Innovative solutions needed for referees in the PSL

Week-in, week-out, we, the United Social Networkers of the nation, are bombarded with a stream of tweets and status updates loaded with abusive, insulting and offensive language (referees know I am referring to Law 12) directed at the Premier Soccer League's referees.

On Saturday, we saw some of this oft-seen abusive language we read on our smart-phones turn into actual physical abuse in the match between Golden Arrows and table-toppers Kaizer Chiefs. A Chiefs supporter ran more than a hundred meters into the field and hit referee, Lwandile Mfiki, with the infamous vuvuzela.  The fan's distress seemed to have been caused by Mfiki's decision to give Chief's midfield kingpin, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane a red card in the 33^rd minute.

This type of behaviour is embarrassing almost serves to emphasize the notion that our PSL is indeed “a joke” (as a classmate recently stated in a class discussion).

If the standard of refereeing is a problem and looks amateurish, then why is it that we, errrm, still have amateur referees?  And I mean amateur in the literal sense. This is because a lot of referees have normal day jobs outside of their duties with the whistle.

Being a referee myself (at youth level), I know how demanding it can be to stay in shape and be up to date with the laws. Life of a referee isn't easy, and even when you plan for things and study time, life happens.  It is extremely difficult.  But that's my simple, limited view, as an amateur.But I am getting sidetracked.  I believe it is time to start talking about solutions instead of merely complaining.

Many have provided their own solutions to the problem on twitter and I hope many more will offer their ideas on how we can deal with referee issues in PSL.  Some will say refs should be banned or dropped to lower divisions, other will say refs should have their salaries cut, and the less-logical among us will say that we should moer them with a vuvuzela for costly mistakes.

I just cant help but wonder if some of that Q-Innovation money could have been diverted to one aspect that directly contributes to the enjoyment of the game by fans - refereeing.  We currently have a tight title-finish coming up and instead of discussions revolving around the actual football being played, discussions mainly revolved around the referee, offside decisions and the like.  Television pundits are probably becoming more accustomed with the FIFA Laws of the Game than tactical innovations in football.

The Q-Innovation idea was supposed to generate excitement and I presume, attract even more fans to the PSL games.  It was supposed to make every game important and keep supporters interested.  I am not a fan of the idea (as usual, I put my feelings in words).  Why was the extra R6 million (R1.5 million multiplied by four) not rather redirected to improving referees or specifically, their salaries?

The powers that be were more than ready to “innovate” and introduce quarterly prizes in the league.  Why weren't “innovative” methods introduced to not improve referees performance, and more specifically, their salaries?  This could gradually evolve to having a full-time panel of dedicated referees.  Becoming a member of the PSL referees panel could eventually end up being viewed as “hitting the big-time” for qualified referees.  With a lot more money to lose for poor performance, this could also have the positive effect of increasing accountability should they be dropped to lower levels.

At the moment, the PSL does not even have a review system in place to look at poor decision made in games.  So, shocking decisions that may arise are not even corrected. In the recent case, Stuart Baxter will just have to accept the suspension of his key player and get on with it/f*** off (delete as appropriate, hehehe).

With five or so games remaining in the league for most teams.  What impact will referees have on who wins the title and who get relegated?  Will the poor referees receive better pay next season?  Will the likes of Mfiki be suspended in the coming weeks and months?  Do we have better referees waiting in the lower divisions?

I do not claim to know all the answers but I am pretty certain that the PSL now needs a solution.  An intervention of some sorts...   An innovation!

I only have one “Q” to ask, when will the men in charge introduce some sort of R-Innovation?

Thomas Monyepao

Please make use of T-Innovation and follow me on twitter @Tom_18Yards.

5 factors contributing to the rise of Amakhosi

With Kaizer Chiefs now seven points clear at the top, here is a list of five factors that have contributed to Chiefs topping the table with seven games to go.

1. Unbeaten at home

Amakhosi have simply been ruthless at home. They have not lost a single match at home. Added to that, their away record has improved compared to last season. Last season at this stage they only won 3 out of 12 matches away from home. This season they have already won 6 out of 11 away games including the 3-0 thrashing of Bloemfontein Celtic this past Sunday.

