Grant appointed manager

Chelsea explain exit

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent. A statement on the Chelsea website confirmed: “Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent.”

Mourinho’s record whilst at Chelsea was particularly impressive. In a total of 185 games in charge of the Stamford Bridge outfit they won 124, drew 40 and lost 21.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have confirmed that Avram Grant has been appointed as the new man in charge. The Israeli, who was the club’s director of football, will take charge alongside assistant Steve Clarke.

Grant, 52, is a close personal friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and has a seat on the board.

“The club is delighted in Avram we have an experienced man who can come in at a difficult time,” said a club statement.

Expanding on Mourinho’s exit, Chelsea claim that the relationship between club and manager had broken down. A open letter to Chelsea supporters from the club was read out on Chelsea TV to explain the situation further. It read:

“It is only right that we explain the reasons behind Jose Mourinho leaving Chelsea and also recognise the immense contribution he has made to the club and to English football. Early this morning we announced that Chelsea and Jose Mourinho had agreed to part company by mutual consent. The key phrase here is that there was mutual agreement. Jose did not resign and he was not sacked. What is clear, though, is we had all reached a point where the relationship between the club and Jose had broken down. This was despite genuine attempts over several months by all parties to resolve certain differences. The reason the decision has been taken is that we believed the breakdown started to impact on the performance of the team. Recent results supported this view. We did not want this to continue or affect the club further.”

Nathan Davies

Liverpool suffer double injury blow

Capacity cut at Field Mill

Blackburn Rovers lost their UEFA Cup first round, first leg tie against Larissa of Greece 2-0. It means Rovers have it all to do when they entertain the Greek Cup winners at Ewood Park in the second leg. Bolton Wanderers also have work to do if they want to progress to the second round after being held to a 1-1 draw by Rabotnicki Kometal in Macedonia. Indeed, the Premier League’s bottom club had to rely on a late equaliser from Abdoulaye Meite to save their blushes against their dominant opponents. A night of frustration for British clubs in Europe continued at Pittodrie where Aberdeen came up against a stubborn Dnipro side who held them to a goalless draw. Even Everton failed to live up to expectations after being held to a 1-1 draw by nine-man Metalist Kharkiv of Ukraine at Goodison Park. To compound the misery, Andrew Johnson contrived to miss two penalties while kick-off was delayed by half an hour due to a ticketing problem. The only bright spot in tonight’s UEFA Cup games came at White Hart Lane where Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 6-1 victory over Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta to surely make the second leg a mere formality.

Liverpool have been dealt a double injury blow with the news that both Daniel Agger and Xabi Alonso have suffered broken metatarsals and could be out of action for six weeks.

The Women’s World Cup resumed after Tuesday’s typhoon with Australia and Norway qualifying from Group C. Cheryl Salisbury’s injury-time strike sent Australia through to the last eight in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Canada in Chengdu while Norway thumped Ghana 7-2. In Group D, Brazil maintained their 100% record with a 1-0 victory over Denmark and host nation China also progressed after beating New Zealand 2-0. The quarter-finals begin on Saturday.

UEFA have handed Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari a four-match ban and a fine of 12,120 euros after an incident in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Serbia on 12 September. The ban means Scolari will not be able to go into the dressing room or pitch-side during four Euro 2008 qualifiers. Scolari appeared to lash out after Serbia defender Ivica Dragutinovic was sent off - afterwards claiming the defender insulted his family - but denied making any contact. Sevilla star Dragutinovic, meanwhile, has been banned for two matches for his part in the incident, but both men have three days to lodge an appeal.

Manchester City’s Stephen Ireland has signed a new deal, which will keep him at Eastlands until June 2012.

Norwich City’s record goalscorer Johnny Gavin has died, aged 79. Gavin scored a total of 132 goals (122 in the league and 10 in the FA Cup) in 338 appearances for Norwich, which cover two separate spells between 1949 and 1958. As a mark of respect, the Canaries will wear black armbands for the next home game with Sheffield Wednesday on September 29, with a minute’s applause preceding the game.

