FIFA’s top refereeing executive has criticised the standard of Premier League referees this season.
Jim Boyce, chairman of FIFA’s referees committee, has questioned the number of “blunders” and “poor decisions.”Boyce did not highlight specific incidents, but claimed more training must be offered to match officials.
“I have watched many games in the Premier League this season and I have to say I think the standard is not as good as, perhaps, it should be.” Boyce told Sky Sports News HQ outside FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
“I think there are far too many, what I would call, poor decisions being made. Every week you see the analysts discussing all the refereeing blunders that appear to be made.
"Refereeing is a very, very difficult job. They can only give what they see but I think there has to be much more training given, not only to the referees, but to the assistant referees as well. It’s a very high profile game now.
"There is a lot of money at stake. There are manager careers at stake. We have to try and get more decisions right. Overall I don’t think it has been as good as it has been in the past."
FIFA vice-president Boyce, who is Britain’s most senior football official, has no plans to contact the Premier League over the matter but believes the standard of refereeing at last year’s World Cup in Brazil has set the highest standard for officials.
“Most people would agree the refereeing in the World Cup was of a pretty high standard.” Boyce added.
“People argued perhaps there should been more yellow or red cards handed out. This World Cup had the least number of injuries of any players in any World Cup. I don’t honestly think any team could go back from the World Cup saying they went home because of bad refereeing decisions.”
Boyce also believes match officials would benefit from additional training and education courses.
“I saw the amount of training that was done between referees and assistant referees, it was phenomenal.” he added.
“Howard Webb, who was one of the referees at the World Cup, said to me this was the ‘best preparation that I have ever had in all my experience in football’. There has to be much more education and much more work done, actually on the pitch, with the referees and the assistants to make sure that they, hopefully, can get more decisions correct.”
FIFA’s vice-president has also urged referees to book more players for surrounding match officials, after the Football Association reported a “scary” increase in the number of incidents this season.
“My own personal preference would be referees take stronger action against these players, and issue more yellow cards.” said Boyce. “It is the only deterrent. It can’t continue. It is happening too often. It has to be laid at the feet of coaches and managers, you have to have discipline. Hopefully this will get through to the players.”
Boyce believes that only team captains should approach referees, after the FA warned more than a hundred English clubs, across five divisions, of player discipline three months ago.
“We have seen a pretty scary increase this season in the number of clubs charged with their players surrounding referees.” said Greg Dyke, FA chairman, earlier this week.
“I agree with him (Dyke), far too much of it is happening.” added Boyce.
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