{"id":38883,"date":"2020-01-24T14:23:07","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T14:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=38883"},"modified":"2020-01-24T14:23:07","modified_gmt":"2020-01-24T14:23:07","slug":"why-alan-shearer-should-ref-in-the-carmarthenshire-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2020\/01\/24\/why-alan-shearer-should-ref-in-the-carmarthenshire-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Alan Shearer should ref in the Carmarthenshire League"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An insight into the most underappreciated role in football<\/h3>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"465\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Referee-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"465\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Referee-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-1-293x220.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Ryan Kenny refereeing one of his first senior games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>WHEN many of us think about football, it is the beautiful moments that come to mind. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Diego Maradona\u2019s solo effort against England at the World Cup in 1986. Liverpool\u2019s stunning comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. Hal Robson-Kanu sending three Belgians back to Brussels with one swift turn and finish at Euro 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>These are the times that, as fans, we sit back and appreciate the game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>However, in that world remains an epidemic threatening to undermine the sport. The treatment of referees is an issue that won\u2019t go away. It is too often the ugly side of the beautiful game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s \u2018part of the game\u2019 as they say, but this shouldn\u2019t be the case,\u201d says Ryan Kenny, 26. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Ryan became the youngest person in the UK to pass the referee\u2019s exam back in 2004, at the age of 11. His grandfather had been a referee in England and, when he retired, became an assessor. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Ryan would go along with him to the coaching sessions and at the end of the eight-week course, his grandfather handed him an exam paper. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cA few weeks later I was delighted to hear I had become the youngest referee to ever pass the exam in the UK. I started refereeing immediately and have now been refereeing for 15 years.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>As someone who has been the man in the middle for over half of his life, Ryan admitted that abuse is rife in the sport. He puts it down to people forgetting that \u201ca referee is a normal human being outside of the kit\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s not a match that goes by when myself or another official in my team doesn\u2019t get abuse towards them,\u201d Ryan revealed. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe worst case of abuse I\u2019ve ever had to deal with would be a few years back. The game was hostile, and the supporters and team staff were out of control, constant foul and abusive language, lowest of the low comments. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was then approached at the end of the game by the manager and staff trying to get through and attack me. Fortunately, my assistants formed a barrier, so it stopped them. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I continued to walk off down the tunnel where the players and staff were waiting for me, again a barrier was put around me. I finally got to my changing room and thought it was over. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cLater that evening I received a number of texts from my colleagues to look at social media. The club, players and spectators had abused my name all over social media. It was a nightmare.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"587\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-587x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-587x1024.jpg 587w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-172x300.jpg 172w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-770x1343.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-881x1536.jpg 881w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-500x872.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-293x511.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 587px) 100vw, 587px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"587\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-587x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-587x1024.jpg 587w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-172x300.jpg 172w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-770x1343.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-881x1536.jpg 881w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-500x872.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1-293x511.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/01\/Referee-2-1.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 587px) 100vw, 587px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Kenny with Alan Tate (left) and Dwight Yorke (right) during the former&#8217;s testimonial, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Rob Snaith has had similar problems. Rob, 60, got into refereeing 12 years ago to \u201cgive something back\u201d to the sport after his playing days came to an end. However, during his time as an official he has seen the problem become more severe. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI played for over 30 years. When I played if you abused or struck the ref it was a lifetime ban, now it\u2019s two years. In the last 10 years it has definitely got worse, it\u2019s the arguments, and the threats of physical and mental violence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve sent someone off 14 times in one game, an under 16s player. He used every expletive you can think of to call me. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;His mother and father were on the line and they just stood there. He wouldn\u2019t go off. I threatened to abandon the game, I thought \u2018I\u2019m not taking this anymore\u2019. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou get confronted about 60% of the time. You get told \u2018don\u2019t let me see you out\u2019. It\u2019s very intimidating because there\u2019s no one around to help you.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Rob believes the problem of abuse is rooted in a lack of education in the sport, something which is proving difficult to change. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s down to the mentality of the players. In rugby it\u2019s \u2018yes sir\u2019, \u2018no sir\u2019 and these people are 18-19 stone and the referees tend to be smaller people. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It\u2019s got to be education. Education to the clubs and down to their supporters, their players and their coaches.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe referee\u2019s society offer courses but not a lot of clubs take that up. If clubs understood the law changes then they\u2019d understand that we\u2019re not doing it just to annoy them.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>While education at the bottom of the leagues may help reduce the abuse, Rob believes less criticism at the elite level of the sport would also have an effect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to see some of these pundits do a game, I\u2019ve got to admit it. Send Shearer down to the Carmarthenshire League to referee. Not having VAR, not having slow motion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey always highlight mistakes, they never highlight the good things that referees do. I know they\u2019re professionals, but they have a split-second to make a decision.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>With the introduction of VAR into the Premier League this season, the focus on referees has been even greater. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>While officials at that standard are heavily scrutinised by pundits and abused by thousands of supporters weekly, the rumoured annual wage for elite referees is around \u00a370,000.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, referees at the bottom of the grassroots level earn \u00a312.50 for an under 12, 13 or 14s game and \u00a315 for an under 15 or 16s game, plus an extra \u00a30.30 for every mile travelled. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>When they get abused regularly, just why would anyone get involved in refereeing at the lower levels?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the enjoyment that I have being the man in the middle, controlling a game, whatever game it may be,\u201d said Ryan. \u201cIt\u2019s a feeling of butterflies for me every time I pick the whistle up and that\u2019s a feeling that will stay with you forever.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cFrom when I started to where I am now and being to the places I\u2019ve been, refereeing around the world, I could never have dreamt that.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The abuse that referees suffer is a clear issue in football. How to fix it is less clear, but with a shortage of referees throughout the grassroots level something needs to be done. As Ryan says, \u201cwithout a referee there is no game\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An insight into the most underappreciated role in football WHEN many of us think about football, it is the beautiful moments that come to mind. Diego Maradona\u2019s solo effort against England at the World Cup in 1986. Liverpool\u2019s stunning comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. Hal Robson-Kanu sending three Belgians back to Brussels with one swift turn and finish at Euro 2016. These are the times that, as fans, we sit back and appreciate the game.&nbsp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":38885,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,14,4],"tags":[95,139,140],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-38883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","category-longer-reads","category-sport","tag-football","tag-referee","tag-south-wales-football"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Alan Shearer should ref in the Carmarthenshire League - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The treatment of referees is an ever-growing issue, something that won\u2019t go away. 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