Referees and the top 6 - a theory from Italy

A few years ago I read an excellent book about Italian football and in it there was a section about how a lot of football fans in Italy consider that referees have an inherent bias towards the top clubs.

The theory is that there is a 'psychological slavery' from referees towards the big clubs and was first coined in the 1960's. Basically the idea is that while referees may not be corrupt or obviously bisased per se, it is extremely bad for their careers if they continually award decisions against the big teams and so therefore it naturally leads them to be biased towards them. Journalists in Italy often write after a particularly biased perfromance by a referee in favour of one of the top clubs that he will have 'a good career'.

In Italy there is an obesession with which referees are awarded which games and how the process of selecting referees takes place. Interestingly the last time there was a free ballot to determine referees for games (referees for games were simply drawn out of a hat for each game rather than being 'awarded' games based on perceived performance/ability), a small provincial club Verona won Serie A. the big clubs hated this system and it was soon scrapped.

At the time I read this I dismissed it as largely conspiracy theory nonsense but after this season Im not so sure. I dont think for a minute theres an anti Cardiff bias but Ive seen so many poor decisions given in favour of top six teams, particularly when they are looking at an embarrasing defeat, that Ive come to think there might be something in it.

I think there is definitely a subconscious bias towards big clubs, and it is difficult to see how to stop it.

I think that the bias has become very obvious this season. I am sure its not deliberate but these top refs get to know top players well over seasons and it becomes second nature to favour them.

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Originally Posted by Cardiff Ultra

A few years ago I read an excellent book about Italian football and in it there was a section about how a lot of football fans in Italy consider that referees have an inherent bias towards the top clubs.

The theory is that there is a 'psychological slavery' from referees towards the big clubs and was first coined in the 1960's. Basically the idea is that while referees may not be corrupt or obviously bisased per se, it is extremely bad for their careers if they continually award decisions against the big teams and so therefore it naturally leads them to be biased towards them. Journalists in Italy often write after a particularly biased perfromance by a referee in favour of one of the top clubs that he will have 'a good career'.

In Italy there is an obesession with which referees are awarded which games and how the process of selecting referees takes place. Interestingly the last time there was a free ballot to determine referees for games (referees for games were simply drawn out of a hat for each game rather than being 'awarded' games based on perceived performance/ability), a small provincial club Verona won Serie A. the big clubs hated this system and it was soon scrapped.

At the time I read this I dismissed it as largely conspiracy theory nonsense but after this season Im not so sure. I dont think for a minute theres an anti Cardiff bias but Ive seen so many poor decisions given in favour of top six teams, particularly when they are looking at an embarrasing defeat, that Ive come to think there might be something in it.

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That all seems pretty plausible to me, but, like Rjk, I think what we've seen this season with City is a subconscious bias, not anything more sinister that that, in all of our matches except the Chelsea one. I still wouldn't say Messrs Pawson and Smart were bent, but there was a level of ineptitude shown that day which the Premier League should have been embarrassed about - if we'd beaten Chelsea while benefitting from the decisions they got in their favour that day there would have been far more fuss made about it in the media.

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Originally Posted by jeremy corbyn

I think that the bias has become very obvious this season. I am sure its not deliberate but these top refs get to know top players well over seasons and it becomes second nature to favour them.

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So how come Deli Ali don’t get sent off every game, if they know him that well !!!!!

The “diving little shit”

Ref’s got the “star syndrome”, as in they f ucking loves mixing with um !!!!

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Originally Posted by BLUETIT

So how come Deli Ali don’t get sent off every game, if they know him that well !!!!!

The “diving little shit”

Ref’s got the “star syndrome”, as in they f ucking loves mixing with um !!!!

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That's true as is all above, in addition, Managers are getting better at chatting the refs up, and blowing smoke up their arse.

Top players and Managers like Kloppy are all over them at the end of the game if they win, nice little chats and a laugh in the centre circle, where Warnock virtually tells them to feck off, can't blame him mind after they shit on us week after week.

VAR will help a bit, they won't be able to get away with not seeing it in the future, they'll still give them the subjective decisions, but it will level it out a bit.

The real problem is simple.

Don’f award a penalty to Cardiff 35,000 fans furious.

Don’t award a penalty to a Big6 club playing one of the other 14 minnows.

Millions of fans and plastics furious.

Definitely referees should be drawn at random for all games. A superb idea.

If they are good enough to referee they should not be chosen for games. It would just help make it a little fairer overall.

