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Is it time to mic up the refs?

santa sangria

santa sangria

RefChat Addict
Today a letter into F365 asked this question.

I watched some clips of Nigel Owens (egg-chasing ref) and the mic works, same in American Football (used for announcing difficult decisions, penalties).

In my meagre experience the best refs I have worked with are excellent at talking to players. In the top divisions refs are already wearing mics.

I am aware that being miced up and broadcast would be difficult for some people but... on the whole, I am all for this. I think it would change football culture overnight for the better, particularly because "Rooney" talk would end and the trickle down effect would be huge.

What resistance? The technical challenges are easy. The players might make a few ricks in the beginning but nothing a few red cards wouldn't sort out. I think the reason this hasn't happened already is that the marketing people think it might take the "edge" off the brand... what am I missing?
 
The Referee Store
i saw on TV recently David Elleray got mic'd up in the late 80's Arsenal/Millwall... (could have been Millwall at home , not sure)
Whoever was responsible for telling the players he was wearing a microphone, basically, forgot, and some of the footage was very amusing... however at one point you see Tony Adams going mental at him after a disallowed goal.. swearing and eventually calling him a cheat to his face. All of which went unpunished ....
Would he have reacted any differently had he known about the mic ?
 
richard ramjane said:
i saw on TV recently David Elleray got mic'd up in the late 80's Arsenal/Millwall... (could have been Millwall at home , not sure)
Whoever was responsible for telling the players he was wearing a microphone, basically, forgot, and some of the footage was very amusing... however at one point you see Tony Adams going mental at him after a disallowed goal.. swearing and eventually calling him a cheat to his face. All of which went unpunished ....
Would he have reacted any differently had he known about the mic ?
Click to expand...
In the long term, I think he would have got used to it and reigned himself in. In the short term, the authorities would have to step in and issue after-match sanctions or it wouldn't work, and that would have to be matched by punishing the referees who failed to deal with language on the pitch at the time.
 
Here we go -

Really surprised Tony Adams didn't get a card for calling Elleray the 'c-word' - even more surprised by the pitch of Tony Adam's voice!
 
TV companies just won't allow it for live games, the only way it could be done is with a 10 second delay to let them bleep any dodgy words out. Even if the player is sent off you've still got an expletive going out on the live TV and the broadcaster facing a fine.

Always amuses me at the moment when a section of crowd starts a chant with rude words and the broadcaster frantically cuts the microphones in that part of the ground.
 
I think that we wouldn't see this on live matches, because of what will be broadcast before the watershed.

Could work for the post match analysis or MOTD though.
 
Could be Txd live with a slight delay.

"Real time" broadcasts don't exist in any case.

HD, SD, terrestial, Freeview, Sky, "Live streaming", "Live" radio commentary all arrive at the end user at different times in any case.

Put on a DAB radio and then put same show on your mac or tablet - difference is over 10 seconds!
 
richard ramjane said:
i saw on TV recently David Elleray got mic'd up in the late 80's Arsenal/Millwall... (could have been Millwall at home , not sure)
Whoever was responsible for telling the players he was wearing a microphone, basically, forgot, and some of the footage was very amusing... however at one point you see Tony Adams going mental at him after a disallowed goal.. swearing and eventually calling him a cheat to his face. All of which went unpunished ....
Would he have reacted any differently had he known about the mic ?
Click to expand...
I have a recollection that David Elleray was later quoted as saying that the recording was heavily edited and sensationalised for television and that the atmosphere conveyed did not match with his memory of the game. Having said that, what was shown should have been embarrassing to those involved. Was this the same documentary where George Graham barged in to the referees room after the match only to sheepishly back away when he saw the cameras?
 
OIREF! said:
I have a recollection that David Elleray was later quoted as saying that the recording was heavily edited and sensationalised for television and that the atmosphere conveyed did not match with his memory of the game. Having said that, what was shown should have been embarrassing to those involved. Was this the same documentary where George Graham barged in to the referees room after the match only to sheepishly back away when he saw the cameras?
Click to expand...

yes that was exactly the one... he was about to let rip and decided against it :)
 
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