1 year ago
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SEVERAL WRAY & Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL) coaches have expressed discontent with key decisions that have been made by the league’s referees this season.
Over the past few weeks, a common point of complaint for coaches has been dissatisfaction with decisions made by the referees.
The most recent came in Monday’s fixture between Racing United and Mount Pleasant where Racing’s head coach, Anthony Patrick, bemoaned the referee’s decision not to award a penalty for his team.
Having lost the match 3-2 to the league leaders, Patrick believed the decision cost his team valuable points in their fight for survival this season.
“I think that was too plain because it happened right in front of the referee and the assistant. But that is how it goes, people will make mistakes so we just have to continue to work over and over again,” he stated.
Another coach, Harbour View assistant Damion Stewart, after his team’s 1-1 draw with Humble Lion on Sunday, was also left fuming.
Stewart felt a penalty awarded to Humble Lion by referee Obrian Warren was the incorrect decision and said it impacted his team’s momentum on the pitch.
He also implied this was the second time in two months Warren’s on-field decisions have hampered his team’s chances as he also pointed out Warren was the referee in Harbour View’s 1-0 loss to Chapelton last month.
The Stars of the East are currently facing a relegation battle as they sit 13th in the standings with 13 points tallied.
“What changed the game was the penalty which was not a penalty in my eyes. It surprised me but I’ve got this ref against Chapelton and now I get this ref against Humble Lion. I’m not saying anything, but it’s strange to me,” Stewart stated.
“I’m here for six matches now and I’m seeing this ref two times already, so I’m wondering how many refs are here in Jamaica? If ours [penalty] was soft then definitely it should be a nil-all game because theirs was worse.”
Another coach, who recently spoke on the officiating in the JPL is veteran coach Jerome Waite of Tivoli Gardens.
While he had declined to speak on the referee’s decisions in his team’s 1-1 draw with Portmore United, Waite said it is important for the league to ensure its referees are knowledgeable of the game’s rules.
Waite also called for the improvement in the JPL’s technology used to officiate games as to allow both referees and players to become accustomed to playing at the highest level.
“I’m not here to elaborate on referees. Jamaica and the wider spectrum watched that game and they can do that part of it,” Waite stated.
“It was definitely a foul and an initial red card owing to the fact that it was the last defender. That is something that needs to be a part of our football, VAR. It is the only way that referees will learn as well as players will understand. If it continues like this, these players will always fall short when they move on to the next level.”
Arnett Garden’s head coach Xavier Gilbert added his voice to the furore when he called out what he described as ‘inexperienced officiating’ in his team’s 1-1 draw with Chapelton last month.
Arnett had to play with 10 men for 64 minutes of the contest after Deandre Cunningham picked up two yellow cards in the opening 26 minutes.
While admitting his player’s second yellow was a deserved punishment, Gilbert felt the referee’s inaction had allowed for Cunningham to be targeted by their opponents, unabated.
“It was a tough game for us and we anticipated that. It is always a tough encounter against them. I didn’t think we handled the situations very good. We got an early card and we realised that they were targeting the player,” Gilbert explained.
“We tried to make some adjustments but it is what it is. I think it comes down to some inexperience from the officials but it is what it is. We were always on the back foot after that but in the end, we should have done better to be honest.”
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