No Witty Title; Respect Campaign is a Disaster

On first impression, the FA's Respect Campaign was always questionable. The fundamental element of respect is that it must be earnt, and not just given. The FA had a good idea, attempting to instill a greater respect for referees at the highest level, which in turn would filter down through the pyramid league system as far as Sunday league football, where we are being told that 1 in 3 games do not have a referee at all.

I appreciate that, watching Rooney shouting expletives at a referee, or Chelsea's whole team marching towards the officials is not a good vision for the sport, and will encourage lower league players to do the same. It is not just children that are impressionable, we live in a world now where we all want to copy what we see on television, whether it be a Ronaldo 30 yard free-kick, or Ashley Cole turning his back on a referee.

However the Respect Campaign has failed, miserably... and the FA only have themselves to blame. Example one, rescinding John Terry's red card. How can you expect the players to respect the referee's decision, when the FA themselves will not? Rescinding John Terry's red card is not only a dangerous precedent to set, given that it now leaves an independent panel to decide what a goalscoring opportunity/professional foul is, but it also leaves referees reluctant to ever make brave decisions against the 'Big 4', at a time when they're already seeming to hold some kind of power over the FA.

Example two was the complete farce at Vicarage Road this weekend between Watford and Reading, where Stuart Atwell and his incompetent assistant gave a goal that was 4 yards wide of the post. This is the worst error ever made in Football League history, and couldn't have come at a better time for the FA's Respect Campaign. The FA have been very sensible in refusing a replay of the game, because to replay the game because of a poor refereeing decision opens up such a dangerous precedent that we could have at least 3 games a weekend replayed. However what is the FA to do?

Sheffield United's succesful law case against West Ham United's use of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano has resulted in a further problem for the FA. Had the Premier League made the correct decision at the time, and deducted West Ham points, this whole messy legal affair would be over, however Richard "Dick" Scudamore is refusing to accept responsibility, and thus we have two league clubs going to war against each other in Lausanne's Court of Arbitration for Sport. The supposed £30m settlement, the value of a place in the Premier League is the problem that the FA could be met with, should Watford finish the 2 points they lost this weekend outside of the play-offs this season.