Refereeing In Premier League Needs A Rethink
5th Official
This is a tough one for some people to accept, as it is a fundamental changing of who is in charge. However it is incredibly frustrating when something is very clear on replay that wasn’t obvious when in real time.
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In my system a 5th official would be someone who watches the entire match with replay aid. They get the same views all the broadcasters do, and don’t interfere unless they feel it necessary. If they see something they believe the referee has missed, they speak directly to him. They explain what they saw and leave the actual call up to the referee.
So for example if a player goes down and the referee gives a penalty, but then the 5th official clearly sees there is no contact at all, he will tell the referee. If the referee thinks the new information should be enough to change his mind, he can. Instead of a penalty, it is a yellow card and a freekick the other way.
The 5th official would not have the power of changing the decision themselves, but simply to provide information to the referee that he wouldn’t otherwise have. This will again remove some of the howlers we have seen this season.