Mansfield Town have had the capacity of their Field Mill ground reduced by 50 per cent after a mix-up over tickets for last weekend’s derby with local rivals Chesterfield. Visiting fans were given 1,900 seats instead of the 1,300 tickets planned. The safety advisory group for the local authority is still investigating what happened but in the meantime has trimmed the Stags’ capacity to 4,684. Nottinghamshire County Council issued a statement to explain their decision.

“We have decided to reduce the capacity of the whole ground by 50% until the club can restore our confidence in the computerised turnstile monitoring system, which is currently unable to accurately determine the number of supporters coming into the ground. The club is also aware of the problems with the turnstile system and shares our concerns. Once this problem has been rectified we will raise the capacity back to 70% in line with ongoing improvement measures.”

Nathan Davies

Championship round-up

Poyet charged

All three British clubs involved in Champions League action this evening were victorious. A Cesc Fabregas inspired Arsenal destroyed Sevilla 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium, Manchester United beat Sporting Lisbon in Portugal thanks to the only goal of the game from Christian Ronaldo and Rangers came back from a goal behind to beat VfB Stuttgart 2-1 at Ibrox.

Watford are now three points clear at the top of the Championship table after a 1-2 win against Cardiff City at Ninian Park. The visitors were ahead at the break thanks to a Darius Henderson strike but Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink equalised for the Welsh club on the hour. However, Henderson registered his second goal after 77 minutes to earn all three points for the Hornets. Meanwhile, Southampton and Colchester United drew 1-1 at St Mary’s Stadium.

The Irish Football Association has revealed that Jonny Evans was the player fined along with Keith Gillespie for misbehaviour after the Euro 2008 qualifier in Iceland. Gillespie was fined a larger sum for fighting on an aeroplane as the team boarded their flight to London. Evans was not punished in relation to that incident but for drinking after the defeat in Reykjavik. The money from the fines is to go to charity. At first the IFA, although confirming Gilespie’s fine, refused to reveal the identity of the other punished player. IFA chief executive Howard Wells said they had then named both because some people were jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Uefa president Michel Platini has written to all European leaders maligning the influence of money in football and calling on governments to accept their role as “the last hope for a healthy and balanced future of European football”. Platini added: “Money has always been in sport and football has had a professional component for 150 years. But money has never been the ultimate objective of football: the main purpose has always been to win trophies.” However, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has rejected Platini’s pleas. A spokesman said:

“We believe that football can find a way forward. The recent Premier League broadcasting deal highlights this, with money being split amongst the league’s clubs as well as being redistributed to the grassroots. We have made great strides through the Football Foundation with funding from government, the Premier League and the FA supporting over 4,000 community projects worth over half a billion pounds in seven years. There is no doubt that the influx of money into football is a testament to its success and has brought many benefits. It, of course, brings challenges too and we welcome the ongoing constructive debate within the game.”

Typhoon Wipha is causing havoc across China and has led to the postponement of key matches at the Women’s World Cup. The host nation were due to meet New Zealand while Australia faced Canada but both games will now be played on Thursday. The typhoon hit China’s east coast at 1830 BST on Tuesday and led to the evacuation of more than 1.5m residents. Weather warnings had already caused Group C matches to be delayed to Thursday. The latest rescheduling means that the final four matches in the competition’s group stages can now be played simultaneously, as originally scheduled, with the winners and runners-up in Groups C and D still to be decided.

New Zealand defender Jack Pelter has signed a one-year contract with Sunderland after proving his fitness.

Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues rugby club have signed a deal that will see football and rugby played at the new 30,000-seater stadium at Leckwith. The Blues will quit their Arms Park home in 2009, along with City who are leaving Ninian Park.

The Football Association has charged Leeds United assistant manager Gus Poyet with misconduct after he criticised referee Andy D’Urso after his side’s second round Carling Cup defeat to Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Poyet suggested D’Urso held a vendetta against him and Leeds boss Dennis Wise going back to their playing days and followed this up by stating:

“Andy D’Urso is not good enough for us and I don’t want to see him at a Leeds match again.”

Poyet has until October 4 to appeal.

