Latest news with #referees
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
The GAA's sceptical relationship with time keeping is not a new phenomenon
At last November's special congress, Jim Gavin's Football Review Committee (FRC) managed to have all of its provisions accepted for implementation in the 2025 season. It was a remarkable feat of persuasion in less than a year. Neither were there any cliffhangers. In fact, the least enthusiastically received idea was that of the match clock, which attracted the support of a relatively restrained 74 per cent of delegates. Since its introduction, it has been one of the most troublesome amendments. It triggered concerns that it would prove too expensive or too complicated in the requirement that it be synced with the time displays on broadcast coverage. A countdown clock was accepted in women's football in the mid-1990s. Following its largely seamless application, it wasn't long prompting the men's game to wonder if it might it be a worthwhile adoption. READ MORE Twice the idea, having been floated at congress, came to nothing – once defeated and the next time, accepted but never introduced, again for logistical reasons, after being trialled in third-level matches. Since 2015, things have changed. The whole area of time was reviewed and in response to rising concern about gamesmanship, a new set of guidelines were issued to referees. One of the main sources of disquiet was the use of strategic substitutions to run down the clock. It was accordingly decided that 20 seconds should be added for every replacement brought on during a match. That is why there is apparently more time in the second half of matches than in the first: it's when the bulk of the substitutions are made. Other issues to come under scrutiny were goalkeepers coming up the field for free-kicks and pauses for Hawk-Eye determinations. Eventually, the FRC motions 46 and 47, providing for clock/hooter use and the hand-signal protocol for referees to stop and resume play were passed and implemented – at least in broadcast matches. [ Ciarán Murphy: Keeping cool in front of goal is key to landing All-Ireland Opens in new window ] The GAA's apparently sceptical relationship with time keeping is not a new phenomenon. It is all of 87 years since an initial attempt was made to mechanise time keeping and remove it from a referee's duties. Maurice Bogue was the inventor of the eponymous Bogue Clock, a pioneering idea to display time at GAA grounds, which would be stopped and restarted as the referee indicated. The point was to ensure that a full hour would be played in matches. Display was on a large clock face with Roman numerals – according to one report, 'like a giant stopwatch' – and it was first used in a challenge match between Louth and Mayo in May 1938 at the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda. Later that year, it was used to keep time at a league match between Louth and Meath, which ended in a draw. Attempts to incorporate the clock into the rule book in 1939 and 1940 were not successful and although Bogue, a businessman and inventor, who lived in Drogheda, was prepared to mount exhibitions of his timepiece in various grounds across the country, the matter did not return to congress for 10 years. In 1950, delegates declined to introduce the clock but did stipulate that it should be trialled the following year and evidence of that can be seen in PD Mehigan's report of the Railway Cup semi-finals on February 19th, 1951. 'The advent of the Bogue Clock as timekeeper instead of the referee was on trial and pleased the public, who were able to follow the different stages of the game,' the report said. At congress in 1951, the idea of the clock was buried despite the range of enthusiasts for the prospect of referees being able to concentrate on officiating rather than also keeping time. A report in The Irish Times Pictorial, a weekly published between 1942-1958, reflected on the fate of the Bogue Clock at congress. 'Opinions were divided on the wisdom of having a clock at all in Croke Park. The system of leaving the referee to keep an eye on the time and on the play, while making up broken time, appears to be the popular idea,' the report said. 'In support of the system [status quo] a Cork delegate said that Cork had lost five All-Irelands by a point, in each case near time and had never questioned the referee's ability to play full time.' This may have been in solidarity with the county's Paddy O'Keeffe, who was general secretary of the GAA at the time, and who had expressed the view that discussions on the Bogue Clock might be seen as an unwelcome reflection on the association's referees.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stephanie White Bracing for Punishment After Fever-Sun Game
Stephanie White Bracing for Punishment After Fever-Sun Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever made it back-to-back wins on Tuesday night after they blew out the Connecticut Sun, 81-77, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Advertisement Despite the win, however, head coach Stephanie White was not exactly in a jovial mood during her postgame press conference. The veteran shot-caller just could not help but call out the game officials and their performance in the game. This clash did not have any shortage of action, with Caitlin Clark getting involved in a couple of heated incidents. At one point, the Fever star was assessed for a technical foul for an incident that saw Clark hitting the deck after being pushed forcefully by a Sun player. White clearly did not agree with how Clark was hit with a tech for her role in the incident, as well as the game officials' overall performance on the evening. The Fever coach did not hold back with her unfiltered criticism. "I mean, I think every year when we have our league meetings in the fall and in the spring, we say the same thing over and over and over," she started. "And nothing has changed. So, you know, I'm not sure outside of continuing to submit clips, continuing to talk about it." Advertisement White emphasized how she understands the difficulties referees have to go through on a nightly basis. She knows how hard their job is, but at the same time, this can't be an excuse for poor officiating. "The game has changed so much," she continued. "Players are faster. They're better. They're bigger. They're stronger. "You know, they're as good as they've ever been. They're as athletic as they've ever been. The game is fast now. Things are happening quickly. Everybody's getting better. "Except the officials. So we've got to find a way to remedy it. I mean, you've heard every coach talk about it, so I don't know what the answer is." At one point in her postgame press conference, White also said that "bad officiating" has become "a league-wide issue." Advertisement White's strong comments made all sorts of waves on social media, and more than a few fans are adamant that the Fever shot-caller is now bracing for punishment from the league. "That fine is going be half her salary LMAOOO," a comment on X read. "Incoming fine, but I respect it 🫡" said another. "I'll pay her fine 😤" a supporter declared. Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White watches the action.© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "This a fine in the NBA forsure😭😭😭" a reaction read. "well that's gonna cost her 😂" wrote a user. "They're bout to fine her $15.75," joked another. It is worth noting that White herself previously revealed that she had already been fined by the WNBA for her postgame comments. She had some pretty spicy words for the officials on Tuesday night, which is why it would not be a surprise if White receives more punishment from the league following her latest tirade. Advertisement Related: Fever Coach Stephanie White Reveals Concerning Update on Tuesday Related: Caitlin Clark Makes WNBA History on Tuesday Related: Caitlin Clark's Former Fever Teammate Temporarily Leaves WNBA Mid-Season This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Caitlin Clark, a night of skirmishes, and a WNBA product out of control
