Andy Robertson And Linesman Elbow Incident: Acceptable Outburst Or Unacceptable Protection

Accountability is a word very rarely used when it comes to speaking about the officiating in the Premier League. Week in, and week out, the officials are making ridiculous calls, some of which cost teams vital points in their league battles respectively.

Do I agree with referees getting surrounded and facing abuse from players? No way and it should never be allowed. Do I think referees get away with their poor officiating and are protected? Yes.

For years, sorry, for decades, the officiating in the Premier League has been that atrocious, corruption has crossed the mind of many. In some of the decisions I have witnessed, corruption can be the only logical answer. 

I have witnessed a beach ball score a goal and it is allowed. I have witnessed a ball near enough hit the net and it was not given as a goal. These is just two examples out of hundreds of absurd decisions these officials have made. 

Then we bring in VAR. A technology that was brought in to help officials make decisions clearer and dimisnih wrongdoing and injustice. Five years later, and yet decisions are as controversial as ever. 

Despite having the same video evidence we see at home and the commentators see in the gantry, the officials both on the pitch and in the VAR room continue to come away with a different perception of what they see to everyone else. 

Controversial and simply vital decisions are wrongly being made by these professionals every single week. Surely, a professional to continue to make mistakes week in week out needs to be reviewed by their employers and actions need to be taken. Not with the Premier League.

Officials are becoming match deciders. They are taking and giving away points. Their poor calls can decide whether a club wins the league, makes Europe or even get relegated. Regarding the latter, several people lose their jobs as a consequence. 

Do these officials receive consequence? Rarely. The PGMOL have apologised a few times this season, which all of a sudden as become a thing by the way. Apologies don't change the result. For future results, accountability will. 

Whether the standard of officiating is extremely low or dare I say it? There is clear favouritism or hatred towards certain sides, then PGMOL and the Premier League need to start taking action.

A few week ago, we say Alexander Mitrovic unacceptably push a referee and was rightly punished for doing so. The elbow from the linesman on Robertson was deliberate and needs to be punished. 

Robertson went to complain to the linesman and for me, shouldn't have done. The reaction of the official, however, was assault. Do that out in the real world and you get done for assault. Simple as that. You can not go around hitting people.

What the officials get away with in this sport and specifically this league, you would not get away with in any other job in the world. It is clear they are protected and never face any form of accountability. 

You make costly mistake after costly mistake you will be reprimanded or sacked. Yet, we see the same officials in these matches every week.

I will state, once again, no abuse of any sort towards officials should be allowed on or off the pitch. Visa Versa. Respect needs to be two way.

The standard of officiating in this league needs to improve massively and they way it does is either through further training and accountability when it's needed. The players will naturally change their ways with better officiating and if they don't they also face the consequence. 

VAR is there to help them now. No excuses are to be made. They see the same evidence we do. Yes protect officials on the pitch from player behaviour, but do not protect them for the ridiculous calls they are making.

This incident between the linesman and Robertson as come from a place of a person that doesn't face accountability. He felt comfortable enough to go elbow someone and happy to see that someone receive a yellow card.

Whether it was an outburst or not it was unacceptable and so is the protection from accountability they get.