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“Refs out to avoid the limelight”

11 Aug 2010

The biggest refereeing story of last season occurred at Ashton Gate in the match between Bristol City and Crystal Palace. Controversy flared when Palace striker Freddie Sears seemingly scored in the 33rd minute, his shot striking a metal pole used to hold down the net and bouncing out again. Unsure whether or not the ball had gone in, referee Rob Shoebridge consulted his linesman before awarding a goal-kick, believing Sears had shot wide. Palace players were incensed by the Derbyshire official's decision and Warnock justifiably went bonkers on the touchline. 

In the heat of the moment Neil Warnock demanded referee Rob Shoebridge be banned for a year as a bitter war of words broke out between City and Palace over the incident. Bristol City boss Gary Johnson defended himself after coming under fire from a furious Warnock. The Palace manager accused his opposite number of unsportsmanlike behaviour after his side had been denied the perfectly good goal. Johnson famously once gifted Plymouth Argyle an equalising goal in a Carling Cup tie when his Yeovil side inadvertently scored instead of returning the ball to the opposition goalkeeper. 

Referees' chief Keith Hackett apologised to Warnock and Palace's fans after the match and gave Shoebridge a couple weeks off the think about what he had done. Hackett believes mistakes will continue if FIFA do not relax their stance of blocking the use of goal-line technology. This has become a hot topic again after Frank Lampard's goal that wasn't at this summer's World Cup in South Africa. Fifa chief Sepp Blatter has promised to bring up the topic at the next meeting and other referees could avoid the kind of controversy that hit Shoebridge if it is introduced. Many people have made Leeds United betting tips  to win promotion from the Championship this season, so imagine the uproar if a similar incident ends their hopes.

Shoebridge will be hoping to avoid hitting the headlines this season. After the Palace debacle he returned to refereeing, but was mostly used in the lower leagues. The football rumours suggest he'll probably move back into the Championship this season after he managed to claw some credibility back with his performances following the Palace game. UEFA's proposals of having an extra official behind each goal could help avoid a repeat of that kind of situation and something is certainly needed to help officials with big calls. It can surely only be a matter of time before goal line technology is introduced into the modern game.