THE MAN AT THE MIDDLE

"We are ready for the game"
It's interesting to see everyone troop in to see a game. Football is indeed fun, but the spirit behind it can be hazardous to the reputation and life of the middle man.

Every football team and her supporters call on the action of the whistle with an open heart of accepting whatsoever the outcome of the game is. But often times, it seems ironical, because they all came with a positive mind set.

It becomes harsh and weird if spectators (Fans) are not referenced. They all want to be preferenced while watching their favourite team play. But not even one of them is ready to be tamed by the power of whistle.

It's really a hustle for the man in middle who neither makes a foe nor become friends with either teams on the pitch. Yet everyone has to bow to the number of goals scored or at least the two teams settle for a stalemate. As a result of this, referees at any level of the game are always under intense scrutiny and, more often it results in criticism rather than applauds. Regarding the decision of the referee which the law says it's the final, the man at the middle has always been condemned for his decisions whether it's right or wrong; who cares? All we want is the result; positive result.

Referees are treated like God who has no flaws in his dealings, thus, he is believed to be the only one that is perfect! I think referees are humans and are to be treated as one. 

Make mistakes and go to hell! No one is ready to listen to his emotional life or state of mind. 

'Referee bashing' has become the main focus of football stakeholders this days. Teams and fans insult, curse and rubbish the referee who has learnt how to be immuned to such absurd occurrences.

But it takes courage, endurance, extra care and fairness to scale through the tasking moments at the centre.

The man at the middle, has to make some decisions, regardless of the spectators and regardful of the game. But no matter how fair he is, everything remains the same, 'cause what he's likely to get at the end is a curse and a blame.

*Written by: Oni Stephen & Marvellous Bello*