A former PSL match official Leslie Dean suggested that the recent criticism of referees and match officials is justified – as sad and harsh as it sounds.
Dean’s comments come after a recent ‘plea’ by one of the Hollywoodbets Third Division’s top strikers that officials are ”killing the game” with their “putrid and scandalous” officiating which is to the detriment of the game.
According to Dean – who does duty as a match commissioner in both the Second and Third Divisions – he was shocked to learn that some senior refs and match officials are not clued up with the rules of the game as he has experienced first-hand recently.
Deane explained to No Bones with Jones: “Firstly this is not an attack on anyone…I was doing duty (as a match commissioner) at a Third Division match recently when I questioned the ref on (Law 4) which pertains to the players’ equipment that is not to have black tape over blue socks and the referee didn’t know this – I could not believe what he told me.
“Similarly, at Vasco’s game (vs Seaside Spurs) on Monday the official didn’t know what the difference is between a direct and indirect freekick which falls under law 13. I. I was dumbstruck to say the least.”
According to Dean there are in some cases plausible reasons for the poor performances from the officials.
“Referees are doing too many matches in my view hence they are tired and this is where fatigue creeps in and they are deemed to make mistakes. We also have a shortfall of referees and that’s why it is important to have workshops to guide upcoming referees,” he added.
Deane emphasized that it is high time that amateur football tapped into their abundance or expertise to bring the officiating back on par where it has always been in the past.
“We need to make use of all the ex-PSL referees like Charl Theron, Kader de Goede, Luanda Somi and others,” he further explained. “We have all the experience so why don’t we use it. We have Fifa instructors like Abdul Basit and Jerome Damon that could host workshops with referees. Something like refresher courses to ensure the knowledge of the game doesn’t get lost and gets applied correctly.
“Referees are suffering due to the lack of these refresher courses as the law changes every year. I mean last year something like 190 amendments were made. This can’t be done in two or three days or whenever the officials are free, no! We have the expertise but it does not get tapped into to add value to the game.
“I recently went to a Safa development match commissioner workshop in Jo’burg so that I can stay updated with the laws of the game. But it’s not about me but the future generation. We sit with so much knowledge here but we are still behind the tide. Applying the theory into practice is the biggest challenge that we face. What is the use if you achieve 100 percent in tests but when it matters you deliver 20 percent worth?” Dean concluded.