Nathan Davies

Round-up of domestic action

Stevenage winger recovering

The opening night of the Champions League saw Liverpool steal an undeserved point in Porto with a poor performance, Shakhtar Donetsk beat Celtic 2-0 as the Glasgow side’s Champions League away hoodoo struck again and, to cap a disappointing night for British clubs in Europe, Chelsea are held to a 1-1 draw by Norwegian underdogs Rosenborg at Stamford Bridge.

Nottingham Forest were given a ‘free goal’ but lost their replayed Carling Cup second round tie with Leicester City 3-2. The City Ground tie was originally abandoned at half-time after Leicester defender Clive Clarke suffered heart failure in the dressing room. Forest were leading 1-0 at the time and the Foxes sportingly allowed their east Midlands rivals to regain that lead in the opening minute of the game. Forest goalkeeper Paul Smith benefited by scoring his first career goal but it was not enough as Gary Megson’s new charges battled back to book a third round tie against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

There were nine games played in the Championship this evening with Bristol City regaining top spot after a last gasp equaliser from Bradley Orr secured a point in a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion at Ashton Gate. Elsewhere, there were good away victories for Burnley at bottom club Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle at Queens Park Rangers.

In League One, Swansea City came from behind to beat Cheltenham Town 1-2 at Whaddon Road. The three points lift the Swans up to fourth in the table.

Wrexham played hosts to Macclesfield Town in the north-west section of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy first round in a game that was originally postponed because of Wrexham’s international call-ups. Michael Husbands’ second-half penalty was enough for the visitors and a miserable evening for Wrexham saw both Welsh international Chris Llewellyn and striker Michael Proctor sent off. The Silkmen will now play Stockport County in the second round.

Stevenage Borough stay top of the Blue Square Premier after a crushing 4-0 home victory over Farsley Celtic but the game of the night at this level came at Glassworld Stadium where Histon met Torquay United. The visitors raced into a 0-3 lead by half-time but the Stutes pulled two back before Chris Zebroski made it 2-4 from the penalty spot. The drama continued when Darren Mullings was sent off for the Gulls and two late Cliff Akurang penalties looked to have salvaged a point for Histon. However, Histon’s Mathew Mitchell-King was sent off and with seconds left, Chris Todd hit Torquay’s winner from Tony Bedeau’s cross. There were also plenty of goals and a sending off at the Broadfield Stadium where Crawley Town beat 10-man Woking 5-3. In comparison, the 3-3 draw between Exeter City and Forest Green Rovers at St James Park looked tame.

In the third round of the Scottish Challenge Cup, Montrose eased into the semi-finals with a 0-4 victory at East Stirlingshire’s Firs Park, Dunfermline Athletic beat their hosts Airdrie United 0-2 while Second Division Ayr Utd disposed of First Divison Partick Thistle 2-1 after extra-time.

The United States of America beat Nigeria 1-0 to top Group B and set up a Women’s World Cup quarter final date with England. Meanwhile, North Korea finished as group runners-up and will face Germany in the knockout stage despite losing 1-2 to Sweden. This victory put Sweden on level points with their rivals but North Korea scraped through to the next round on goal difference.

The Irish Football Association has fined two Northern Ireland players after Keith Gillespie and George McCartney were involved in a brawl on a plane whilst on international duty. The skirmish took place on a flight home from last week’s Euro 2008 qualifying defeat in Iceland. Sheffield United winger Gillespie apologised after the bust-up. IFA president Raymond Kennedy said:

“The IFA has been shown up in a poor light as a result of the behaviour, which of course is unacceptable. Whilst the public apology from Keith Gillespie goes some way towards a recognition of that, the players concerned have been told quite categorically that such behaviour has caused unnecessary embarrassment to the IFA in the eyes of the football world and the public as a whole.”

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has upped his stake in Arsenal to become the club’s second largest shareholder. Red and White Holdings Ltd, which is co-owned by Usmanov and business partner Farhad Moshiri, now have 21%, with Danny Fizman possessing 24%. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has said the club’s major shareholders have no intention of selling their stakes.

West Ham’s billionaire owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson will take a more hands-on role after Eggert Magnusson’s decision to step down as executive chairman. Magnusson will stay on as non-executive chairman and keep his West Ham stake.

Coventry City managing director Paul Fletcher has revealed that there are two firm offers on the table to take over the club, and that a third is expected this week.

