[0762]

After reading many of the comments re last night's denied pk v Falkirk, this is a contentious question to ask! A footie fan's normal recourse is to debate the competence of a match official and how he could possibly arrive at such an illogical conclusion but this incident is one of many 'black ref decisions' that have cropped up down the years. In this case they apply to Hibs FC but there's no way we are the only offended party. I'd luv to read the views of some of our English footie league members re this issue. In our case, I'd add the disallowed Griffiths goal v Hearts that crossed about 2 feet behind the Hearts goal line and the game 'petered out' into a 0-0 draw. Having sat in the East Stand, behind the AR, I still regard this joint decision to be highly suspicious! The same applies to the disallowed Forster goal at Tynecastle - never close to being offside due to a pedestrian Hearts player! I reckon Hibs fans could raise umpteen other highly questionable ref decisions that cover at least a decade of watching Hibs. An element of proof is the defining factor to finger corrupt or deliberately biased officials who exist in a sport that we generally regard to be 'squeaky clean'. I do not regard that to be the case in all the years that I've watched football. Indeed veering away from the Hibs issue, I certainly regard last season's Scottish Cup semi-final, ICT v Celtic, as another highly suspicious instance of so many match officials conveniently missing Meekings' deliberate hand ball on the ICT goal line to avert a certain Griffiths goal that would've set Celtic on the way to a treble winning season!!! As usual, all these issues are conveniently 'swept under the carpet' and our game moves along unhindered in it's perceived 'squeaky clean' condition!

[HerefordBull]

No conspiracy 0762, they are just not very good. AR's are a complete waste of space and are always looking to the ref for the decision and then back them up whether it is a free kick or a throw in etc. All sides suffer at their hands.  

[TheWorthinGer]

More and more bizarre.

Anybody remember John Collins hand ball off the line against Brazil?

[Fredstersafool]

Bizarre?? It's more like the rantings of a mad man,cmon0762 get yerself sorted out sir

[0762]

Debate fredster! Don't join the idiots who wanna spend a lotta time on this board with disguised jibes and personalising things negatively! Also the issue does not just cover Hibs FC either - read the relevant formal independent FIFA reports on it being a worldwide problem!! It has been healthily debated on other boards/forums without all this angst! So what gives on a Hibs Sportsbabble board eh? The issue itself is not a myth!!! So why could it not be an issue in Scottish footie?? Also suggested solutions if it was possibly an issue? My solution would be  the introduction of video technology asap. I personally think we are still backward in football match decision-making and video technology would go a long way to eradicating a lotta the anomalies/awful ref mistakes that are still self-evident in football and I think the betting industry, worth billions, could easily sponsor and finance such a radical change to the game as they are obviously an interested party who would like to see erring (or corrupt) officials being vetted by a video ref auditor - should've happened years ago like rugby union and that would also finally deal with the regularly abused offside rule!!! IMO a joke rule that has never been right for years and almost every week we observe another gaffe in the enforcement and interpretation of this rule!!

More and more bizarre.

Anybody remember John Collins hand ball off the line against Brazil?

Anybody rememberThierry Henri's infamous hand baw/allowed winning goal v ROI in a World Cup decider at the Stade de France????? Two officials looking at it from a different angle and it transpired years later that FIFA had compensated the Irish FA by millions of Euros! Irish footie fans were not even aware of this clandestine agreement re compensation in order to right a wrong!!!! Curious eh!
Should Hibs FC be compensated in a similar fashion for the potential loss of revenue due to the actions of one stupid referee who has been slaughtered today by many Scottish footie media people? Not quite yet of course because there's another semi play off match to conclude but I'm sure you get the jist of that question!!!!

[Fredstersafool]

It's not for debate it's ridiculous 0762,I never said it only covered hibs I can read my man

[0762]

Fredster I'll refer to two lines in my OP - ....but there's no way we are the only offended party. I'd also like to read the views of our English League Sportsbabble members....  I also commented it was a contentious question but I still regard it to be a relevant one! Also there's a mention of last season's SC semi-final fiasco, ICT v Celtic. Come on fredster, stop playing 'funny buggers' on it because a couple of Hearts matches were mentioned - the incidents mentioned are just examples of possible suspicious activity that can never be proved or disproved One could argue that secrecy is the ultimate weapon of the corrupt or biased ref official and it most certainly is the case if these people do indeed exist on and off down the years of Scottish pro footie participation!!

[1Wattie]

I`ve followed the game for more than 50 years and for a time was involved in a group, including a retired referee, that looked at many contentious decisions. I should point out that this was not an official group just 8 or 10 players trying to understand how some of the decisions were reached. With the help of the referee we started to see the reasons for certain decisions and on many occasions agreed with them. There were instances where the decision was wrong but our referee always put it down to the huge can of worms that is interpretation.
When he was officiating his attitude was if the ball touches an players hand in their own box it`s a penalty. He also maintained that changes to the criteria made it more difficult and put pressure on referees to make the correct decision every time. The changes were meant to simplify decision making but we have all seen teams suffering from what I consider a much more serious blight on our game INCONSISTENCY. As we saw last night Hibs were denied a penalty after the ball hit the player on BOTH hands and he appeared to swipe the ball away from goals with his right hand.
Out of the top dozen referees probably around half would give a penalty but that one decision could well see Hibs spending at least another season in the Championship.

[Fredstersafool]

There's a difference between bias and match fixing 0762,if bias does exist and I'm more of the opinion the refs are just shite rather than deliberately cheating,but actual match fixing?? I really don't see that if there were any if that then it would have come to light by now

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Wattie it may have a bearing on where hibs play there football next season,but then again it may not,also it's no a given hibs would have scored if it was given either.

[0762]

Good comments 1wattie and fredster! Here's a straight question - Do you believe there has never been a biased ref in all the decades that you have watched Scottish footie?? Be careful how you answer it! Same question applies to any corrupt ref.