Mansfield Town Manager Advocates for Improved Refereeing Standards

Mansfield Town Manager Advocates for Improved Refereeing Standards

Mansfield Town Manager Advocates for Improved Refereeing Standards

Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough is on a mission to enhance the standards of refereeing, actively seeking support from fellow managers across the English Football League.

The 59-year-old has utilized the League Managers Association (LMA) to gather opinions from its members regarding the performance of match officials.

Clough has frequently expressed his concerns about refereeing decisions following matches, most recently criticizing a fourth official during Mansfield Town's Carabao Cup defeat against Everton for displaying "sarcastic" behavior towards him.

However, the Stags manager emphasizes that his initiative to discuss officiating decisions is not aimed at the referees themselves. "Someone asked me, 'Can I talk to you about your campaign against referees?' But there is no campaign against referees," Clough stated in an interview with BBC Radio Nottingham.

"They are missing the point entirely. It’s not about the referees; it’s about how they are being coached and what they are being told, which is the biggest issue. I believe they need more guidance and support, and I don't think they are receiving the right messages from above."

Clough hopes to engage with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to discuss the feedback from managers across the EFL. He mentioned that he has spoken with former Nottingham Forest teammate Brian Laws, who serves as a technical advisor at the LMA.

"He is the liaison at the LMA with the PGMOL and mentioned they would like to converse, but it might be a bit premature," Clough noted. "I want to gauge the sentiments first. Every manager we speak to after games shares similar concerns, indicating that the gap is widening between how referees are instructed to officiate and what players and managers expect."

When asked if this divide is due to overly complicated rules, Clough replied, "I honestly don’t know, but some of the terminology used by match official assessors and coaches, as well as the head of referees, seems completely alien."

He cited the interpretation of the handball rule, particularly the distinctions between natural positions and intentional actions, as a particularly frustrating example. "Honestly, I’ve given up trying to figure it out. Everyone seems to complicate matters for referees."

Clough has previously advocated for the introduction of goal-line technology across League One and League Two to assist with decision-making. He reiterated his support for this technology but expressed strong opposition to implementing video assistant referee (VAR) technology for regular use at this level, although it has been employed in EFL playoff finals for several years.

"I’m not concerned about VAR," he remarked. "It demonstrates that you can remove match officials, place them in a separate room, review every angle, utilize freeze frames, slow motion, and still get it wrong. That in itself is a significant issue."

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