Football needs to go down the rugby route

 

Once again Rugby Union has demonstrated to football exactly the road the game needs to be going down in the future.

The Premiership final on Saturday saw Northampton player Dylan Hartley sent off after calling the ref a “cheat”.

The fact that he used the f-word prior to the “cheat” word probably didn’t help his case nor did his protestations that he was talking to an opponent.

Rugby operates a zero tolerance policy when it comes to referees being abused and it’s something that football should employ with more vigour.

There are few more distasteful sights in the game than players continually mouthing off and swearing at officials.

When you consider some of the ridiculous laws enforced, particularly in relation to goal celebrations, it makes a mockery of the game.

Not only was Hartley sent off prior to half time in what is the biggest game in the domestic calendar, he also received an 11 week ban, ruling him out of a British Lions tour, the equivalent to missing a World Cup.

This type of punishment in football would send exactly the right message.

The final also once again demonstrated how important the use of video technology can be on these occasions.

Northampton had appeared to score a perfectly good try just before half time that would have got them right back in the game however after being referred to the video ref it was rightly chalked off.

Having finally got the go ahead for goal line technology, football now needs to seriously look at addressing offside decisions.

This is something that on balance affects many more games in a season than whether the ball has gone over the line.

At the moment assistant referees appear simply to be playing a rapid game of Ip Dip Do in their heads to decide whether a player is on or off side.

Malaga missed out on an historic place in a Champions League semi final because a goal was somehow permitted despite three separate occasions of offside in the build up.

Rugby is easily as fast moving as football and the notion that football fans would be unable to wait the thirty seconds to a minute while the correct decision is arrived at is too foolish for words.

I would suggest that all fans would prefer to see justice done.

Allen Whyte

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