2. Taking the lead and keeping it

Chiefs have only won once from a losing position (against Free State Stars at home). When in the lead, the Glamour boys have only thrown away 4 point all season from a winning position. While this may point to a lack of fighting spirit for some, one thing it does confirm is that Chiefs know how to sniff and then grab hold of the three points, and then take the points safely home no matter what the opposition may do.

Let us also not forget that from a losing position they managed to take 2 points away from rivals Orlando Pirates while simultaneously gaining an important point in the first derby of the season. It is safe to say that Chiefs do indeed “have Balz”.

3. Change of tactics from Baxter

Many may think I will be highlighting the use of an adaptable 5-3-2 (3-5-2) formation from Baxter as a bit of tactical genius. However, the most important decision by Baxter was to simply change from what looked liked a 4-3-3 with the interchangeable three of Josta Dladla, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane (in a deep midfield role), and Siyabonga Nkosi, to the more commonly used 4-3-3 (and other adaptations) that has Williard “Salt 'n Pepper” Katsande playing the role that Tinashe Nengomasha made his own as a “destroyer”, thereby allowing Yeye more freedom to attack. This has allowed soccer fans the opportunity to enjoy Yeye at his creative best - distributing balls all over the pitch to allow Bernard Parker and co an opportunity to knock the ball into the Auld Onion Bag.

In August, I wrote that Chiefs may rue letting Nengomasha go as I felt Katsande had not show enough consistency to fill his countryman's big shoes. I also felt that Lucky Baloyi was also not ready to play big role in a title-challenging team Fortunately for Amakhosi, “Salt 'n Pepper” Katsande showed massive improvement and his contribution has been immense ever since he became regular this season.

4. “Major” strikeforce

When you have the luxury of bringing on a Bafana Bafana striker on as an impact player, you have a quite an advantage over other teams.

With a strikeforce containing the likes of Bernard Parker, Kingston Nkhatha, and Lehlohonolo “Major” Majoro to choose from, Chiefs coach, Stuart Baxter, has been spoilt for choice as the three players have not only been consistent in their performance - contributing over 20 goals - but they have also avoided any serious injuries.

Contrast this to Pirates where Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has remained sidelined for most of the season, Takesure Chinyama has only scored twice in the league, Collins Mbesuma is a shadow of the player he was for Chiefs back in 2005, and Ndumiso Mabena... The mere mention of THAT miss in the Telkom Knockout Cup match against Celtic probably still gives coach Roger De Sa nightmares!

5. Injuries

Key players at Pirates including Rooi Mahamutsa, goalscoring centreback Siyabonga Sangweni, the experienced Benni McCarthy, Moneeb Josephs and Sifiso “Myessi” Myeni have all suffered bad injuries during the season which has contributed to the below-par performances.

As I mentioned earlier, Chiefs have had a strikeforce that, fortunately for them, avoided any serious injury problems. While in defence, their number one in between the poles, Itumeleng Khune, has remained injury-free while new signing Morgan Gould was the only senior player to get a long-term injury. Midfield kingpin, “Yeye” Letsholonyane, as a creative force, has played a big part in the title challenge while Pirates have lost their biggest creative force “Myessi” to injury at an important stage of the season.

So, while both teams have had their share of injury problems, Pirates were hit hardest with the loss of key men like McCarthy and Mahamusta for most of the season.

Conclusion

There are of course other factors that may have contributed to Chiefs currently topping the PSL table (and no, the use of brown envelopes is not what I was thinking).

However, with seven games of the season remaining, the title is not yet wrapped up and we may still witness some drama in the run-in.

Let's hope we will have a relatively tight finish(and maybe even see Pirates snatching it late) instead of a situation where Chiefs simply walk away with the title. That is, of course, unless some of you actually take the Q-Innovation table seriously.

Thomas Monyepao

Do follow me on twitter. The name is @Tom_18Yards.

T20 and Q-Innovation: Shorter formats for both cricket and PSL fans...

 464 minutes, 367 deliveries, and 110 runs from almost 6 sessions of batting. This was only part of an enthralling 5 days of cricket between the number one-ranked team in the world, South Africa, and Australia, a country that has lost only 2 home Test series in the past 2 decades.


