PRO priorities: Key match incidents, offside, bench behaviour and dissent
20.39The 2016 MLS season just started. Much of PRO�s strategy heading into the 2016 season revolved around continuing to improve officials� detection and adjudication of what the organization�s general manager, former Premier League referee Peter Walton, describes as �key match incidents.� That is, incidents that have a significant impact on the outcome of any given game. People don�t normally get upset if we get a throw-in wrong or a midfield free kick wrong, items of that nature�, Walton said. �They get upset when we get a game-changing decision wrong, such as a penalty kick or a send-off or something of that nature�. Walton highlighted the improved performance of referees across the board in this area in 2015, noting that the rate of incorrectly called key match incidents (KMIs) dropped 21 percent from 0.28 missed KMIs in 2014 per game to 0.22 missed per game last year. Still, there is room for improvement, as any fan that�s railed over a controversial call will tell you and Walton is perfectly comfortable pointing out. To that point, PRO gave four major points of emphasis to its referees as they prepared for another season: (1) improving detection of those key match incidents, (2) improving offside decisions, (3) addressing bench behavior and (4) dealing with dissent.
In 2015, PRO�s evaluation of its MLS referees found that 72 percent of warranted red cards were detected and 28 percent were missed. A "miss" includes fouls that were spotted, but incorrectly adjudicated, e.g. a foul for which a referee showed a yellow card but PRO later determined should�ve earned a red card. Following that logic, it is no surprise to hear Walton note that more red cards can be expected in 2016, though it�s a change that will likely only be noticed in a year-by-year analysis unless, of course, players and coaches modify their behavior. Much of it comes down to positioning, according to Walton, who points out that, based on PRO�s evaluations of its officials, 87.4 percent of the incorrect calls in the league come down to a �positioning deficiency�. Walton and his team at PRO say they work with referees on improving their ability to identify and correctly call such incidents: positioning 20 meters from the ball as the optimal viewing point for a play and keeping the ball between himself and the sideline referee. All of this goes �hand-in-hand� with improved referee fitness, said Walton. �Fitness nowadays is much more about the acceleration and the burst of speed over 10 yards, whereas before the referee would methodically run around the field � and that was his job,� he explained. �Now you see � and you should see � a lot more bursts of speed through this middle section to be within this 20 meters.�
Offside Decisions
The offside call is one of the toughest for any official to make, and perhaps one of the most thankless tasks to perform in front of thousands of rabid fans. And while MLS assistant referees have done well in this aspect � better than in the English Premier League, claims Walton � there is still room for improvement. In 2015, assistant referees were correct on 97.7 percent of �active� offside calls (when an official raises his or her flag to signal offside). However, that number drops to 90.2 percent for �inactive� offside calls, where an official does not raise their flag for offside. In an effort to help assistants improve when it comes to these split-second calls, PRO has introduced specialized coaches and camps to help hone the decision-making process.
Bench Behaviour & Dissent
Of course, a strong understanding of the game and top-level fitness are only two parts of a match official�s job. Referees at any level, but especially in the professional ranks, must be able to control the personalities present on the field and the sideline. This speaks to PRO�s other two points of emphasis for the 2016 season � bench behavior and dissent. To combat bad behavior in what Walton describes as the �privileged� territory of the technical area and sidelines, PRO is actually having its fourth officials spend more time focusing on the game itself and adopt a three strike-style �ask, tell, dismiss� approach to dealing with unruly technical staff. As far as dissent on the field is concerned, there will be an emphasis this season on �dissent by action.� That means the focus will be less on verbal elements, to a certain extent � Walton acknowledges that players can get caught up in the heat of the moment � and more on the physical elements. In other words: running up to referees and players to argue or wild gesticulations that often accompany calls, usually the most public and visible type of dissent, and therefore a point of emphasis for PRO.
As with every other professional sport, officiating is not a perfect science. �We don�t work in a normal environment, we strive for 100 percent", Walton said. "We�ll never get 100 percent right because it�s a subjective game and it�s played and officiated by humans and there will be mistakes, but invariably we want to get those percentages as high as possible�.
Source: MLS
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