At Christmas time with the busy football schedule, sometimes it seems like a good idea to bring in extra referees to cope with the demand. The fact remains that once the festivities have died down many of these men in black have no home to go to. Often these officials are brought in cheaply from unofficial dealers with no consideration that they may be prone to substandard decision making. Bristol City’s Marvin Elliott and Oldham Athletic’s Lee Hughes both took time out of their FA Cup ties at the weekend to hug the referee and no doubt felt all the better for it.
Remember: a ref is for life, not just for Christmas.