| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - Nov 11 2003 : 8:09:27 PM
Referees' Committee
By Angel María Villar Llona
Chairman of the FIFA Referees' Committee
Ronaldo, Raul, Zidane, Van Nistelrooy, Kahn, Vieri…All football superstars, the leading lights of our sport, players who captivate millions and demonstrate week in, week out, what a great and spectacular game this is. These players have been professionals from a young age and millionaires for almost as long.
Yet arguably the most important person on the pitch is still an amateur, and consequently far from rich. The referee carries the same level of responsibility as Ronaldo or Zidane. Yet when a player misses an easy goal chance, the fans and media rarely shout as loudly as when the neutral man with the whistle makes a mistake.
I have seen the referee and assistant referees come under increasing and often very subjective fire in recent years. Coaches, players, officials and journalists often launch verbal attacks on the man in black without cause or consideration, often, it must be said, to detract from their own shortcomings. The referee has become fair game. Customs on many football pitches have become less and less gracious. We must fight this and give our referees more protection.
Referees and assistant referees are still amateurs, but most of them are highly professional in their approach and carry out their work with enthusiasm, idealism and application.
They already perform to a high standard, yet FIFA, the Confederations and the National Associations must do more for them. It is not enough, in my view, to simply lay on extra courses, seminars and fitness tests. In the medium term, we need to ensure that the best referees and assistant referees become professionals. It makes no sense for the game as a whole to become ever more professional when one of its most important protagonists remains an amateur. We all want to make football better - and the referees and assistant referees can play an important part.
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