Refereeing In Premier League Needs A Rethink

Nov 27, 2016; Commerce City, CO, USA; MLS referee Ricardo Salazar marks for a free kick in the second half of the match between the Colorado Rapids and the Seattle Sounders in the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Championship at Dick
Nov 27, 2016; Commerce City, CO, USA; MLS referee Ricardo Salazar marks for a free kick in the second half of the match between the Colorado Rapids and the Seattle Sounders in the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Championship at Dick /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next

Embed from Getty Images

Only Captains to speak to the refs, unless requested

Another simple idea, and another one from rugby. To stop crowding of the referees and arguing, simply make it one player who can talk to the ref.

More from Premier League

Improving communication between players and refs is vital, and it’s almost impossible for referees to explain themselves when they have 15 players swarming around with some shouting that it should be a red and the others claiming it wasn’t even a foul.

It might take a while for the culture to stop, but this would be a big start. The Premier League was meant to be clamping down on the crowding of the refs this season, but it’s not been a great success. Simply introduce this rule, and get strict with it.

Plus if you give the refs a microphone, players are going to be less likely to hurl abuse. No-one wants their foul language caught where it can actually be heard. They have sponsorship deals to sign.