Make no mistake about it, this was a 10 out of 10 performance from both teams and it provided viewers with huge amounts of drama.


The purists will no doubt have enjoyed such a match.


The suits, however, will tell you that T20 cricket is where the future (and the money) of the game lies. They will say this based on the belief that the general public just does not have enough time to watch five consecutive six-hour days of cricket which may or may not result in one team winning. They will justify this by stating that Test cricket does not meet the relevance of a generation for whom option, speed and simplicity are the most important things. Whether that is true or not, one can see the logic in their thinking.


The legendary Premier Soccer League chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza, highlighted this view at the launch of Q-innovation saying, “Ours has become a world of instant gratification where ‘now’ is the only time.”


Using this logic, Dr Khoza devised and subsequently introduced the new innovation, Q-Innovation, which ticks all the boxes: simplicity, speed (it does not take nine months to find a winner), and option (the glory-hunting fan can “switch off” from soccer until the next quarter where each team starts the “quarter” afresh with fair chance at winning).


I must admit, however, that at the moment, I am not a big fan of the Q-innovation. South African soccer clubs already participate in three tournaments (the MTN8, Telkom Knockout, and the Nedbank cup) – and this is excluding the CAF tournaments and the various pre-season tournaments which, unlike in the rest of the world, local fans actually take very seriously. These tournaments provide more than enough speedy and simple routes to glory. The most complicated thing in this process is usually explaining the away-goal rule to a friend in the bar who has had one too many pink drinks.


The Absa Premiership therefore serves as the only competition in the season which is played over different months and seasons whereby teams go through peaks and troughs on the way to success or maybe to relegation. Every match counts even though every match may not have the do-or-die factor. Every win, every point gained, and every goal contributing to a team’s goal difference is important. Similarly – in Test cricket – every session, every over lost to rain, and every dropped catch – as Faf du Plessis will tell you – can mean the difference between not only winning a match but winning a series, and sometimes even mean the difference between becoming the top ranked team in the world. The many twists and turns on the way to success grip viewers’ attention for prolonged periods.


The recent Test match between Australia and the Proteas had South African viewers in despair for most of the five days. with South Africans collectively breathing a huge sigh of relief following the South African batsmen’s resolve to bat out the final day and salvage a an incredible draw. And there is still, potentially, another five days of cricket left in the series to decide the winner of this Test series and decide who leaves with number one position in the world Test ranking. This is what the game is about for the purists.


In the league, unlike in cup competitions, the best team will normally win the trophy. Squad depth and superior man-management over the course of nine months, coupled with injuries, suspensions, momentum, and other factors contribute to the drama that is league football. Every team plays against all the other teams twice – a fair method of determining a champion.
Q-innovation, however, consist of seven or eight matches. Each particular club won’t play against all the other teams in the league.


The obvious advantage in this scenario is that the PSL may manage to keep viewers’ attention over the course of the season instead of only attracting large-scale attention during the final five or six games of the season. Q-Innovation is, essentially, four shorter competitions within one larger competition. Technically, this means eight different local competitions that PSL clubs compete in, thereby satisfying the appetite of the modern consumer who requires speed and simplicity over the marathon of a regular league season.


I do wonder where the changes and the innovations will end. When One Day Internationals were introduced to cricket, many thought that no further serious innovations would be introduced to the game. However, T20 came along and it has revolutionized the sport; offering spectators a game of cricket in less than four hours.


Will we see similar changes occurring in football one day? Will the Q-innovation concept spread across the world and be improved and simplified even more? In twenty years time, will league competitions even exist? Will we live in a world where we have an abundance of tournaments with simple formats providing winners in quick time?

“I have said time and time again that you cannot dry today’s washing with yesterday’s sun. – Irvin Khoza

Make of this statement what you will. It is, however, refreshing to see that the PSL chairman is open to innovation and change. Soccer competes with other sports and recreational activities for people’s time and money.


In the search for more of the nation’s Randelas, I do hope that the true test of a champion, the league, is never lost.

Thomas Monyepao

This post originally appeared on the onetwo.co.za site on the 27th of November 2012.

Keep the conversation going in the comments below  on twitter @onetwosoccer or chat with me @tom_18yards