'Failure to deal with Var is unforgivable' Photo: Reuters/Lee Smith
Howard Webb's problem is clear and all too obvious: judges make too many mistakes on his watch. He needs to get this under control. He must prove that he not only has the desire, but also the ability to do it. Otherwise, he is part of the problem.
Webb, the Chief Justice, is generally seen as a force for good and a reformer, but he oversees a failing organization. And when you are responsible, the responsibility falls on you. No matter how long you have been with the organization. This is what leadership and accountability mean.
Mike Riley, Webb's predecessor at PGMOL, might have allowed himself a wry smile at this point, given that one of the reasons he was ousted was that Premier League clubs had made too many complaints about what was happening under his leadership .
But Riley had to go, and Webb's job was to try to improve the regime he inherited. This obviously takes time. But at the same time, it is unacceptable that the authority and image were undermined as much as this happened. Honesty is now in question, and when that happens, the game could collapse.
It is remarkable that the self-proclaimed best league in the world and by far the richest, the Premier League, has allowed its officials to become the target of ridicule and accusations of incompetence.
It is so. a strong word, but one that cannot be denied after Luis Diaz missed a 'goal' at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leading to the biggest crisis refereeing has ever faced in this country. Trust has been undermined. There is no more faith and the Premier League will panic that the “product” will suffer.
It is noteworthy that there are simply not enough officials who can be considered part of the elite. After Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, it's a real struggle. So Webb must do what any Premier League club would do in this situation — if there is not enough domestic talent, he must import it from abroad. The Premier League has money.
Instead we are faced with low-quality officials who give the impression that it is a boys' job — an impression that former referee Mike Dean failed to dispel when he recently admitted he avoided calling Ware because he wanted to spare the official. his buddy Taylor, «more heartbreak.»
It seems that's the culture — even the language they use when audio of Ware's decisions is sometimes released is too banal and inaccurate — and it's time to stop. It will take Webb time to train the officials to the required level, but there is no point in fighting those who are simply not up to par. Not if Webb himself wants to prove that he can do the job. There's too much at stake.
Therefore, massive changes need to be made. Judges need to be retrained if they are capable of improvement, or, more likely, replaced. The sport is ruthless, which means it has to be at every level, especially on the field. This applies to referees, not just players.
Trust is hard earned and easily lost. Webb leads an organization that suffers greatly from a lack of trust. He's tried to address the issue by talking about better communication and accountability, and while that's a step in the right direction and supposedly part of a phased plan, it doesn't go far enough.
'It is. This is a disgrace to the Premier League.
Change needs to be accelerated. Webb is likely to suffer a setback on Diaz in the upcoming episode of Match Officials Mic'd Up, where he faces 'soft' questions from Michael Owen — but the danger is that he will only end up worse will anger the fans.
It's not about PR, it's about competence. PGMOL can provide statistics on how high the percentage of correct decisions is, but the high-profile mistakes, from missing a Diaz goal to refusing to award a Wolverhampton Wanderers penalty against Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season, are staggering. all of this.
Frankly, this is a disgrace for the Premier League. The failure to figure out Var, implement a workable system, and recruit enough people to even competently use the technology is inexcusable.
Webb has done a good job of creating that impression so far. that he will reform and improve the situation, and there must be faith that he can. But what happened at Tottenham must have been the tipping point for much more radical and accelerated change. Otherwise, Webb will become part of the problem and not the solution we hoped for.
This is not about technology. We are talking about the best officials, and their boss must find them and deal with this.
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