Arsenal Get Bad Referees Or Referees Get A Hard Deal?
The second flashpoint was Wojciech and his sending off. This is where consistency comes into play. I tweeted my opinion of this incident as it happened and a few healthy but spritely conversations took place - which twitter is the perfect arena for. I personally was of the opinion that the contact between striker and goalkeeper was minimal (Yilmaz even lifts his legs up) and the ball was running away from the opponent. On the other side of this is that Wojicech is prone to these hot flushes. His charge from his goal-line was a necessity but also badly-timed. He also didn't stretch his arm out to its full reach in order to grab or touch the ball.
I've had the benefit of viewing the replay of it numerous times and thanks to good arguments from people on my favourite social procrastination site and the grey area that is refereeing consistency I'm completely undecided whether it was a sending off. Gianluca Rocchi had one solitary second to adjudicate.
Yes, he has his linesman to offer up a helping hand of sorts. He also has the aid of a man with the most futile job in football besides the defensive coach at Man Utd. This man is the idiot behind the goal line. Hired to judge solely on goal-line shots and penalty shouts but ultimately never contributing on either - nonetheless he is another facet to the all-seeing eye that is the match official. So that one solitary second Rocchi had to view and decide becomes a couple of seconds with the help of his merry band of flag-bearers.
If the general consensus on twitter was as nigh to 50/50 as I've ever witnessed - and we all have the benefit of action replays - then even with his own personal army of officials he was always going to offend. Unfortunately it didn't go our way (colour me surprised) but you can excuse Rocchi for this one to a degree.
The problem is though - in fact, the gargantuan white elephant in the room trumpeting loudly - is that this happens with such frequency that you could call doubt on at least two or three decisions per game. These verdicts are jarring during the game - but count them up and they will undoubtedly contribute to more titanic outcomes when it comes time to dish out silverware and League placings. A free-kick denied here, a wrongly called offside flag there. Each and every team will suffer this fate and as aforementioned - it occurs every single matchday.
Another tired old cliche that gets wheeled out on its rusty axis is "the luck evens itself out".
It isn't luck. It isn't even always bad officiating. It can be simply remedied by what we all see every edition of Match of the Day. No, it isn't Mark Lawrenson's natty choice of shirts or his tawdry mouth over-encumbered by saliva. It is the action replay.
They can be viewed nigh-on instantly. In rugby it is used with grace and common-sense. It takes a few seconds for a more grounded decision to be made and therefore less complaints from both parties will be the result. Some people will cry "It will break up the flow of the game!"
When a penalty appeal is ongoing, you have the team who are appealing for it who are circling the referee and motioning not only for the golden chance from 12yds but also for the player who dished out a stray leg/arm to be sent for an early shower. Then you have the crop of players who are maintaining that the tackler got the ball and that the Number 7 currently writhing around on the floor holding his leg is simulating. All the while you have both managers having a game of 'Burn The Fourth Official's Ear With Your Hot Breath'.
In the midst of this you have the referee. He witnessed the event but is now so covered with angry spittle that he is struggling to hold his sh!t together. In his ears ringing is 60000 fans baying for blood and retribution.
It normally takes about two to three minutes for the emotions to settle and for the game to restart. I think this would be more than ample for the referee to consult the big screen in the sky and ask it what it thinks? It takes far less time in the game of egg-chasing.
The video replay should only be consulted in these matters. Not for every set-piece or handbags at dawn. That way the ebb and flow that MOST officials take so much care to preserve can be maintained.
Whether this comes into force is another matter. It is discussed regularly at FIFA meetings with Blatter at the summit, but that is akin to asking a walrus about the finer points of haberdashery. One thing is abundantly clear though.
The men adorned in yellow and black brandishing cards? They need some help. For all of our sakes.
http://twitter.com/jokmanafc Tell us what you think! If you agree, or have a different view, please leave a comment in the comments section or why not write a response or your own article on YouWrite?
Think you know Arsenal? Test your Arsenal knowledge on our trivia page and see if you can beat the top score.
Don't forget to like us on Facebook, add us to your G+ circle and follow us on Twitter.