I wish the Big6 played in Europe and left the Premiership.

Could you imagine someone like Danny Ward being awarded a penalty at Anfield of the same manner as Sala got his at the CCS.No chance.

I always think the referees know they will receive less hassle if awarding the decisions to the top 6.
Who will worry about Cardiff getting the wrong side of decisions , can you imagine liverpool and klopp.

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Originally Posted by AlwaysAway2

The real problem is simple.

Don’f award a penalty to Cardiff 35,000 fans furious.

Don’t award a penalty to a Big6 club playing one of the other 14 minnows.

Millions of fans and plastics furious.

Definitely referees should be drawn at random for all games. A superb idea.

If they are good enough to referee they should not be chosen for games. It would just help make it a little fairer overall.

I wish the Big6 played in Europe and left the Premiership.

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Hilariously forgetting two shocking decisions we benefited from this season. Bamba's goal vs Brighton and the overturned pen against Huddersfield.

We've had a lot go against us, but seem to forget what went for us too. The refs need help in the form of VAR, not ridicule and accusations of bias

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Originally Posted by Llandaff Blue

Hilariously forgetting two shocking decisions we benefited from this season. Bamba's goal vs Brighton and the overturned pen against Huddersfield.

We've had a lot go against us, but seem to forget what went for us too. The refs need help in the form of VAR, not ridicule and accusations of bias

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Bamba’s offside was hardly shocking was it?
Almost impossible to tell in real time.
It’s easy when you’ve seen umpteen replays in slow motion.

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Originally Posted by The Bob Banker Spanker

Bamba’s offside was hardly shocking was it?
Almost impossible to tell in real time.
It’s easy when you’ve seen umpteen replays in slow motion.

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Yep and we've had far more go against us than for us. Just look at all the fouls on Morrison that should've been penalties, yet not one was awarded.

In the Premier League the narrative of ‘the top 6’ is heavily promoted by their partners in Sky/BT/media for commercial gain. This elite must not be disrupted and at least partly accounts for the evident, though I expect largely subconscious, bias of referees towards the top 6 clubs. So the outcome is a tendency with marginal or difficult decisions to favour Poch, Pep, Jurgen, Harry, Mo et al.

Is there a conflict of interest between the PL and the PGMOL and would top referees from other European leagues make better decisions by being independent?

I expect there is little interest within the Premier League to ask any questions about bias as to do so would in itself question the integrity of their skilfully marketed, highly valuable product.

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Originally Posted by The Bob Banker Spanker

Bamba’s offside was hardly shocking was it?
Almost impossible to tell in real time.
It’s easy when you’ve seen umpteen replays in slow motion.

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Were you saying this to people who complained about Chelsea’s equaliser too?

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Originally Posted by Blue blood

Yep and we've had far more go against us than for us. Just look at all the fouls on Morrison that should've been penalties, yet not one was awarded.

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Yes the fouls on Morrison have been shocking nqat. However in that infamous Chelsea game, they had about two pens that were ignored for similar handling in the box yet again our fans forget about that and cry bias.

Dragging people about on set pieces happens every weekend, yet only seems to be brought up when we aren’t getting fouls for it.

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Originally Posted by Llandaff Blue

Yes the fouls on Morrison have been shocking nqat. However in that infamous Chelsea game, they had about two pens that were ignored for similar handling in the box yet again our fans forget about that and cry bias.

Dragging people about on set pieces happens every weekend, yet only seems to be brought up when we aren’t getting fouls for it.

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Lost count after one? :hehe:

The OP sounds very plausible.
As was the story of referees being given extra privileges (top room and pass to the player's level of his hotel) by Roman Abramovich prior to refereeing his team.
You don't have to be blatantly bent but you can be "unsighted" or see what you want to see when it suits.

The Bamba example given was marginal whereas the Chelsea Azpilacueta "goal" wasn't even close.

Some of Morrison's were so blatant, bearing in mind according to the media he is Cardiff's main threat, you'd expect the referees to scrutinise a bit more closely. It's as though opposing teams knew that they would not be penalised no matter how blatant their foul was.

Even though the media have generally brushed decisions against us under the carpet, the examples you have highlighted were seen by many of them towards the end of the season as massive errors so not sure why you are defending the referees so much.

Llandaff Blue... Chelsea? :sherlock:

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Originally Posted by Llandaff Blue

Were you saying this to people who complained about Chelsea’s equaliser too?

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No body was complaining in the Canton as we couldn’t tell. So no, I wasn’t.