Stevenage Borough winger Alistair John is recovering in hospital after being stabbed outside his home on Sunday. The 19-year-old, who was released by Charlton Athletic at the end of last season, underwent exploratory surgery after the incident and is understood to be in a comfortable condition. John also had loan spells at Brighton & Hove Albion and Torquay United last term.

Nathan Davies

England and Germany march on

Fans face trial

Derby County climbed off the bottom of the Premier League table after Kenny Miller’s debut strike earned them a 1-0 victory against Newcastle United at Pride Park.

Birgit Prinz became the all-time top scorer at the Women’s World Cup with 13 goals as Germany beat Japan to secure a place in the quarter-finals as winners of Group A. England also progress to the last eight as runners-up after comfortably beating Argentina 6-1.

It has been confirmed that Bolton Wanderers defender Jloyd Samuel faces six weeks on the sidelines after tearing his left hamstring midway through the second half of Saturday’s defeat against Birmingham City at St Andrews.

Neil Redfearn has resigned as manager of Northwich Victoria after just nine games in charge. Paul Warhurst, who made his debut for the Vics in Saturday’s 3-1 loss against Histon, will take charge of team matters for the game at Halifax Town on Tuesday. Saturday’s fourth home defeat of the season left the club at the bottom of the Blue Square Premier with only one point from their opening nine games, and proved the final straw for Redfearn’s brief reign.

Two football fans - a 46-year-old from Edinburgh, and another, 41, from Falkirk - have been ordered to stay away from all SPL grounds pending trial for alleged racially aggravated breach of the peace. Both men pleaded not guilty at Falkirk Sheriff Court and were bailed on condition they stay away from SPL stadia. The alleged incident occurred during Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Falkirk and Hibernian at Falkirk Stadium.

Nathan Davies

Championship, League One and SPL round-up

SFA block route to Europe

Manchester City maintained their 100% home record with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa. Michael Johnson’s goal lit up a drab encounter and ensured that Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men climb to second position in the Premier League table.

Watford are the new leaders of the Championship after they came from behind to beat Southampton 3-2 at Vicarage Road courtesy of two late strikes from substitute Darius Henderson.

Doncaster Rovers moved up to fourth in the League One table after beating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 at the Keepmoat Stadium. Paul Heffernan and an own goal by Danny Woodards sealed the points for Rovers.

Noel Hunt and Jordon Robertson were on target as Dundee United beat 10-man St Mirren 2-0 at Tannadice. Franco Miranda was sent off for the Buddies on 66 minutes.

It has been confirmed that Wigan Athletic striker Emile Heskey suffered a broken metatarsal in yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham at the JJB Sfadium. Subsequently, Hesky will be out of action for about six weeks and is a major doubt for England’s two crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers in Ocotber.

Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury. Silvestre, 30, was stretchered off just before half-time in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Everton.

Falkirk have confirmed that police are investigating the racial abuse of midfielder Russell Latapy during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Hibernian at the Falkirk Stadium. A club statement read:

”An incident occurred which is currently under investigation by Central Scotland Police. Falkirk Football Club along with other SPL football clubs have published a code of ‘unacceptable behaviour. The incident was dealt with in accordance with this code.”

Latapy, 39, is a former Trinidad & Tobago international and has played in Scotland for Hibernian, Rangers and Dundee United before joining Falkirk in 2003. The veteran playmaker said:

“We have to take it in our stride and hopefully the people involved will learn from what they did. We have to try and make the situation better and try to cut out the whole racial situation in football. It is unfortunate in this day and age that things like that can still happen but it’s all part and parcel of the beautiful game.”

The Scottish Football Association are to stop the Scottish Cup runners-up competing in Europe. Chief executive Gordon Smith said:

“From next season, only Scottish Cup winners will be nominated for the Uefa Cup by the SFA. If the cup winners have already qualified through their league position, the extra European place will go to the next-highest team in the SPL. Only Celtic and Rangers are pulling their weight in Europe at the moment.”

