A ref's life is the same the world over
By Don Riddell, CNN World Sport
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Referees are on a hiding to nothing
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Sometimes we're criticized on World Sport for showing football action from South America when the quality can be so much higher in the likes of Spain, Italy and England.
Well, quite often the next stars of those European leagues are growing up in Argentina and Brazil where the action is usually highly entertaining.
The goals speak for themselves -- and commitment to the cause can often be in a league of its own!
So, to discover that a handful of red cards have been issued in one game is not exactly headline news. But to find the same number in a European league is a different story.
Barcelona and Espanyol set a new record in La Liga this month with a total of six red cards. What's even more remarkable is that they were all issued for separate incidents.
For the record, referee Pino Zamorano was the card shark --brandishing no less than 17 cards in all.
Amazingly, Barca's coach Frank Rijkaard had no real complaints with the standard of refereeing, saying it was at least consistent.
And most observers agree that five of the six dismissals were technically right. Who wants to watch eight-a-side football, though?
On the whole, managers, players and fans are rarely happy with the man in the middle. It's such an emotive topic - and refs are such an easy target - that no one seems to think the situation is getting any better.
It's a theme that applies wherever you watch your football. Some think in Spain that the league should recruit foreigners ... from England!
It's a concept that many English fans would find laughable, but perhaps appealing. And UEFA have discussed the possibility of top referees one day taking charge of selected matches in other national leagues.
Of course, who would want to be a football ref? You're on a hiding to nothing, and in for a barrage of abuse from potentially everyone in the stadium.
The loneliest job in the world must be even harder in Spain, where the scrutiny of the media is fierce, and players are often out to trick you.
The age-old problem, and one that applies pretty much everywhere, is that you can't have both consistency and common sense.
Referees are under additional pressure to conform to the guidelines issued by their governing bodies. It's really the only fair way they can be scored, but of course every game is different.
It seems that as the profile of the sport increases, so does the pressure on the men responsible for keeping the games in check.
It doesn't really matter what improvements are made, the referee will always be the man that football loves to hate.
Don Riddell presents World Sport on CNN International at 0930 GMT, 1230 GMT, 1430 GMT, and 2130 GMT daily (also 0030 GMT at weekends and daily in Asia.)
