Time to move on for GAA’s friends with benefits
When I was growing up, men could demonstrate their vintage by recalling the days the “bishop threw the ball in”.
But what will we tell the next generation? How will we demonstrate the length of time we have been watching the game? I already have a fair idea. In the not too distant future, we will say to our children: ‘I remember the time when the referee would bring four of his friends to a game and they would act as umpires.’ And our children will look at us with big, disbelieving eyes and ask: ‘Was that just for club games, daddy?’. ‘No,’ we’ll reply to their utter astonishment. ‘It was for county games, provincial finals, All-Ireland finals — the lot.’
Then our children will stare at us as if we are a thousand years old. They will look at us the same way we gazed at our own fathers when they told us about the days they milked cows by hand and travelled to dances by bicycle.
Truth be told, even when I look at umpires today, they already seem totally archaic. Picture the scene for a big game at Croke Park, the home of a sporting organisation that earns millions from sponsorships deals and gate receipts.
There is a crowd of 70,000. They have come to watch players who dedicate their lives to the game. The players are part of county squads that are supported by professional coaches, dieticians, video analysts, physiotherapists and sports psychologists. The game will be refereed by an official who has risen through the ranks to make a shortlist of 16 men who are allowed to take charge of championship games.
In the upper deck of the Hogan Stand, there is the press box which houses television cameras, radio broadcasters and newspaper journalists. Every crucial decision will be dissected and analysed for days.
Then, there are the four boyos standing at the goalposts, none of them with a qualification to their name.
Even though their primary function is to judge the flight of a ball between two posts, they aren’t even required to pass an eye test.
The referee has picked Tom because he’s his first cousin and they’ve done club games for years. John gets the nod because he has a people carrier which fits the five of them and he’s happy to drive. Kevin is good craic. Jim likes getting into games for free and is a good friend of John’s.
And hey presto, that’s how four punters get to adjudicate on the fortunes of amateur sportsmen who train six times a week.
In the recent furore that erupted over Hawk-Eye, it is extremely important that people don’t miss the really crucial ‘point’, which is this: Hawk-Eye is not the problem. Umpires are.
Consider the following facts. On the second occasion that Hawk-Eye was used in Croke Park this year, the score detection system overturned two decisions.
In the Lory Meagher Cup final, a Warwickshire ‘point’ from a 65 was overruled. In the Christy Ring final, a Kerry wide was later registered as a point.
From the three games that were played on June 8, there were two incorrect calls. Both decisions were reversed because the Hawk-Eye official alerted the referee.
Just imagine how many wrong decisions are made up and down the country every weekend?
When the margins of games are so close, the GAA has no defence for allowing referees select their own umpires. Of course, we shouldn’t demonise the men in the white coats. It’s not their fault they shouldn’t be there in the first place.
Here are a few more statistics. In this year’s football championship, six games were decided by a point. Eight games finished with a gap of two points and there was one draw.
In the hurling championship, there were three drawn games. We’re talking about extremely tight contests where every decision is crucial. It’s not that umpires aren’t necessarily up to the job. It’s just that it would be extremely easy to introduce a more effective system.
Apart from the fact umpires have a tendency to make the wrong decision, that’s not their greatest fault. Umpires don’t really want to be involved in refereeing the game. They want to avoid controversy. They don’t want their picture in the paper. So when they see misdeeds perpetrated, they turn a blind eye.
As far as most umpires are concerned, they are there to raise a white flag or a green flag. End of.
But that should no longer be acceptable. The game is too cynical. Third-man body-checking is standard practice. Off-the-ball pulling and dragging is par for the course. It’s impossible for a referee to see everything. He needs eyes, and just as importantly, a voice in every corner of the ground.
The obvious solution is the GAA should appoint referees to act as umpires. Referees who failed to make the championship shortlist could be used. Alternatively, the GAA could recruit up-and-coming referees.
In the past, GAA officials argued it would be unfair if referees had to drop their umpires for the championship. Having used Tom, John, Kevin and Jim during the league, it would be a bit ruthless to dispense of them for the summer. While the GAA’s loyalty is to be admired, it is misplaced.
Given the sacrifices players are making at all levels, they must implement a system which guarantees the best possible officiating. Cost shouldn’t be a factor. If the GAA can justify spending a six-figure sum installing Hawk-Eye, then it can cover the expense of using four referees as umpires.
At present, exactly half the officials acting at a championship game are there because of ‘who’ they know and not ‘what’ they know. That’s inexcusable.
Never mind telling the next generation, it’s actually difficult to believe that ‘friends for umpires’ is still happening today.