Nathan Davies

Heskey suffers suspected broken toe

South African link for Tottenham

In an exciting day of Premier League action, there has been three different league leaders. Manchester United were the first to claim top spot after a 0-1 victory at Goodison Park, courtesy of Nemanja Vidic’s late header. The Red Devils did not stay in pole position for long though as Liverpool leap-frogged them on goal difference after earning a point in a 0-0 draw with Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina was the hero after he saved Kanu’s first-half penalty. Rafa Benitez’s men were top for about forty-five minutes after which it was Arsenal’s turn to take pole position. The Gunners came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 at White Hart Lane. Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas scored for the away side who are now two points clear at the top.

Elsewhere, Wigan Athletic and England striker Emile Heskey limped off after only nine minutes of the 1-1 draw with Fulham at the JJB Stadium. The 29-year-old striker has been sent to hospital for X-rays on his toe after suffering a suspected broken metatarsal.

North of the Border, Rangers dropped their first points of the season as Heart of Midlothian dismantled them 4-2 at Tynecastle. Celtic took advantage of this slip and replaced their Glasgow rivals at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 5-0 home victory over pointless Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Day 5 of the Women’s World Cup saw Canada record their first points in Group C with a crushing 4-0 victory over Ghana. Two defeats means Ghana cannot progress from the group, which is topped by Australia who played out a 1-1 draw with Norway. Meanwhile in Group D, Brazil shocked host nation China with a 4-0 romp and Denmark beat New Zealand to record their first victory of the tournament.

Tottenham Hotspur have announced a partnership with South African side SuperSport United that will see both clubs’ academies working together.

Nathan Davies

Richards and Eriksson win awards

Torquay go top

The second round of the Women’s World Cup group games got underway in China today. In Group A, Japan beat Argentina 1-0 while England held the previously prolific Germany to a goalless draw and put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the World Cup knockout stages. Hope Powell’s side now know a two-goal win over pointless Argentina in their final group game should see them through. Meanwhile, in Group B the United States beat Sweden 2-0 and have an identical record to North Korea who beat African champions Nigeria by the same scoreline.

Manchester City’s Micah Richards has been awarded Barclays player of the month. The talented teenager is the first City player to win the accolade. Meanwhile, Sven-Goran Eriksson picked up the manager’s award - the first City boss to do so since Stuart Pearce in August 2005.

Northern Ireland footballer Keith Gillespie has apologised for being involved in a fight with team-mate George McCartney on a flight home from Wednesday’s defeat in Iceland. Gillespie said the bust-up was “unacceptable and unsavoury”. The Sheffield United winger has contacted McCartney to draw a line under the incident, which ignited after a misunderstanding over a lost passport.

Leeds United demolished Bristol Rovers 0-3 at the Memorial Stadium to record their sixth victory from six games and register their first points since eradicating their 15-point penalty. This win, achieved thanks to a brace from Jermaine Beckford either side of a Tresor Kandol strike, lifts Leeds off the bottom of the League One table for the first time this season. At the other end of the table, Tranmere Rovers go top after beating Luton Town 2-1 at Prenton Park while Swansea City come from behind to beat Carlisle United courtesy of late strikes from Darryl Duffy and Andy Robinson. The win was Swansea’s first at the Liberty Stadium this season.

In the Blue Square Premier, Torquay United beat Halifax Town 3-1 at Plainmoor to go top of the table.

Nathan Davies

Northern Ireland players involved in bust-up

Salisbury City win away

Leicester City have appointed Gary Megson, 48, as their new manager. The former Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest boss will give Gerry Taggart and Frank Burrows roles in his coaching staff. Megson will be the Foxes’ fifth manager in 18 months and the fourth since Milan Mandaric took control of the club in February. The previous man in charge, Martin Allen, was sacked on 29 August just four games into his tenure following a disagreement with Mandaric. Speaking on the club’s official website, Megson said:

“Leicester is a Premiership club in everything but its divisional status. The stadium and training ground are both of the highest standard whilst the support is both Premiership standard in its quality and quantity. In coming to Leicester I am not just working at a Championship club that is happy to plod along. This club has got ambition to get back into the Premiership and that appeals to me greatly.”

