Columbus Soccer Ref

I think every referee has heard this at one time or another. Do fans, coaches, or players who try to claim bias on the part of referee ever have a clue about the official they’re directing this at? Do they really believe what they’re saying?

In my case, I think it borders on ridiculous. My wife and I have only lived in Columbus for 2 years and the town we live in has a pretty decent club program, but I do VERY few matches for them. I do my best to get to other areas of Columbus for matches, partly because I want to see as many clubs as possible. I have one child, but he’s only 17 months old - and even then, he has spina bifida and will never know the game the way I did as a kid. So conflicts like those are a non-issue. And yet, when I’m in the middle those types of comments (from older kids) are something of a hot button for me with regard to dissent. If a player has been mouthing off a bit and then plays the Homer Card, it usually is enough to prompt a caution for dissent. Mostly because it calls into question the integrity of the game, and like most forms of dissent if left unchecked can spread rapidly. I’m sure there are some biased referees. But if a coach or player really thinks an official is biased, there are mechanisms put in place by the league where they can address those concerns. But to go spouting off with such things on the field, having no knowledge of the official, seems quite irresponsible to me.