Let fans hear the voice of reason

Kate Battersby13 April 2012

History was made when England beat Australia at Twickenham on Saturday: the crowd could understand what was going on.

For the first time at any rugby international in living memory, no brow was knitted with puzzlement at a single refereeing decision. All was clear thanks to the introduction of Ref!Link. For a mere five quid, punters at Twickers could purchase a radio receiver allowing them to listen to every word uttered by the referee.

It was a brilliant success. South Africa's Andre Watson was the man in the middle and, as is customary with rugby refs, he scarcely stopped nattering all afternoon, warning players they were offside, reminding them of rules they were about to infringe, and acting as an all-purpose information booth.

Television commentators have had access to this sound link at rugby for years, hence their miraculous ability to interpret the ref's every decision accurately when many in the crowd are baffled. But on Saturday everybody was allowed in on the knowledge, and the game was only enhanced. So it is excellent that Ref!Link will be available again at Twickenham this Saturday and next during the matches against Argentina and South Africa, and also for the Varsity Match on 12 December.

Is it too much to hope that the FA have noted the success of the project? For having witnessed Ref!Link in action, the only question is not why should football adopt it, but why on earth should it not?

Referees have least to fear from it and most to gain. One of their great burdens is that so many fans are not what you'd call expert on the actual laws, and are thus easily driven to rage by decisions they don't understand.

If punters could hear an explanation - say, "I've spoken to you three times previously so this time it's a caution" - we might all be a lot the wiser than if we still imagined Joe Schmoe was being booked for a single foul. Surely, more information can only be productive.

Football referee Graham Barber told me once that he sees part of his job as man management, helping players who look like they might get themselves into trouble to avoid it if possible.

Would it not also be helpful and informative to be able to hear that aspect of referees' work at first hand? At the very least it would clarify exactly what refs have to put up with from players.

But of course those players might not be so keen on being overheard. It might be a touch optimistic to expect them to follow the example heard at Twickenham, where the ref was addressed throughout as "sir". That probably doesn't matter in any case. But the specifics of whatever else is said to the ref during a football match would be intriguing, for example, when a player is sent off. Watson sinbinned Chris Latham on Saturday, and Latham simply went without comment from his team-mates. Place your bets on anything similar at football.

Above all, Ref!Link might shed light on why the entire competitive culture in football is so poisonous by comparison with rugby. In any case, surely it could only be a good thing.

Perhaps that's why I'm not holding my breath.

Williams' Grand Slam approach to cashing in

Their father Richard has decreed they are being scandalously short-changed.

Taking his cue from Tiger Woods, the world's No1 golfer, Williams says his daughters deserve a share of increased television revenues which he believes they have generated.

The women's tour says these revenues filter through to the players anyway via prize money.

Williams described the WTA as "conceited" and said he may "advise" his daughters not to play in Grand Slams. Speculation is already rife that this explains the alleged injuries which kept the sisters out of last week's Chase Championships in New York - the showpiece ending to the year won by Martina Hingis on Sunday.

Of course, it is Williams' oblivious reference to "conceit" which both amuses and depresses in equal measure.

As manager Arsene Wenger said when striker Nicolas Anelka left Arsenal for £22.5million: "No matter how much money you have, you can only eat three meals a day and sleep in one bed."

The Williams sisters were scarcely missed in New York thanks to a series of exciting matches featuring the game's two most exciting breakthrough players, Elena Dementieva and Kim Clijsters, who would not have been in the tournament but for the sisters' withdrawal.

Furthermore, Williams' thinly-disguised threat to hold the women's tour to ransom met with the scorn it deserved.

Williams appears to have overlooked the fact that by far the biggest draw in the women's game is neither Serena nor Venus, but Anna Kournikova.

Yet even she has declared herself opposed to Williams' demands, even though she would have most to gain from such a policy. Whose profits will Richard Williams target next? Newspapers, for telling the world of his daughters' phenomenal story? Broadcasters, for doing the same?

Great achievers in wealthy sports routinely insist it is the great titles which motivate them.

They habitually look wounded at any suggestion that the money plays its part.

But if Williams does indeed "advise" Venus and Serena to stay away from some Grand Slams - which he must now do if he is not to lose face - then it will be demonstrable proof that it is precisely the money, and not the titles, which is his family's prime spur.

Monte Carlo is so taxing

Commendably, however, Burns is unimpressed with the ghastly spangles of Monaco and will instead be resident in the mountain republic of Andorra, on the Franco-Spanish border.

He explains: "I like Andorra. To get there I'll fly into Barcelona and that's got a great buzz.

"I find Monte Carlo far too pretentious. It's full of empty buildings and poodle poo."

At last - another human being who detests the Principality.

I attended what is allegedly the most glamorous date on the sporting calendar - the Monaco Grand Prix - just once, six years ago, and absolutely loathed it.

I shall certainly ignore the place come the inevitable day when I'm myself driven into tax exile.

A lead is not much Kop

Doubtless Spurs fans at that moment assumed they were in for the latest chapter of the George Graham anti-success story, but from dreary experience we, the Liverpool faithful, knew better.

For the hideous fact is that a Liverpool lead these days is scarcely worth celebrating following on from that 4-3 defeat at Leeds.

One's first thought now is: "Oh no." Another positive start to be humiliatingly squandered. Newcastle are the next team bound to benefit, at St James' Park on Sunday. I just can't wait, it says here.

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