INDIANAPOLIS — Not one ponytailed girl hanging over the railing cried out for the attention and the autograph of a referee. Not a single ticket-buying fan walking around the concourse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse wore a fawning T-shirt with the image of a goat blowing a whistle. And yet, when the Connecticut Sun faced the Indiana Fever Tuesday night, the officials muscled their way into the spotlight.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Cult hero footy great Paul 'Fatty' Vautin reveals the sad reason he'll never call matches for Channel Nine again
NRL icon Paul 'Fatty' Vautin has revealed the sad reason why he doesn't miss calling rugby league matches ahead of State of Origin Game 2 in Perth. One of Australian television's most beloved personalities, Vautin announced his retirement from TV in December, bringing to an end a remarkable broadcasting career with Channel 9. The former Queensland Maroons coach will be watching Wednesday's match from his couch - and says that's the way he prefers it nowadays. His biggest complaint about the game at the moment is the 'confusing' new rules. 'After 33 years, I thought last year was the perfect time to finish up. I didn't want to turn into the crusty old bloke on the panel who's always talking about how it was better in the '80s – and it was better in the '80s,' Vautin told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'But at the moment, with the way the rules are going, everyone is confused. 'One week they're targeting head-highs, the next week they're targeting play the balls, the following week it's something else. 'I really feel for the referees, I feel they're a bit confused. They're just doing their best.' Vautin described the uptick in six-again calls as a blight on the game. 'The thing that's most annoying to rugby league to everyone I talk to is the six-agains,' Vautin said. 'They are annoying because no one ever knows what they're for. Even on your television, up comes 'ruck infringement' – you know what, there are 747 different ruck infringements. 'No one knows, that's the problem. Our game has never been in a better position – the money is flowing in, [NRL boss] Peter V'landys has done a great job, and the players have never looked bigger and fitter and stronger. 'It's just a few little things around the rules, and the Bunker drives me mad as well.' The footy legend also referred to the NRL's crackdown on high tackles as 'ridiculous'. 'This is a high-level body contact game. If you're going to play rugby league for a living, you have to realise that at some stage your head's going to get hit,' he said. 'I played 14 years of first-grade, I reckon I got hit 100 times in the head. Five of them were from blokes going 'f**k you, get this', others were all accidents, sometimes caused by myself.' Vautin was the face of the popular sports talk show The Footy Show for the better part of 24 years before he was unceremoniously dismissed in 2017 after ratings dwindled. The Manly legend said when he retired that it was a privilege to work with so many talented people throughout his career at Channel 9. 'I still love Nine, and all the great people there, and I still love the game, I really do – it gave me everything,' he said. 'The players are unbelievable, but there are things about it now that irritate me, like the six again and dropouts that are contested. I don't want to become that cranky old guy who complains about a sport that made him what he is. 'I can't believe how fortunate I've been to play the game at the level I did. I thought when I came to Sydney I'd have a few years in reserve grade and then probably go home. Instead, I got to play with some of the greats of the game who I now get to call friends. 'And then to think that I somehow had a career in media that went for as long as it did. I'm just so grateful for all the people and my family who have helped me along the way.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA Officials Under Fire Over Caitlin Clark Decision After Heated On-Court Altercation
WNBA Officials Under Fire Over Caitlin Clark Decision After Heated On-Court Altercation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Things got chippy right from the start in the Indiana Fever's home clash against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night—and it all seemed to stem from Fever star Caitlin Clark and a familiar foe, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon. Advertisement The tension began in the first half after Clark gave Sheldon a light push. It escalated in the second half when Sheldon made aggressive contact, hitting Clark in the face on a defensive play that resulted in a foul. As Clark gave Sheldon another quick push in response, Sun forward Marina Mabrey came in and blindsided Clark with a hard shove to the floor, sparking an on-court altercation that required players to be separated. While many expected Mabrey to be ejected for the shove, including the announcers, officials surprised everyone by handing out matching penalties—Mabrey, Clark, and Tina Charles were assessed technical fouls. Sheldon was hit with a Flagrant 1 foul. Check it out: WNBA officials instantly caught slack for the decision: Advertisement "The WNBA is an embarrassment and none of these refs should EVER be allowed to ref again... Player safety should be the MINIMUM thing required for the job," a fan said. Someone else added, "The refs in the @WNBA are so god awful, it's embarrassing they have to put up with them." Another fan posted, "Giving Caitlin Clark a technical foul for getting hit in the face and shoved to the ground is insane. Was going to say the WNBA needs better refs but NBA refs are just as terrible." "The WNBA eventually will lose every fan they got right now because of horrible refs, a fan shared. Advertisement One more fan commented, "@WNBA refs are an absolute joke. What a clown show! Mabrey should have been ejected. No question." Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This isn't Caitlin Clark's first technical foul of the season, and she's known for occasionally letting her emotions get the best of her. However, WNBA officials have faced increasing criticism this year, and when a decision involves Clark—who is both a fan favorite and the most talked-about player in the sport—it's bound to draw widespread attention and scrutiny. Related: Angel Reese Admits Her Biggest Fashion Regret This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
