Safa has its say in referee debate

I wrote that editorial in the wake of assistant referee Mervyn Van Wyk’s performance in Kaizer Chiefs’ game against AmaZulu this season, where he appeared to incorrectly flag offside two second half “goals” from Usuthu.

I stand by the fact that I believe the standard of refereeing in this country is not of a high enough standard, but also accept that to say it is “pretty poor” is a broad generalisation that could merit further investigation.

I also believe that when a letter is as considerately put together as Mr Soldatos’, giving the other side of the story, so to speak, it is worthy of publication. I would also encourage our readers to take a look at Mr Soldatis’ response and send in their own views on this matter.

Ari Soldatos’ letter:

I have long been an ardent supporter of Jonty Mark as a sports journalist. His comment in Phakaaati on the 1st Oct, nonetheless, to the effect that the general standing of refereeing in South Africa has been ” pretty poor” for as long as he can remember is unjustified and lacks a proper appreciation of the considerable number of fixtures which are played on a weekly basis and pass without incident.

Being the individual tasked with appointing the officials to matches undertaken under the PSL and the GA Championship I will be the first to acknowledge that errors are and will be made from time to time and that consequences need to ensue for those officials who so err, particularly where the effect of the error has an impact on the result of the match concerned.

There is a fully functional review committee which is convened on a weekly basis and which painstakingly assesses the performance of our officials.

Contrary to the perception of many, including Jonty, the Referees Committee of SAFA takes immediate, direct, consistent and fairly far reaching action against officials who may have erred in their application of the laws of the game.

This involves a rehabilitative programme which aims to determine the reasons for any mistake and implementing a programme where the official concerned is mentored and monitored over a fairly extended period by seasoned and experienced referee assessors in the regional structures.

It is only once this programme is satisfactorily completed that, on a progressive basis, the official is once again considered for appointment to the professional leagues.

I am heartened nonetheless to note that Jonty, whilst on the one hand criticizing our standard in SA, does acknowledge the often shoddy interpretation and application of VAR in the EPL.

In fact, as recently as Monday evening Arsenal would have been done a considerable disservice when an errant assistant referee raised his flag and, in so doing, disallowed a legitimate goal. It so happened that VAR overturned this decision . In SA the official would have been lambasted and yet again the eternal lamentation of poor refereeing in general would ensue. Yet, the officials in the UK are engaged on a full time professional basis and are supposedly amongst the finest on the globe – the point is refereeing errors are made and always have been part of the game.

To vilify the standard, Jonty, as being overall ” pretty poor ” is unfair and really doesnt display an accurate and holistic assessment of our men and women who do a fine job out there , week end and week out and who go by completely unnoticed and unrecognized which is the ultimate objective of a good referee. That doesn’t mean that in certain instances criticism is not justified. Provided it is well informed and constructive it can go a long way in improving our game.

This notwithstanding, I still remain an admirer of your excellent journalism,

Ari Soldatos
Referee Appointments Chairperson
SAFA

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