that there aren’t legitimate questions to be asked by reporters. Questions like why certain referees stop doing games for extended periods of time after they give a contentious decision from which
Arsenal benefits.
I believe examples of such Riley’s motivational approach to guiding his PGMO employees has been established on here before.
Arsene Wenger could use this in his pressers as well.
Instead of denying Arsenal got lucky with a decision, like Mason not sending off Coquelin for a second book able offense, admit we may have got lucky and then crack a joke that this is probably tha last we will see of Mason for a while. Surely there would’ve been some follow up questions after that, but Wenger seems to be above this sort of thing – he’s too honest and perhaps doesn’t think it’s worth mentioning.
When the first knife goes in , I’m sure the others will all suddenly see the light of day and join in to save the beautiful game !
You would like to think that Webb saw the graft that was going on and decided to quit PGMOL and become a “pundit”
However it appears to be same piper, same tune, different paymasters.
When you look around the world today and the conflict that is all around I’m pretty sure God has more things on his mind than football. As for the refs you only have to look at our game at Goodison to see what we all knew was going on. Cattenburg was a total nightmare yet he got away with a terrible preformance safe in the knowledge that he would get away with it. This man was once a fair ref and we can all see what has become of him. If that is not answer enough then I really don’t know what is.
The English Premier League management, delegate the
allocation of match officials to PGMOL.
N.4. Acknowledgement by a Match Official of an appointment made under Rule N.3 shall
constitute an agreement with the League by such Match Official to be bound by and to comply with:
N.4.1. the Laws of the Game;
N.4.2. the Football Association Rules;
N.4.3. these Rules
in my view, some manager and players ignore,
N.7. Players and Officials shall comply with any lawful instruction given to them by a Match
Official officiating at a League Match.
The rules did not apply to “oh! dearie me” Ferguson.
Surely, Mr Wenger must say something at,
P.9. All Managers are required to attend in person an annual pre-Season meeting organised by the League or the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and failure to do so without just cause shall be a breach of these Rules.
IF, flies could talk?
In the article above, I am surprised that the Police were not involved with the assault charge by the Referee. The whole FA & its subsidiaries need to be investigated & outed for obvious underhand cheating of the Game. There should be a public enquiry into unfair practice in sport before somebody gets killed.
Where does the Law of the Land stand when it comes to criminal incidents on a sports field?
What about Declan Hill? He wrote books about match-fixing, and if I remember correctly, he is an Arsenal fan. Surely he must realize what is going on…
Tom -It is Walters prerogative to report on a match that he sees with an Arsenal bias.
He however, watches the match again several times to assess the referees performance without bias. It may not be the easiest task but as a referee he has a natural ability to view incidents as a neutral. Every referee must officiate as a neutral but it is obvious that many do not. The PGMO officials are the most vile cheats of the Game. They rob it of all its glory by their corrupt interpretation of the Laws. I see it almost in every nmatch irrelevant of who the teams are.
I think you need to qualify that Menace. Walter may describe the situation with a little bias. He does not find the situation with that bias. If it was possible for Walter to referee a game where Walter was playing, Walter would still call himself for a foul.
And he wouldn’t lessen the penalty because he was giving himself some discipline.
Menace
Are you certain walter watches the game again without bias??Can you give me proof of this with facts like everyone else it told to do.As for the rest of your post ,quite laughable again.
I can testify that I watch the matches without bias when I check them for the referee review. 😉 What more proof do you want?
And I don’t want to bore the regulars with how I can cut out any bias when I do my refereeing job be it on the field or behind the computer.
But if you ask to do so… Okay here I go again.
In the days my kids were still kids and played football I was of course always there to watch them play. One of my sons had a season in which they won their league. For one of the matches at home against one of their main rivals the referee didn’t show up. As I was a qualified referee at the time and nobody else from the visiting team wanted to do it (the visiting team in Belgium always have the first right to appoint a referee in such a case) I did that match. My son who was the goalkeeper still has nightmares about that match. I gave two penalties against his team and in the end they lost 2-4.
So yes even when the happiness of my kid(s) was at stake I had no problem to remove my bias when I did my refereeing job. My kids didn’t like it when I had to do their matches by the way. 🙂 I sure made sure that I didn’t give them anything.
Let us move on to another match. A match between my local team and on of their local rivals. Even though I had said that I was a supporter of this team when I started as a referee I got this match as an assistant referee. My local team plays for a crowd of around 600-1000 people most of the time in the 3rd tier of football in Belgium. For this local derby some 3000-4000 people turned up. My local team won with 4-1. And I in person as an assistant ruled out one beautiful goal (because the ball had crossed the goal line when the cross came in) and called back a striker of my local team when he was millimetres offside. I could have given both decisions the other way and nobody ever would have noticed but I just wanted to do the right thing. (Now as a supporter I still think to myself: damn we could have won 6-1 if I had let it all go….. )
So yes when I did a match from my local team I did all I could to prevent myself from being biased in favour of my team.
And all this answers the question another person asked about the difference of Walter writing his live match report as a supporter or the Walter doing his job as the ref reviewer.
And let me also point out at the fact that in the season when we had referees to do the reviews who supported other clubs we found an even bigger bias against Arsenal than when we only worked with Arsenal supporting referee reviewers….
Maybe that is the proof some are looking after? 🙂
John what you call laughable must entertain you. You however are boring & almost unbelievable calling our assessors biased. Can you go through a televised match & assess the officiating so we can see how clever you are?
Please stay away from this site till you complete that task. If you cannot take the task on then please apologise to Walter.