EPL Mitrovich

[MC Yellow]

A friend of mine refs at a high level in the local leagues- cup finals etc. He also plays in a team of refs and he says they are the biggest whiners and dissenters of any team he comes across.

No excusing Mitrovich though.

I am no rugby fan but boy do they get the ref/player interaction right and it puts football to shame.

Absolutely agree.

Also a bit of a trickle down effect here too, I think.

More respect for the ref by players, more respect amongst fans.

 

[Scotchegg]

I used to work with Young Offenders and they had a rugby team that played in the league (home games only!!). Year on year we won awards for the best discipline records which also included national recognition on one occasion. Yet the exact same players turned into f*****g assholes if they played football instead!

There is unfortunately something about football that seems to bring the worst out of a small number of players, managers and fans at all levels. No one wants to see the game sanitised beyond recognition, but there does need to be more respect at every level.

 

[holdsteady]

You can't blame FIFA for everything but when the very highest level of governance of a sport is pretty much an organised crime cartel its maybe not a surprise that having a lynch mob surround a ref every time a decision goes against them goes unpunished, its an easy enough thing to stop, but the people who make the rules area bit busy to bother.

 

[Ewes]

6 months?!
Suarez got 10 games for BITING a player!
Di Canio got banned for 11 games for pushing a ref over.
John Terry got a 4 game ban for using racist language towards Ferdinand!

He grabbed the refs arm and rightly got sent off and should and will get more than 3 games but to say 6 months is ridiculous and way OTT.

Fulham have only got 10 games left this season, my suggested punishment of 6 months effectively includes those 10 games plus a couple in Sept next season.

Di Canio got an 11 match ban 25 years ago for something similar. We’re now in the midst of a campaign to improve respect for referees at all levels. Cantona got a 9 month ban for kicking a supporter many years ago. PSV have just given a ‘fan’ a 40 year ban for attacking a player on the pitch.

Mitrovich had no need to get involved and mildly assault the referee, who had already made a decision to dismiss Willian after VAR consultation.

Based on what would happen in local parks Football e.g. a probable 6 month ban, I stick by what I said and hope/expect the FA throw the book at him.