Football Association of Singapore (FAS) was quoted in the TODAY paper saying that “the integrity of the match had not been affected”.
This once again proves that the FAS are themselves unsure of what they are doing.
From either the development perspective, or that of a competitive fixture, everything is wrong about a 13-year old boy running the lines as a linesman. He should be either playing, or watching from the substitutes’ bench, not influencing decisions in a match involving his teammates.
The integrity of the match has clearly been breached and truth is that the FAS had allowed this to happen because it is merely a Centre of Excellence (COE) League match to them.
There is always a match commissioner present at COE league matches and one wonders why he/she did not initiate the calling off of the game.
In the S-League we have seen cases where the match was delayed due to the non arrival of an ambulance at the venue. Comparing both incidents, FAS has clearly practiced double standards. Why does one disruption prevent the start of a match, while the other did not?
The first thing that should be done when a match official is absent from the assigned match, should be to call the game off immediately regardless of the level or intensity of the match.
The theory is simple, no?
There aren’t enough officials for the game to go on, therefore it should not proceed.
So it has come to light that the referee who was assigned the SAFFC U14- Tampines Rovers U14 game over the weekend had “overlooked” the need to attend this match. It was reported that the referee assumed that the fixture was called off as well, after the earlier game at 1500hrs had been called off.
aXrosstheline.com understands that the tie that was supposed to be played at 1500hrs last Saturday had already been played a couple of weeks ago, instead of being called off.
What then does the FAS statement to TODAY mean?
According to observations over the past 12 months, three match officials are assigned for two games in the COE leagues if the games are played at the same venue. The three will swap roles so that the games kicking off at 1500hrs and 1700hrs will see a different man playing the role of referee.
It is still not clear why the two other officials made it to the ground, and the third one was absent and not contactable.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one FAS Class one referee we spoke to explained how bad things are within the FAS referees’ department.
“This (referring to the situation) is very bad,” said the referee,
“There is no one for match officials to look up to at the moment and everything has been on the decline since (former World Cup referee) Shamsul Maidin left FAS.”
“Usually, we will receive emails about what to do, and I am not too sure if the matter (action that needs to be taken when a match official is missing from a game) had been briefed previously,” he added.
Communication via email is the only way that these match officials are being briefed.There is really a serious need for the FAS to practice what a FAS Spokesman told the TODAY papers – to introduce a second reminder for all confirmed games.
The question remains – Why only now?
