“The Top 4 Reasons why Futbol Players Hate Refs!”

Futbol is such a beautiful and simple game! However the simplicity of the game can be complicated by the calls being made by the officiating crew.

You’re probably thinking, “don’t we need refs for the safety of the game?”

Yes we do, and I’m not here to bash refs whatsoever. My motive in this short article is to provide the top 4 reasons, why most players hate referees (including me)

Let kick things off:

1.) Miscommunication

Let’s face it-referees aren’t going to make every call. Even if they do, the chances they’ll be in your favor are slim to none (unless you’re paying them) :-).

One of the main problems players encounter is an officiating crew that lacks proper communication. For example, if the sideline ref has to look at the head ref every time he/she has to makes a call on an offside or foul shows that the ref is either inexperience or lacks the ability to make any type of call.

In addition, if the center Ref is making all of the calls, that shows the lack of confidence the refs have for one another. The last thing any player wants is to have a ref that has to blindly guess what calls to make.

2.) Card Happy Refs

Have you ever had a ref pull out so many cards that you’re wondering if he has lost his mind? One card after another, after another, after another…Such rash decisions can turn a game upside down and destroy all of the fun.

For example, last Monday my indoor game went down to the wire! Tied with 2 minutes left, a handball get’s called right outside the perimeter of the box. While my defender was claiming his innocence I was regaining my balance after an intense deflection save. With little reason, the ref dished out a RED card for my defender.

The decision was outrageous and the penalty that followed was a gift of a goal for our opponents, but a hand in the face to my squad. Playing a man down and goal down was worse than getting head-butted by Zinedine Zidane.

Once again the refs card happy mindset blew the game.

3.) Refs that pull no cards

A card happy ref is bad, but an inconsistent ref that doesn’t pull cards at all can be even worse. When a blatant foul isn’t called and an obvious card isn’t pulled can frustrate the players. The referee’s job is to control the game and ensure the safety of the Futbolers. However, when a referee does not discipline certain fouls, the game can get out of hand very quickly.

4.) Refs That Are Wayyyyy too old:

Being physically fit is not only a requirement for players, but also for the refs. How do you expect to be a part of the game and make the right calls if you have your hands on your knees and gasping for air? Every player has had his or her fair share of elderly refs who just couldn’t keep up with the pace. Because referees aren’t fit enough to keep up with the game they lack the ability to be at the right places to make the right calls.

This not only frustrates the players, but it kills the fluidity of the game. This results in the refs missing calls that could possibly decide the game.

We all have our issues with refs, but they are undoubtedly an essential part of the game. Having a bad ref can turn your sunny Sunday league from a very fun and competitive one to a slow and foul congested encounter.

Thank you!

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Thanks for reading!