COMMENT: If sports stars are Gods among mortals, are referees the devil?
It’s not uncommon to revere sporting heroes to such a degree, that they’re not far behind deity status.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar can’t walk unhindered by mobs of cricket fans in India, Cristiano Ronaldo has the same affect on football fans and Siya Kolisi could easily run for president of South Africa and win, if he wished.
Such players are Gods among mortals, ardent sports fans would have you believe.
Our sporting heroes have the unique power to inspire, excite and illicit fawning pride for a particular sports team.
Power to unite
As Nelson Mandela famously said: “Sport has the power to unite.” The sports stars of this world are the gladiators that make this statement true.
Then you have the referees and umpires.
They are the scourge and the evil antagonists of the sporting world. Or at least that’s the general consensus among those same ardent sports fans.
Kaizer Chiefs vs Sundowns
This past weekend saw Kaizer Chiefs lose to Mamelodi Sundowns, with the winning goal sparking debate as replays showed it could have been ruled offside.
The referee bashing was vile, fierce and immediate. I looked at the freeze frame of the moment of the pass, and for me - it was clear it was a close call - not even a definite offside by any means.
If you look at the camera angle from the halfway line, it’s not perpendicular to the last line of Chiefs players so we didn’t even get a good angle.
If you look at the space between the last Chiefs defender and the next section of closely mown grass and then compare that distance to the Sundowns attacker who was closer to the touchline, it appears the decision may have been even closer.
Calls for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) were quite loud and ultimately justified, as these close decisions can easily go the incorrect way.
Referees are humans, just like the sports stars, and both parties will make mistakes.
It’s what it means to be human.
That meant little to the Chiefs fans as they behaved like thugs online and all manner of insults were directed at the linesman who ‘was right there’.
Orlando Pirates vs Stellenbosch, MTN8 Final
On Saturday in the MTN8 final, in a moment that will be debated for years to come, Orlando Pirates took advantage of the referee allowing a quick free-kick after a foul on Patrick Maswanganyi and Tshegofatso Mabasa was quick to react as he found space in the Stellenbosch box before rifling the ball into the back of the net.
The referee though he blew his whistle to stop play, waved play-on for a quick free-kick as Pirates capitalised with Stellenbosch players stopping completely.
However, the set piece was taken closer to the opposition goal - which means it should not have stood. Therefore, Stellies can count themselves incredibly unlucky that they were on the receiving end of such a contentious decision which decided the title.
Bruno Fernandes incident
Then there was the referee Chris Kavanagh who sent off Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes during his side’s Premier League 3-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
That seemed to be a clear cut example of the official making a mistake, as Fernandes had slipped just before he made the tackle. It undoubtedly affected the game, as United were 1-0 down at the time of the incident in the 42nd minute and Spurs would go on to win 3-0.
Romain Poite, Bryce Lawrence
And for Springboks fans, ask yourself - how do you feel when you hear the names Romain Poite or Bryce Lawrence?
Back in 2013, there was a ‘joke’ that did the rounds that went something like this: “If Romain Poite and Bryce Lawrence were drowning and you only had time to save one, what type of sandwich would you make?”
Poite issued Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis a red card during the 2013 Rugby Championship. The decision was later overturned by the International Rugby Board (IRB).
As a result the social media warriors took action in the best way they could - they turned to Facebook.
A group was created and called: “Petition To Stop Romain Poite Ever Reffing A Rugby Game Again.” Almost immediately it grew to over 50,000 likes.
When the storm had landed, it would have been dangerous for Poite to walk down a street in South Africa. He and his family even received death threats.
How many accountants receive death threats if they make a mistake? The hypocrisy is nauseating.
My brother Greg Sherman, who began his career as a cricket umpire in South Africa before moving to England, received serious abuse from fans and players throughout the years.
Around the year 2000, Sherman was umpiring a Premier League match in Johannesburg.
Former Test cricketer Lee Irvine was the coach of Wits University in a big match to decide who would make it into the semi-final of the competition against Jeppe.
The match was heading towards a tense climax which included as Sherman puts it: “An ex-Gauteng player deliberately pushing the ball over the boundary ropes so that the weaker batsman was on strike for the next over.
Totally disproportional
His fellow umpire did not consult Sherman properly before making an incorrect decision, and giving the final Wits batsman out in what was a contentious decision.
Speaking about the incident, Sherman said: “Yes, there was an error on our level but the abuse that followed from Wits was totally disproportional.
“The Wits players, the Wits coach who was a former Test player [Irvine], ran onto the field and said - ‘That's a disgrace. You are never welcome back at Wits again. You're a disgrace to the sport. I don't want to see you here again’,” he recalled.
Irvine and the Wits coaching staff escaped any disciplinary action from the Gauteng Cricket Board.
Throughout his time involved in cricket in South Africa, Sherman found former provincial and international players like Grant Elliot and Justin Engelke to be quite disrespectful due to their status.
It has to be said though, other big name players who played Premier League cricket like Richard Snell, Ken Rutherford, Stephen Jack, Andrew Hall, Paul Collingwood, and Graeme Smith were all very respectful, explained Sherman.
It depends on the individual to a large degree.
In England, Sherman has had a family member of a cricketer tell him he was a disgrace after a run out decision, and many other choice words, not fit for publication, have been hurled his way in his time as an umpire in England.
But the Irvine incident in particular, raised the issue of former players inciting abuse directed at officials.
Outrageous claims
This is also quite prevalent in English football, and Sherman, who spends much of his free time fanatically following the Premier League, also highlights some unsavoury attitudes among the big name pundits.
“I think it's very unfair. Some of the comments they make on an institution like Match of the Day on the BBC in England are outrageous. You've got guys like Alan Shearer, Danny Murphy, who both played for England. Alan Shearer is one of the most prolific English strikers of all time.
“But they make outrageous claims about match officials. Danny Murphy is another one who doesn't need any invitation to abuse umpires and officials and the repeated cliché is that these people don't understand football, they've never played it at any level, they don't know what they're talking about, they don't understand the game, which is just ignorant.
“The assumption that you have to have played in professional football before you can call a game of football … The logic behind that, beggars belief.”
Logic and sports fans don’t always go together, neither does respect.
But one can live in hope, that the same kind of understanding and compassion for when an incredibly talented Springbok like Manie Libbok has a bad day at the office, can one day also be afforded for match officials.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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