Mob rule: Show Chelsea players’ antics towards referees the red card

Mobbing referees to influence their big decisions and disrespect towards officials is on the rise. It’s time we did more to protect them, says Ellen Farrell

Referees have been heavily criticised for slipping standards this season, but at the same time, there has been a concerning increase in players confronting match officials and influencing their decisions. There’s a danger of a mob mentality descending over the beautiful game, so priority must be given to stamping this out and promoting respect towards officials.

When Chelsea played PSG, one particular incident overshadowed the spectacle of two European football heavyweights battling it out for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals. The unsavoury scenes of gamesmanship by Blues players which preceded Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s red card dominated the post-match analysis.

Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness labelled their tactics “pathetic” and said he was both saddened and angered by the fact that gamesmanship is deciding big games. Similarly, fellow pundit Jamie Carragher condemned Chelsea’s behaviour, and said: “The worst bit of dirty tricks was from Chelsea, surrounding the referee, the reaction was disgraceful.”

Ibrahimovic likened the Chelsea players to babies but, unfortunately, the events at Stamford Bridge are the worrying reality of the current disrespect shown towards referees by players.

It’s not just Jose Mourinho’s men who are at it. FA chairman Greg Dyke spoke out this week about the “scary” increase in players crowding referees this season. As of March 12, the FA has charged 16 players in the top five divisions compared to only six last campaign and a total of 29 players have been warned over their conduct.

Before the Chelsea v PSG match, it was Angel Di Maria’s dismissal against Arsenal in the FA Cup for grabbing referee Michael Oliver’s shirt which dominated the headlines. The ref received widespread praise for a brave performance in which he was not swayed by the Manchester United players or the Old Trafford crowd. But too many times referees are being harassed by players, which is influencing their decisions and compromising their performances.

Arsene Wenger is one manager who has publicly voiced his support for Dyke’s proposals to take action over players hounding referees. “We want everybody to be respected and the referees are part of everybody,” said the Arsenal boss. Although there is an element of hypocrisy, as the same managers who are rallying for more respect are the ones who won’t hold back with their criticism of match officials. They routinely hit out at refs if they fail to award their team a penalty or hand out controversial red cards.

Stricter action needs to be taken as a deterrent to players and education at grassroots level of the appropriate behaviour towards officials should be a priority. Players should receive tougher punishments for showing disrespect and perhaps only captains should be allowed to speak to referees. Addressing the issue is likely to kill two birds with one stone; undoubtedly, refereeing standards will improve if they can carry out their duties without fear of being harassed for every contentious decision.

Read more from Ellen Farrell here.

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