The referee is right even when we think he's wrong

I’m writing this in advance of the Louth v Mayo game at the weekend. I think it is important I make that point, just in case that this article contains anything that might relate to the outcome of the game and, more particularly, to the performance of the man in the middle - one David Coldrick. 

No disrespect to anyone, but I have to say that I would prefer David Coldrick to his fellow county man, David Gough, and I would prefer any referee from south of the Border. Northern referees have been brought up to allow all kinds of illegal tackles and along with negative managers did much to bring the game to the level that required remediation of the rules to bring Gaelic football back to some semblance of entertainment. The fact that Coldrick is a next door neighbour of our opponents does not come into it… for all I know he may have relations in Mayo.

It seems to me that, with the re-introduction of the foot into the game, we now have a contest that flows and that rewards kicking the ball. It is no co-incidence that there is no Ulster team in the last four of the championship, though I must admit that Tyrone, who have adapted to the new rules and the new style, were a tad unfortunate in their quarter-final game against Kerry. 

The Tyrone manager, Malachy O’Rourke, is normally a mild mannered and sensible man so it was a little surprising that he resorted to highlighting one or two incidents which “cost” Tyrone the game. He was of course responding to leading questions from the media huddle and, on reflection, would no doubt answer differently. Sour grapes are not a fit dessert for anyone after a pulsating game and it is always better to move on.

It is not today nor yesterday that I came to the conclusion that the referee is right, whether he is right or wrong. That’s the way it has to be and perhaps someone should have told that great aficionado and expert on the game of soccer, Mr Trump. He called foul when one of the US players was red-carded and suspended for a game. Crying foul was okay but having his FIFA friend Mr Infantino suspend the red card was intolerable. He has done great damage to the game of soccer but that won’t bother him. With the US out of the World Cup he won’t spend much time watching games.

Now, it is not just Mr Trump who needs to wise up. There were plenty of defeated team managers in the World Cup who were quick to blame the referee rather than accept an unfavourable outcome. I’m giving these managers credit for knowing the rules of soccer, something about which I know nothing. But complaining after the event does not do them any credit. Take the result and get on with it.

I did a bit of Gaelic refereeing myself in my day. I found it a rewarding experience. I’m talking about way back when I had a fair understanding of the rules then at play. It was a simple game in those days but that did not always mean that people on the sideline knew the rules and there was the occasional bit of controversy when results did not go the way of the partisan supporter. I recall one occasion when I had reason to send a player off in the closing minutes of a game and not surprisingly came under fire. The player in question had future commitments so the sending off had consequences.

Well, there was a man, a mild mannered, good natured, good humoured man who would be reluctant to say boo to a goose but, and it is not an exaggeration to say, he completely lost the rag and commenced to harangue the poor referee (me) in language that, even today, would be unprintable. He was a man of considerable erudition and he gave full vent to his extensive vocabulary, both learned and coarse, to tell the referee what he thought of his parentage.

It goes without saying that the episode had more of an impact on the man’s conscience than it had on the referee and the player who was sent off continued to play (Mr Trump was not called on to rescind the red card!) and win honours. It was as if nothing had happened. Everyone went home happy.

I mention that little episode simply to make the point that supporters are not the best judges of what is a free and what is not. Supporters are biased and when they shout at a referee "to get glasses", they should firstly reflect on their own ophthalmic requirements. I’ve been at games where sensible people, at a distance of perhaps 100 to 150 yards, can tell a referee standing within 30 or 40 yards of an incident that a foul has been committed or even perhaps that the referee is a blind fornicator.

Now, it is not just soccer or Gaelic’ referees who come under scrutiny and who have to answer for their decisions. Rugby, as we know, is a game designed by gentlemen to be played by gentlemen and of course it is a bit more civilised. They don’t have rules in rugby. They have laws which are interpreted by men in blazers while players get on with the game. The players generally show respect to the referees and there’s probably good reason for that. There is a fair chance that the players don’t know the laws. I played rugby for a few seasons. It was a wonderful experience.

I turned up in Westport, togged out and was thrown into the second row without so much as a hint that the game was governed by laws. I wasn’t too sure what the second row was and didn’t operate in the position for very long as I did not have the bulk for the scrums. I had a bit of height for the line-outs so perhaps, it was thought, I might win some ball. Times have changed and, by now, I suspect that newcomers to the game are coached in the intricacies of the laws. But back in those dim and distant days ignorance was bliss and you just accepted that the referee knew what he was about.

While it may not be clear to the reader, there is a point to this discourse. As I said, there was a time when I knew the rules of Gaelic football and was considered sufficiently equipped with knowledge to be appointed to take change as referee and, one mishap not withstanding, had a trouble-free career in that role and so, I come to the point: I do not have a clue as to what the rules are today. I take some comfort that today’s referees and players and coaches have a clear understanding of the rules and that they will, by the time you read this, have been applied fairly at the weekend.

Furthermore, I’ll stick my neck out and suggest, for your consideration, that of the 160,000 who will be in Croke Park over Saturday and Sunday, not more than a handful of supporters will know what the rules of modern-day Gaelic football are. That’s not to suggest that the rules are unintelligible, it is merely that supporters are not interested in getting to know what the rules are and are more interested in berating the referee.