Wilburrabbit
Well-known member
Long post
I was compelled to write to the EFL following Saturday and here is my email and their reply.
Subject : Sheffield United versus Blackpool today
Query : I am not one given to hysteria or uneducated in relation to the game and the difficulty of officials in controlling a game but game today at Bramall Lane needs to be looked into. Three sendings off for Blackpool and a spurious 8 minutes extra time with a home equaliser coming 9 minutes after normal time is hard to fathom. This is not the first time this referee has sent off away team players at Bramall Lane. I realise these things happen but it is hard to take when I want to believe in a fair game with unbiased officiating. There is a perception at Blackpool that the EFL hates Blackpool and while I want to believe it isn’t true it is hard to argue when officiating like todays flies in the face of fairness. Please can the game be looked into with a fair eye? Many thanks
The EFL replied as follows:-
Thank you for your e-mail, we acknowledge your comments.
Whilst the EFL are not always able to comment on specific match officials or decisions, it is relevant to clarify that Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL) is responsible for the selection, training and coaching of match officials across the professional game. As I am sure you can appreciate, with only one chance to view every incident, from one position and no benefit of replays, the modern referee has a sometimes-difficult task in trying to spot every single incident that occurs on the field of play, whether this be due to the proximity of the ball to players, the position of the referee, or other players obscuring views of the officials. There is a process in place for officials to be assessed on their performances by way of match observers reports and Club Officials feedback, which helps to create a merit list by which they are selected.
Upon review, referees in the EFL are getting a very high percentage of match decisions correct, however we do appreciate some decisions can be frustrating for supporters at times.
Following each match, Clubs have the opportunity to speak to the Referee Manager to discuss specific incidents and provide any further feedback
Thank you for contacting the EFL, we appreciate you getting in touch and hope we have been able to clarify the process involved.
Kind Regards
I was compelled to write to the EFL following Saturday and here is my email and their reply.
Subject : Sheffield United versus Blackpool today
Query : I am not one given to hysteria or uneducated in relation to the game and the difficulty of officials in controlling a game but game today at Bramall Lane needs to be looked into. Three sendings off for Blackpool and a spurious 8 minutes extra time with a home equaliser coming 9 minutes after normal time is hard to fathom. This is not the first time this referee has sent off away team players at Bramall Lane. I realise these things happen but it is hard to take when I want to believe in a fair game with unbiased officiating. There is a perception at Blackpool that the EFL hates Blackpool and while I want to believe it isn’t true it is hard to argue when officiating like todays flies in the face of fairness. Please can the game be looked into with a fair eye? Many thanks
The EFL replied as follows:-
Thank you for your e-mail, we acknowledge your comments.
Whilst the EFL are not always able to comment on specific match officials or decisions, it is relevant to clarify that Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL) is responsible for the selection, training and coaching of match officials across the professional game. As I am sure you can appreciate, with only one chance to view every incident, from one position and no benefit of replays, the modern referee has a sometimes-difficult task in trying to spot every single incident that occurs on the field of play, whether this be due to the proximity of the ball to players, the position of the referee, or other players obscuring views of the officials. There is a process in place for officials to be assessed on their performances by way of match observers reports and Club Officials feedback, which helps to create a merit list by which they are selected.
Upon review, referees in the EFL are getting a very high percentage of match decisions correct, however we do appreciate some decisions can be frustrating for supporters at times.
Following each match, Clubs have the opportunity to speak to the Referee Manager to discuss specific incidents and provide any further feedback
Thank you for contacting the EFL, we appreciate you getting in touch and hope we have been able to clarify the process involved.
Kind Regards
