Guarantee they're all ex united and Liverpool lol

This has been a shit show for rugby and absolutely will make the quality of officiating worse for football too.

Cool gig for Jordan Henderson that.

Because 'fast-tracking' is exactly what they need. Screw carefully figuring out the issues and designing a better system, let's just rush a few ex-pros in because the ex-pro pundits will be appeased.

Oh is the confidence on referees low, Howard? Wonder why!

Increase confidence in the officials? If anything, that actually lowers my confidence in them.

Mic up so we can hear how decisions are made you cowards

How the fuck is this not possible conflict of interest lmao

Player: Ref, handball!

Zlatan: Nope.

Player: How could you not see it?

Zlatan: I am the best. I do not miss anything. No handball.

Player: Is it cos your nose is in the way?

Zlatan: Red card. Off.

That feels like a Hail Mary move for Webb, and if really doesn’t sound like one which is going to work.

Inexperienced referees with a potential unconscious bias is going to make things worse, not better. Not to mention it undermines the confidence of the current referees even further.

Any young people aspiring to be referees are going to be demotivated as well.

Any other profession and Webb is out of a job now.

The only way this'll works is if the players never played in the league

Why not poach the best referees from other leagues like they already do with players?

These idiots will do anything but bring in the best refs from other countries

They are going to try everything but facing up to the reality that the organisation is too close to current referees to actually do the job of keeping them accountable.

Let me guess, they are all from Manchester.

Look at how clueless and biased pundits can be.

Just get the referees from rugby

"Referee's have never played at this level so don't understand everything"

"No you can't train up retired footballers either"

Can’t normal people have football related jobs, these millionaire footballers are so selfish

The first thing they're going to have to do is teach these former players the actual rules. The majority of pundits that are former players don't seem to fully know them but love the phrase 'anyone who has played the same' and shit like that.

Recent former players being involved in actually making the rules, I'd be all for that.

Let's be honest though, even if the rules were absolute perfection, people would still bitch and whine.

All on-field officials should be microphoned up. They can do it in other sports.
That way we can stop the abuse to them by players and managers, as well as understand why the decision were made. Its a win win for everyone. Fans and pundits understand the thinking behind a decision. Refs can be called out for a mistake. We all can call out players for giving abuse or influencing games.

Sure, give them a chance to prove themselves.

I am waiting for them to release "Fan VAR" where you can vote on the outcome of a decision! All you need to be eligible to vote is subscribe to the PGMOL for £9.99 a month!!

"Fan VAR!! The decision is in your hands!"

I wonder if Paul Pogba would run more than even prime N'Golo Kante due to legally having ridiculously vast array of PEDs.

The problem with previous footballers becoming referees is their age and the time in order to become proficient.

Being a footballer doesn’t mean you’ll be a great referee any more than being a footballer makes you a great manager - and I’d argue the link to the latter would be far stronger.

The biggest difficulty with refereeing is the nuances of game management. Most people can have reasonable foul detection, but the very greatest referees have superb player and game management. That takes years to refine.

Footballers retiring at 32-36 don’t have long to gain experience. It can take 10-15 years for an SG1 official to make it.

Of course, we can fast track former footballers, and they do have a head start on many other referees starting out, but they also need to unlearn a career’s mistaken and wrongful understanding and application of law.

I’m all for it, and it will work for some, but this is no silver bullet. The problem isn’t referee decision making - it’s how fans and pundits want the game to be refereed in a way that the Law simply doesn’t apply. It being a former footballer making the same decisions won’t change that.

To begin with they have to make sure that those ex-players never ref any of their ex-clubs or ex-clubs rivals because everyone with just question their motives.

Secondly I have no idea why people believe ex-players would make good refs..

Seriously you just have to listen to many off them on Skysports, Talksport, BBC, various podcasts that the vast majority of them are morons

When confidence in refereeing is low, I’m not sure the right move is to start fast-tracking their training

If they're going to do this they should at least do it properly. Fast tracking will just be chucking them in the deep end and see who swims.

Webb's disciples if you will

Peak gaslighting from PGMOL now. I do not think this is the answer they think it is.

I think this sounds like a good idea. The players are most likely those from lower leagues who still need to work after retirement because they aren’t rich - and that also means they’ll have no real conflict of interest with the teams they’re officiating.

Not only is it a good way to get fresh blood into refereeing, it also gives further employment prospects to these lower league players who might not be interesed in or cut out for coaching.

Everything that is fast-tracked gives me confidence. Can't beat rushed.

Bah gawd is that Lee Cattermole's music I hear

Are they all from the North?

The way to make refereeing better at the top level long term is to improve the conditions for grass roots reffing

No one wants to ref, the pay is shit for what you have to deal with. The only people that do it are power trip or "love of the game" people. You get more grass roots refs, you get a bigger pool for advancement, you get better quality refs filtering up.

Of course that's very long term and it'll take years for grass roots refs starting now to reach the pro leagues. But that's how you solve the root of the problem, as opposed to band aid solutions for the top level, which may not even work.

Gary Neville and Carra I beg

This doesn't inspire more confidence

Can we just have live VAR audio?

Completely the wrong idea - how best to tackle the allegations of bias from referees than to hire former players. You can’t make it up…

They couldn't find any air traffic controllers, 999 Phone operators, ex RAF Coordinators etc?

People who made a living communicating clearly and effectively under high pressure with high stakes? You know... The exact skills that are useful for a VAR...

Welcome to the team.

Van der Sar

Micha Richards

Vidic

Richard Dunne

Evra

Scholes

Yaya Toure

David Silva

Giggs

Valencia

Rooney and Augero

Oh sweet, cant wait until referees are 80% former Utd/Liverpool players like the pundits.

If listening to pundits has taught me two things it's this:

1. No former players know the actual rules and what is or isn't illegal should be decided by how they feel about it.

2. No former players can overcome their previous team allegiances.

This is an awful idea.