Do Match Officials (& office bureaucrats) give bias in favour of the bigger Team ?

[PalazioVecchio]

Either consciously or unconsciously. By dodginess or by a half-asleep expectation that the bigger team 'know what they are doing'.
For contrast, i have seen Chess grandmasters getting beaten by an infantile nobody. And the consternation that ensues is often amusing. Referee error is not a big part of chess. It is with football.

When a chess grandmaster loses, there is a raised eyebrow and an inquest. Is it the same if Fredrikstat were to beat Real Madrid ? If there were a dispute between a junior-level tennis player and Novak Djokovic...i would expect the referee to believe that Novak has the better knowledge of the interpretation of the rules.

And all of this notwithstanding allegations of corruption ala Thierry Henry handball and other blatant howlers. Try to keep the focus broader than just Referees. By Match Officials i would include VAR, linesmen, and bureaucrats in faraway offices.

This is partly about 'multi club ownership' rules. If Barcelona & say, Preston North End had the same billionaire owner. But its also more broadly about fairness.

Discuss.

 

[Uphill]

This is Martin Samuel's verdict in today's Times

Punishing Crystal Palace with law that was dormant six years defies logic

Obscure rule that had been sitting there like an unexploded bomb for six years has blown up in Palace’s face with disallowed Eberechi Eze goal. PGMOL gaslighting has certainly started early

www.thetimes.com

 

[Dogburger]

The match officials are not even in charge of the game . They are just doing as they are told from above .

 

[eaglesdare]

I find usually when the game is in the balance a key decision is made to benefit that of the bigger club.

We thought VAR would put a stop to it. But seems to have gotten worse over the years.

Thank God we won our trophies when we did as my interest in football has been dwindling as of late.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

Thank God we won our trophies when we did as my interest in football has been dwindling as of late.

Greece won the European Cup.

Leicester won the Premier league.

We won the FA cup.

It seems to be quite rare for the small teams to get glory ? There is a tradition at Wimbledon, the underdog gets the sympathy of the crowd. Golf has a handicap system at amateur level. The GAA has a prohibition on big money professionals. Horse-racing also has a handicap system for very strong candidates - lead weights are inserted into the saddle. Keeps the punters guessing. Keeps the entertainment value up there.

If only football had some way to compensate the financial-underdog ? And to even-up the odds ?

 

[crvenaeagle]

There is a lot of money invested in football. I'd be quite surprised if those at the top didn't try to protect the status quo from being disrupted as the investments would be equally disrupted.

 

[Dogburger]

Strange thing happened in the Fulham v Man Utd match today . Refs have been told to crack down on players wrestling at set plays this season

Ref is sent to the VAR to have a closer look at a Fulham player dragging utd player to the ground and gives a penalty . The incident in itself is probably the right call .

BUT just two yards behind was a Utd player dragging a Fulham player to the ground . So it seemed a bit selective to me to single out one pair of players grappling and not another. The cross by the way was nowhere near either of them .

Big club bias ? looked like it to me

 

[pssguy]

Strange thing happened in the Fulham v Man Utd match today . Refs have been told to crack down on players wrestling at set plays this season

Ref is sent to the VAR to have a closer look at a Fulham player dragging utd player to the ground and gives a penalty . The incident in itself is probably the right call .

BUT just two yards behind was a Utd player dragging a Fulham player to the ground . So it seemed a bit selective to me to single out one pair of players grappling and not another. The cross by the way was nowhere near either of them .

Big club bias ? looked like it to me

Agreed, And Yoro pushed his defender for United's goal
As for Chelsea, two dives in the area, no yellow cards and a penalty

 

[ASCPFC]

Strange thing happened in the Fulham v Man Utd match today . Refs have been told to crack down on players wrestling at set plays this season

Ref is sent to the VAR to have a closer look at a Fulham player dragging utd player to the ground and gives a penalty . The incident in itself is probably the right call .

BUT just two yards behind was a Utd player dragging a Fulham player to the ground . So it seemed a bit selective to me to single out one pair of players grappling and not another. The cross by the way was nowhere near either of them .

Big club bias ? looked like it to me

The whole stadium laughing at the decision, but not bothering to even complain, shows where we are with this.
I was staying with a journalist at one of our Liverpool matches. He kept on asking me about the specific atrocious decisions. I just said that I'm used to it. It's the life of a Palace fan. I didn't complain about any of it. He got no column inches out of me.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

I am finding it curious that Palace Fans have an anger toward UEFA & The Nottm Forest chairman. And yet very little opprobrium toward Lyon. Lyon, The big lawbreaking club that, in my opinion, knocked us out of the competition.

Same as the Theirry Henry handball, i bet their ill gotten gains ( entry to a big competition ) will flounder at the first hurdle.

 

[ASCPFC]

I am finding it curious that Palace Fans have an anger toward UEFA & The Nottm Forest chairman. And yet very little opprobrium toward Lyon. Lyon, The big lawbreaking club that, in my opinion, knocked us out of the competition.

Same as the Theirry Henry handball, i bet their ill gotten gains ( entry to a big competition ) will flounder at the first hurdle.

I noticed they were top of the league. What a f***ing con.