Is there an honest conspiracy against the referees against Tottenham Hotspur? Well, no (probably), but it’s certainly starting to feel that way after the Football Association yesterday announced misconduct charges against Tottenham interim head coach Igor Tudor:
As noted in a press release from the FA, the charge relates to comments made by Tudor after Tottenham’s defeat to Fulham at home, when Raul Jimenez used his hands to push the ball behind Radu Dragusin, creating space in Radu Dragusin’s backcourt, which ultimately led to Harry Wilson’s opening goal. It was also a particularly shocking miss given Spurs’ previous game, when Randall Kolo Mouani’s goal was disallowed against rivals Arsenal and defender Gabriel went down with less contact in a similar game. Suffice it to say, Tudor was not happy with this inconsistency, as well as some of the other decisions that went against Spurs in the game at Craven Cottage:
“I didn’t like the referee today, he was too much like the home team referee. I didn’t feel good about him.
“All the decisions are on their side. He doesn’t understand football, the feeling of what’s wrong and what’s right.
“he [Jimenez] He’s not thinking about the ball, he’s thinking about cheating, he’s cheating on players, he’s pushing, that’s cheating, that’s a foul. 99 out of 100 people would say it’s a foul, it’s so obvious. “
Um…yes. The FA took issue with the first two lines above, which fall within the category of “making comments that suggest bias and/or question integrity”. According to the letter of the law, the accusation is correct.
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But that doesn’t mean Tudor’s remarks are wrong. Spurs have been treated unfairly many times this season under their current officials, and in some ways, what’s even more galling is that they’re not the only ones. Inconsistency has become rife, with more and more calls coming in each week lacking any logic or clarity. Instead, the refereeing panel often doubles down on what they believe to be the right decision, with a level of stubbornness that is almost unbelievable.
With this in mind, one has to say somethingConsidering Spurs’ position at the top of the Premier League table, these calls could end up being a deciding factor in Spurs’ survival in the top flight. Perhaps the attention these comments might attract might cause referees to pause and think before making a fifty-fifty decision against the Lilywhites; perhaps they will lead to referees being harsher on Spurs.
In a just world, they should arguably have no influence.
But that’s not the world we live in and it’s not the quality of refereeing we currently have to live with, where referees can remove unconscious bias and make rational, considered decisions, and VAR can critically look at and eliminate any understandable mistakes. It is, after all, hard work; however, it is something that should be done to a certain standard, and given that this is not the case, Tudor’s comments are timely.
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The likely penalty is likely to be a fine, which the club will certainly accept; however Tudor may also receive a touchline ban. Hopefully the result will be easier and our refereeing performance will improve – although that’s unlikely to materialize given what we’ve seen since Fulham.