Firstly, let me make it clear: If this story came out, without mention of the name of the referee involved, who would Liverpool fans have guessed the referee in question was? Coote, Tierney, or maybe Taylor, right? There has been demonstrable bias against Liverpool in my opinion, and I have written articles on VAR and the officials suggesting as much.
It now seems clear that personal bias does exist, and particularly strong, vitriolic bias at that. I read a very extensive article a while ago (for those interested: tomkinstimes.substack.com/p/objective-data-liverpool-are-refereed ) that, amongst many things, analyzed Martin Atkinson’s performances against us before and after Gerard’s book released. This book made mention of, and criticized, Atkinson.
As will come as no surprise to anyone, his decisions took a stark turn against Liverpool after that. The point of this is to say that officials, either consciously, subconsciously, or whatever else, are officiating with biases, emotions, grievances, and this should not be happening.
It is impossible to fully calculate the impact but, at the very highest level of the game, tiny margins can be the difference. To reference Coote he was the VAR official in the Everton vs City game when a clear handball against Rodri was not given. In a tight game that could have made all the difference and, let’s not forget, that was in a season in which Liverpool were 1 point off of the title.
To temper this it is worth mentioning that some of the awful decisions we have been on the end of have not been down to Coote personally: the Spurs debacle had nothing to do with him, for example. So the question is corruption, personal bias, incompetence, what factors are in play, and what changes can/ should we expect?
Refereeing Performances:
Corruption: Is it in the realms of possibility? Or course. Is it likely? No. There may be backhanders and brown envelopes, but there isn’t much by way of any evidence. However, overseas trips for referees in countries who also own Premier League clubs? I think common sense dictates that this is a practice that should not really happen. Not because I think they are being bribed, but because it raises the question of impartiality, and that should be avoided as much as possible.
Personal Bias:
We now have a clear, smoking gun showing that referees have biases, hold grudges, etc and are brazen enough to repeat them on camera. How big an impact do they have on decisions? Probably not as much as is being suggested. However, I would expect it to impact the close calls, the 50/50s, etc. and, as mentioned previously, the fine margins at the top of the game can be the difference between winning and losing. It is a big can of worms, long suspected, that has now been fully opened.
Incompetence:
I think it is clear to fans of every club that refereeing standards aren’t up to scratch. There are so many inconsistencies, so many poor decisions, so many inadequate explanations, that sheer personal bias alone isn’t enough to explain how unilaterally awful Premier League referees are. It is why I do not believe there is bonafide corruption taking place – it would require a certain level of competence that I do not think the current crop of officials have. The PGMOL seems to be run like a little secretive club, with access granted for mates, rather than the best people for the position. Hopefully the current furore does enough to see meaningful change but, given the PGMOL’s ability to conjure up endless excuses, I highly doubt it.
What Should Happen:
1) Coote is dismissed and banned from officiating. Even without the xenophobia what he said is unacceptable for a “top” official, the xenophobia should be the deserved nail in the coffin.
2) PGMOL is completely reorganised. Webb is removed from his position, other ‘old boys’ are too, and the organization is revamped with a, hopefully, better calibre of official.
3) VAR’s usage is scrutinized, changed, and an independent body is used to operate and oversee it. Clarification is also made regarding its role: is it something referees request if necessary? Is it something constantly guiding the referee? Who really has the final say? I only bring up that last point because 99% of the time when an official checks VAR they come down on its perceived side of the decision making progress. If VAR has right of adjudication then so be it, we don’t need the extra minutes of the onfield official going to a screen, umming and arring over a decision we know they are going to give.
4) Ideally the best referees, regardless of nationality, are brought in, trained up to the highest of standards, and are paid a significantly higher salary. Why a higher salary? You can subvert temptations of corruption (if they really are out there) with higher pay. You could also subvert personal bias/ grudges with a healthy salary, bonuses for good performances could help too, but significant losses if standards are not met. Obviously this needs to be fleshed out in a lot more detail to be fully effective, and not so punitive, but proper implementation could lead to much better outcomes. On top of this higher salaries can attract higher quality personnel to the position. Football is stinking rich, having an U18 player earn more than a top official doesn’t make sense. Make the position valuable, appreciated, respected, and, with the other changes suggested, you would likely get the best iteration of an officiating system.
What Will Probably Happen:
1) Webb comes out, issues a standard media apology, gives spiel about Premier League officials being the best in the world, will look to meet with clubs to assuage fears, etc etc essentially a media exercise to ultimately play down the incident.
2) Praise Coote for being an excellent official, or some other such nonsense, categorically state he is an honest official who would never do something to affect the integrity of game, etc etc the usual media soundbite nonsense.
3) Coote to come out and apologize, say something about being drunk (rather than being on the Colombian marching powder), regretting what he said, it not reflecting who he is as a person or an official, etc etc but expect him to resign. Behind the scenes the PGMOL will be scrambling to get a decent PR spin on this and him resigning off of his own back, rather than being fired, would help in that regard.
4) A personal apology to be given to Liverpool and its fans, with promises to do better, but ultimately nothing more than a PR exercise.
5) Unfortunately, I do not expect the structures at the PGMOL to change in any way, and once the international break is over, I expect things to largely resume as they were before. I would be shocked if Coote didn’t lose his job, but the PGMOL’s incompetence is almost limitless, so even that isn’t a certainty.
It is sad to, once again, be talking about officials and their flaws. In this case there is at least the scope for changes to happen (not that I think they will), and it shines a very uncomfortable spotlight on the PGMOL. With the sheer quantity of money involved in the game you would have to think that, at some point, something has to give. I don’t expect this incident to be a catalyst for that, I just hope that it is. Still, it’s nice to know that the perceived biases we have witnessed over the past few years aren’t all just in our heads.
Written by Seano_ November 15 2024 08:44:59
