From administrators to referees, respect is a two-way street

I want to make a contribution to football in Trinidad and Tobago. It is easy to sit on the outside, criticise and speak or write about the ills plaguing football in the country without at least making an effort to fix them. I repeatedly asked myself if I thought long and hard about the road ahead. Who comprised the slate? Are they going to have the best interest of football as their priority, and what will this group’s philosophy be?

When it comes to ‘Trini to the bone,’ I fall into that category, and representing my country at cricket, and the region at the Under-19 level gave me great pride and joy. But, going to Germany to commentate on the games played by the Soca Warriors, as well as travelling to the games and seeing several fellow Trinis dressed in their national colours to support, gives me goosebumps up to today, especially when the national anthem was being played in that memorable game against Sweden.

Everyone must have a voice when it comes to Trinidad and Tobago football, and I have already been in discussions with the slate to ensure it will be an all-inclusive approach as it must be “we,” not “I” or “us” that has to change the face of football. Unfortunately, some dirty politics have already crept in, trying to tarnish people’s names, which is not how Team Progressive (as we call ourselves) will conduct the campaign. The team will focus on what we can bring to the table rather than wasting time trying to sully the opposition. For years, experience and good governance have been what football has been crying out for, and I believe the slate can provide just that. As we get closer to TTFA’s Election Day on April 13, more and more information will be supplied by the team.

Now, my heart bleeds for a young, promising Trinidad and Tobago U-20 and Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) footballer, Michael Chaves, whose leg was broken by a horrible tackle from a Matura Reunited defender on Sunday evening in a Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League Tier II game played at the training field of the Hasely Crawford Stadium. He lay on the ground in tears and in excruciating pain as I had experienced a similar injury playing the beautiful games years ago, so trust me, I knew just how this 18-year-old felt lying on the ground thinking, why me?

He was due to travel to the USA to audition for the Jefferson Cup, as many coaches would attend the tournament to seek out potential players and award them scholarships to colleges and universities. But he opted to play for QPCC before he left — I salute him for that, as he could so easily have sat on the sidelines and decided he was not playing any football until he went overseas. It is so unfortunate what has happened but thankfully, he has had successful surgery and will get another attempt in the future to showcase his talents and undoubtedly will get that scholarship that he yearns for.

What transpired in the aftermath of the incident with Chaves is what bothered me. The QPCC coach was sent off for something he said to the referee while over the grimacing Chaves, and it appeared that words were not just spoken between the coach and referee Rashby McPhie. Being present at the time, I went across to the rest of the technical staff of the QPCC bench just to try and calm their emotions and put the incident of what happened to Chaves out of their mind and give it their all and play to win for the injured Mikey (as they refer to him) who was being whisked away in a siren-blaring ambulance.

When I reached the players, they were outraged. They said that the referee said to them that they were “...weak and needed to eat more”. At that point, I was stunned. I do not know the referee personally, as I try to stay away from officials due to my commentary duties and my affiliation with a club, but I decided to approach him to ask him if that was true and to refrain from speaking to the players in that manner as it is not right and very unbecoming of a referee to tell a player or a team(s) that they are weak. It sounds peculiar to have to say this but referees are there to officiate football matches, not to comment on players and their skill levels during a match.

As they say, who sent me? Even though he admitted that he did make that remark that the players were “weak,” he claimed that it was not directed at the team (which they all denied). Instead, he singled out a player who was on the bench to whom he had said that. However, he was wrong and filled with an attitude stating the obvious that he was in charge rather than apologising and saying that his emotions got the better of him. Instead, I was told by a TTFA Match Official, “If you don’t like it, put it in the papers.” Well, Mr. McPhie, you got your wish.

I am very aware referees and umpires have the most difficult job in the world, especially with games being carried live on television and the ability to slow the game down and show replays, but they always say the best officials are the ones not heard or seen and admit they made a mistake. When I was standing on the sideline, I heard referee McPhie say to a Matura player: “Don’t tell me anything, shut your mouth!”

Again, I was stunned. Just as we expect certain standards from our players, we should expect certain standards from our referees, and by and large, even though club officials may not agree with me, they have been doing a good job in the Tier I division. But surely the standard of refereeing must also be very good in the Tier II division.

There was no referees’ assessor at the game, which was disrespectful to the Tier II teams. My advice to the man in charge of the whistle is to tone down your attitude, improve your fitness levels, and be well-respected by the players. Referees like Crystal Sobers, Cecile Hinds, and Kwinsi Williams all have an evidently good rapport with the players and are not often seen, far less heard. Perhaps referee McPhie needs to be made aware that respect is earned, not given on demand, and by the way, the players are not weak; ask Michael Chaves.

SOURCE: T&T Guardian