Being a referee is never easy during a match sport. Depending on the team sports, disputes after a decision flourish and put pressure on the refereeing body. I have eventful matches every third weekend, where I get rotten, you mustn’t believe that rugby is all about respect
, regrets Romain, arbiter of rugby at the amateur level in the Toulouse region and co-founder of the “Spirit of the rule” account on Twitter.
At the highest level of football, it is identical. As an observer, one often notices the provocative behavior of the players towards the referees when the latter make a decision against their team.
This week, Prolongation offers you a four-part series on the perception of fault in sports.
1. INVESTIGATION. How does the perception of fault differ depending on the sport?
2. INVESTIGATION. Why do athletes contest arbitration decisions so much?
3. INVESTIGATION. How does the complexity of the rules of sports affect the game? (Tuesday, February 23, 7:02 a.m.)
4. MAINTENANCE. Anecdotes from former Ligue 1 referee Saïd Ennjimi (Tuesday, February 23, 7:03 a.m.)
“The financial stake takes precedence over the game”
But then why so much aggression? When hot, in full effort, the reactions can be excessively tenfold but nothing is excusable. For me, it is the financial stake that takes precedence over the game. Obtaining the victory for a better place in the standings, scoring a goal to improve your statistics, all this comes into account
, explains Saïd Ennjimi, professional central football referee who has been on the lawns of Ligue 1 more than 250 times.
Before Mediapro’s low blow against French football, the first in the ranking of League 1 was to pocket € 79 million and the last, nearly € 39 million. Depending on the places at the end of the season, the amounts are therefore different and the financial stake is extremely high for each team. The leaders stress for the game because they are passionate, but they are mostly business leaders. If they budget for the 10e place as they navigate to the 18e instead, they will have a significant deficit and unfortunate consequences for the club
, continues Ennjimi, convinced that the financial aspect is a weight that generates disputes in professional football.
Wallace’s evictions, iconic basketball moments
At basket, the deal is somewhat different between the bench and the field. I find that the protests are too marked on the part of the coaches and I include myself in it
, admits Pascal Thibaud, the coach of Union Rennes Basket, the team playing in NM1 (3e French division). “Overall, the players know that without a referee, there is no match so they respect them”
, specifies Jacques Monclar, basketball specialist on beIN Sports and himself a former player of ASVEL in particular. Between player and coach, the balance of power seems to be different, even if isolated cases exist in the history of the orange ball.
Of course, Rasheed Wallace is one of them. Throughout his career, the strong winger of NBA attacked the referees, accumulating technical faults after insulting the referee.
In 2000, it was one too many times. In the first game of the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Blazers, Wallace suffered a first technical foul, knowing that after two, it was the expulsion. A few minutes later, he was kicked out without saying a word, but his background had betrayed him. Wallace was accused of having repeatedly provoked the referees through his intimidating gaze, this historic moment will remain one of the most striking technical fouls in basketball.
Rasheed Wallace has lashed out at referees regularly throughout his career. © REUTERS Archives
Nigel Owens, beloved rugby referee
Another line of thought also exists in the number of rules put in place in each sport. Rugby is living proof of this since beyond the amateur world, in this sport with abundant and complex rules, it is rarer to observe players contesting the whistle.
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Nigel Owens (right) has become a respected figure in rugby over the years. © AFP
The rules of rugby are so complicated that people don’t understand much and apart from the professionals, the general public places absolute trust in the referee while in football the rules have been kept very simple. It allows anyone to have an appreciation. Maybe that’s why there are a lot of disputes in football
, Saïd Ennjimi analysis.
The culture of the oval is such that when Nigel Owens, the most famous referee on the planet rugby, announced he was going to retire, hundreds of rugby figures have praised him on social networks, including players. What if Clément Turpin retired?
This week, Prolongation offers you a four-part series on the perception of fault in sports.
1. INVESTIGATION. How does the perception of fault differ depending on the sport?
2. INVESTIGATION. Why so many disputes in sport?
3. INVESTIGATION. How does the complexity of the rules of sports affect the game? (Tuesday, February 23, 7:02 a.m.)
4. MAINTENANCE. Anecdotes from former Ligue 1 referee Saïd Ennjimi (Tuesday, February 23, 7:03 a.m.)
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