It was almost exactly a year ago that the popular referee podcast appeared Collina’s heirs a debate going on.
“No big grumble after referee decisions, no pack formation, respectful interaction with opponents, no swallows, no time play due to ball blocking thanks to strict rules – football could learn a lot from handball,” wrote co-host Klaas Reese on January 14, 2019, as Germany at the World Cup at home was handball fever.
He received a lot of approval for this, but also a lot of ridicule. 12 months later you have to say: When dealing with referees and opponents, football should not only learn a lot from handball, but also best from ice hockey, rugby, volleyball, … – the list could go on and on.
The colleagues at image report before the start of the second half of the seasonthat the Bundesliga referees want to take significantly more action against the bad manners of football in the coming weeks. Yellow cards for a referee siege or screens painted in the air, red for the start of a large pack formation.
If the Bundesliga referees manage to do this, they deserve a big thank you. It is high time! In comparison to other sports, football is particularly noticeable due to the lack of respect shown to referees and opponents.
Or when was the last time you saw an ice hockey referee being besieged by an angry pack of players on the ice? Or a handball player after a foul whistle does not give the ball until the teammates have run backwards?
This is because there are clear sanctions for this behavior that are enforced. If you do not drop the ball immediately after a whistle in handball, you must be punished with a time penalty from the field (Rule 8.8).
When it comes to football, professionals who refuse to play the game or who do not charge the referee after every foul, no matter how clear, must still hear that they are “not clever enough”.
The regulators of the DFB have identified this adolescent behavior on the lawn as the reason why there are repeated attacks on referees in lower classes. As a causal chain, this is certainly somewhat weak, but of course it also plays a role.
For this reason alone, the stricter rule interpretation is a step in the right direction.
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