Day nine - A lot of respect

On Wednesday I was listening to my favourite radio programme in the car. Not UCB, or Premier, or Smooth, or ClassicFM, or Radios 1-5, but TalkSport Radio!

They were discussing the issue of abuse of the referee and how to stop this happening on the field, let alone from those watching the games. I wanted to ring in and suggest they learn from rugby. You address the referee as ‘sir’ - even when it is a 15-year-old lad in charge – and you accept his or her decision. Any answering back to the referee is met with a penalty 10 metres downfield, and if you persist it is another 10 metres and even a yellow card. I remember years ago, a guy got so mouthy to the ref, after three 10 metres well inside our half, the ref marched down the pitch and gave us a penalty under their posts!

I tried playing club soccer once and addressed the referee as ‘sir’ at which point the opposing centre forward ridiculed me for it. The referee however, noted my politeness and for the rest of the game I was allowed to do what I liked to that opposition forward. As far as the referee was concerned, I could do no wrong!

Paul may not have had soccer in mind when he penned Romans 13:1-7, but their rule makers would do well to take note of this passage about respecting those in authority over you.

I would also encourage those in charge of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to look at the way rugby operates, not out of fear of getting things wrong but through a relationship that leads to getting decisions right.

Someone once said, ‘A perfect relationship takes a lot of practice to work. A lot of sacrifice, pain, regret & honesty. Most of all, it takes a lot of respect!’

And of course, when we want to get our decisions right, we need to consult the Holy Spirit who sees things far better than we do and operates out of relationship and not through fear!

Vince Carrington