Two metre rule? Points deductions? These could be some of the huge changes inflicted if officials are approached by players after charity calls for FA action.
Ref Support UK have said the laws of the sport need to change to prevent more incidents like what occurred with Andy Robertson from happening again.
This comes after the Liverpool left-back accused the assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis of elbowing him during their 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Andrew Robertson vs the lino
A tense game of Easter Sunday football, which saw eight yellow cards handed out by referee Paul Tierney, reached boiling point as Robertson approached the assistant referee after the half-time whistle.
Accused of elbowing Robertson in the face, Hatzidakis has been suspended by POGMOL while an investigation into the incident takes place.
Ref charity wants changes to be made
Ref Support UK is calling for immediate actions from the FA into the protection of officials in matches.
Chief executive of the independent charity Martin Cassidy has condemned the actions of Hatzidakis, stating: “If it was intentional, and it was aggressive, then he needs to be banned like any other player.”
But he is quick to point out the lack of rules in place to protect the match officials.
In a statement on Twitter, Ref Support UK said: “Players making contact with match officials in an aggressive manner is on the rise and needs to be addressed quickly. The incidents seen in the Liverpool v Arsenal game today are unacceptable.”
There have been similar incidents in the past two months where players have encroached the personal space of match officials. Aleksandar Mitrovic received an eight-match ban for grabbing the referee and Bruno Fernandes received no punishment after contact with a linesman.
Referencing these incidents, Cassidy said: “Don’t touch a match official. It’s not rocket science.”
Cassidy has called for a two metre rule and even so much as points deduction for the teams of any players found guilty of abusing a referee.
He has said that there are no boundaries at the moment and suggested: “If you come within two metres of a match official, uninvited, in an aggressive manner, you get a yellow card.”
The added suggestion of points deductions comes as the FA has given out over £1.3 million worth of fines to clubs who have failed to control their players.
It may sound like a lot, but to clubs run by billionaires, it is mere pocket change.
“Money punishment doesn’t work at any level of football,” Cassidy has stated. “If a person’s team loses points, the deterrent will be there,” he concluded.
Cassidy even went as far to suggest that “a match official isn’t far away from getting killed on the field of play.” Wow.