Northern Ireland stars Keith Gillespie (Sheffield United) and George McCartney (West Ham United) were involved in a fight on an aeroplane before it flew the team from Iceland to London. The incident came after a verbal exchange and punches were thrown before other players were forced to intervene.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had issued an apology after he was involved in an incident that overshadowed his side’s Euro 2008 qualifying match against Serbia. The Group A rivals drew 1-1 but Scolari, 58, appeared to lash out at Ivica Dragutinovic after the Serbian defender was sent off in added time. UEFA have launched an investigation while Portugal’s Football Federation is also examining the evidence. After initially denying that there was need for punishment Scolari issued an apology, accusing Dragutinovic of insulting his family.

“I apologise to Portugal and to the Portuguese people, because I feel at home here. It was a situation with a lot of confusion and I was only protecting my athletes. Words in Spanish directed at my family, I understand perfectly well. As such when I reacted, it was the wrong reaction but sometimes even rational and normal people err.”

Uefa president Michel Platini’s controversial plans to give domestic cup winners a Champions League place will not be supported by G14 member clubs. Platini’s proposals would give 16 cup winners a separate qualifying route into the Champions League and an allocation of four automatic places in the lucrative group stages. Meanwhile the G14, which represents 18 of Europe’s top clubs, intends to expand its membership to around 50 by the end of the year.

In the Blue Square Premier league, Salisbury City beat Forest Green Rovers 0-3 at the New Lawn.

Nathan Davies

Who is really to blame?

Rather like mothers, fathers and primary school teachers, football referees are looked upon as a breed of person who is not allowed to make mistakes. It is only later in life that we understand that teachers and parents are human after all and thus allowed to have frailties of their own. It is rare, however, for any discerning football follower, to extend the same empathy to those men who used to wear black.

View any media outlet, written or otherwise, in the aftermath of a bout of weekend fixtures and you will be hard-pressed to find a report or analysis which does not highlight the supposed inefficiencies of a referee whose decision, or indeed overall performance, has affected the outcome of any given match. Managers, players and spectators alike will all search for someone to hold responsible for their own team’s inadequacies, and who better than the man in charge? But shouldn’t we just accept the referee is just like any one of us, prone to error, open to failings, guilty of nothing more than honest mistakes?

In football, as in life, most decisions, good or bad, will even themselves out over a period of time, yet the blame culture which is prevalent in our society dictates that we tend to dwell on those outcomes which are to our disadvantage and suitably discard those which actually benefit us. By way of example, way back in 1966, did Geoff Hurst really score? To many an Englishman, it is a rhetorical question as we have quickly accepted this was in the country’s favour. Twenty years on and Maradona and his ‘Hand of God’ places a different perspective on things. From an English point of view, that goal cost the nation the World Cup, because of course we would have gone on to be crowned world champions but for that one act, even though this was a quarter final encounter and two victories away from international glory.

Given the exposure which football currently enjoys, there is a clear duty for high profile figures within the game to dictate that referees are afforded more protection and support in order that mayhem does not prevail. The media are in the business to sell their product, and hence will sensationalise at any and every opportunity, and for that reason alone could possibly be excused. However, they have the vehicle to preach to the masses, and boy do they know how to drive it. The managers and players have a much higher obligation to respect those in authority and to ensure their comments and behaviour do not overstep the mark. Many aspiring referees are watching keenly and some will be driven away from the game if they think it is a profession not worth following. Cliché as it may seem, but the game cannot start without a referee.

Various solutions have been proffered to improve the control of games, the two which have received most press being full-time officials and goal-line technology. Can anybody really say with conviction that the introduction of full-time referees has ensured that officials’ errors have been eradicated? After all, Premiership goalkeepers still excel in the art of letting in ridiculously comical goals and international strikers still inexcusably miss open goals, yet these artists have been full-time and at the top of their profession for years.

Make no mistake about it, goal-line technology will be a part of football in the near future, but it needs a huge amount of fine-tuning before it can be implemented. It also sets a dangerous precedent in that it may well be employed in other aspects of the game, with the possible consequence of undermining the referee all the more and further alienating potential referees from the game.

Far better then, that those in high standing positions who have the ability to influence the impressionable public should take accountability and promote the game, and the treatment of officials, in the right way.

Simon Swinn