Umpires — threatened by technology

IT’S been said often enough of referees or umpires that the best ones are rarely noticed. When they do attract attention, it is only because they have erred. An unfortunate trait, it is one they share with wicketkeepers and goalkeepers. And if true, then this summer has been one extended nightmare for officials all over the world.

A neat full circle, it began and ended in Germany. A landslide of yellow and red cards erupted at the FIFA World Cup, English referee Graham Poll yellow-carding one player thrice, the Russian Valentin Ivanov then issuing 16 yellow and four red cards to Holland and Portugal (but missing Luis Figo’s headbutt).

In the less shrill climes of hockey’s World Cup at Monchengladbach, a series of hotly disputed calls afflicted teams. Pakistan suffered but no one did more than South Korea, who were beaten in a cracking semi-final, not by Australia but by umpires mistakenly allowing two Australian goals to stand when penalty corners had been clearly stopped inside the ‘D’ (they must be stopped outside for it to count).

Sandwiched between was Hairgate; Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove blundering their way through a Headingley Test before allowing matters to spiral out of their hands at the Oval. And there was also the World Open squash final in Cairo, an affair between David Palmer and Gregory Gaultier, as cantankerous as it was epic: so much so that the beaten Gaultier’s coach singled out poor refereeing publicly as the sole reason for defeat. Each time, an official’s authority was challenged, and in some, their integrity openly questioned

In truth, it’s a horribly unnerving time to be a sports official. Video technology has burdened them terribly. For starters, every verdict is immediately exposed, dissected, disputed, abused — only sometimes accepted — by millions through TV replays. But, more serious is the perceived threat such gadgetry poses on their roles. Very basic questions are being asked today: What should be video technology’s place in sport? How far should the availability of TV replays encroach on an umpire or referee’s decision? No, sports officials are not the object of much envy — in fact some pity.

Video replays are used in many sports but their limited, select use reveals how unsure we remain about them. In cricket, they pop up tentatively for line calls yet on other equally difficult decisions they are absent. In hockey, replays are allowed though, strangely, not for decisions made inside the ‘D’, where they are often needed most critically. Football doesn’t use them at all, except occasionally in retrospect.

Some sports, such as American football, where video usage is widespread and coaches are allowed to appeal decisions (a concept cricket is flirting with) and rugby league, have been less bashful in their attitudes to video technology. But mostly there is hesitancy over just how far to go, just how much of the on-field official’s authority to erode. Ironically, no one suffers from this uncertainty more than the officials; they are left dangling in the end. Technology is used fully to vilify them but it is only used partially to help them.

The belief that the word of the official is final and cannot — should not — be disputed is broadly prevalent. An incorrect call, it is argued, is part of sport’s charm and in cricket, more than others, we say preposterously that over time poor decisions even themselves out. Granted, it is a noble, even quaint pursuit. Is it also misguided?

Why are officials so hallowed? Why should they not be questioned? They are human, as prone to mistakes as the players they are officiating. If it is necessary for players to be officiated, is it not also important for officials to be accountable for the decisions they make? We say stakes in professional sport have never been higher and then each subsequent year, we say it again.

Every decision is absolutely crucial, as the incidents mentioned above highlight; on them rest the fate of careers, contracts, brands, tournaments and even fans’ enjoyment. A bigger charm of sport is that the correct result is reached, not passed by because an umpire misses an edge or a referee misses a line call. Is that not what professional sport is ultimately geared towards?

Many might disagree, as is their right. But wherever you sit on this, one thing from this summer of high-profile gaffs everyone can agree on: that the difficult questions that technology poses to sport need to be addressed sooner rather than later.