JINJER wrote:
Aren't all referees neutral?
How can they be? Referees aren't bussed in from outer space, they're plucked for the wider RL community. Pretty much every referee - pro or otherwise - will have grown up exposed to the game and will have their own favourite team - their home town or one they likely followed previous to their reffing career. I doubt anybody has ever said to themselves "well I do love Crown Green Bowling, but I might just give reffing this other sport I've never heard of a try".
And it's not just simple favouritism - with a given allegiance also comes a natural bias against that club's historic rivals. Someone officiating a game in which 'their' team (or a 'rival') is playing would have to have superhuman resolve and restraint to officiate the game impartially, and I would argue that they don't. Furthermore, as people involved in the game they will inevitably take to the field with a preconception about who will win - ie: NOT NEUTRAL. Ask yourself: Wigan v London - who's gonna win? An extreme example maybe, but just like the London fans would go along expecting a hammering, so the ref rocks up with a pretty good idea of how it's going to go. Again, NOT NEUTRAL.
All of that I could live with on the strength of the "well what's better?" argument, but the evidence of my own eyes shows me that while some refs at least attempt to maintain balance, others just don't give a toss how bent they look - Team A is gonna win and that's that! And they conduct themselves that way in an environment where criticism of them brings down punitive action on the critic, not on the referee. They KNOW they act with near enough total impunity.
Two refs (presumably NOT from the same town) will help if they both have equal standing (ie: not just another touch judge who does nothing). But the biggest way to minimise biased refereeing is to introduce a proper review procedure and to allow, in fact to encourage, feedback from coaches, players and clubs. Make it behind closed doors if necessary, but there needs to be something. Since they went pro our refs have largely been stealing a living and taking the p*ss and with no corrective measure in place they're just getting worse.
