Referee Ashley Klein (L) speaks with Cronulla Sharks' Paul Gallen (R) during a match earlier this month. GETTY IMAGES
The boss of the referees' union accused the National Rugby League of creating a "toxic culture" to the point where it is having a "serious effect on the personal lives" of the whistleblowers, according to Adrian Proszenko of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Professional Rugby League Match Officials organization "is pushing" for pay raises for its members to "ensure the most maligned figures on a football field" are not "lost to the game." The parties "are yet to strike a new collective bargaining agreement despite months of negotiations." While the referees "believed they did not get a fair share of the spoils" from the game's A$2B ($1.5B) broadcast deal, "their concerns are not limited to just financial matters." The PRLMO claimed referees' "workload is increasing at a time when they are under increasing scrutiny, a situation exacerbated by the absence of a supportive working environment." PRLMO Chair Silvio Del Vecchio said that morale within the whistleblowing ranks "was low." He said, "Referees understand it takes a lot of commitment to remain at the elite level of the game, and they put in every week. ... Our members love their work but the time commitment comes at a cost to their families and their stress levels. Refereeing an NRL match is a high-performance task. This needs to be recognized" (SMH, 8/22).
'LAST RESORT': In Sydney, Caden Helmers reported one ACT football referee "was punched in the nose." Another was "headbutted during the game, then confronted again at full time with death threats." The incidents, "and dozens more just like them" in recent years, are reportedly "outlined in a dossier." The dossier is being used by Canberra referees to "show exactly why they are so frustrated about Capital Football's failure to act" on the poor behavior -- "despite the annual promises of a crackdown on bad sports." An email from a group of referees to Capital Football officials read, "It was noted by a number of long-serving referees that these motherhood statements outlining best intentions and promising improvement have been made a number of times over the past decade, but these have not translated into tangible results to date." Capital Football "is facing a referee revolt on the eve of the finals series amidst claims abuse of officials has reached its worst point in 10 years." Overall, there are 36 incidents in which match officials believe Capital Football "has not adequately sanctioned offenders in recent years" (SMH, 8/22). In Sydney, David Polkinghorne reported one of Canberra's leading coaches "is against a referee boycott, but admits it might be necessary as a last resort" if things do not improve. Referees have had two meetings with Capital Football, which will meet with club presidents on Wednesday to discuss the matter. If nothing is done, "they could find themselves with a mass exodus of match officials." Belconnen United coach Antoni Jagarinec said that without referees, there is "no game," adding that abuse is "unacceptable." He said, "Without referees, we don't play football ... sometimes we get white line fever, but we've got to be able to control ourselves as coaches and players definitely and let referees do their job. I don't think I'd back a boycott ... I don't think a boycott is necessarily the answer. Does it need to be improved? I'd agree with that definitely, but ... boycotting matches is probably the last resort" (SMH, 8/21).
