EPL: Premier League Referees Are Undoubtedly Overprotected by the FA

The English FA is perhaps one of the more respected associations in the United Kingdom. This football association has a set of guidelines and standards which players, clubs and officials of English football are expected to abide by, on and off the pitch.

For decades, referees have been the subject of substantial criticism—and with good reason. There have been numerous occasions whereby the officials of high-profile Premier League encounters have made questionable decisions, to the detriment of several teams.

For instance, a fortnight ago, referee Phil Dowd and his linesmen were involved in what was perhaps the most ludicrous officiating known in recent history. In a match between Newcastle and Arsenal, Dowd had awarded two ridiculous penalties, displayed double standards for not sending off a second player for a similar challenge he had awarded a straight red for just minutes before, and disallowed a goal that was clearly not offside.

Following heavy protests by the players, the FA acted in favour of Phil Dowd, defending the referee for reasons unknown. In fact, the FA eventually went on to warn Arsenal's Jack Wilshere not to post derogatory comments on Twitter with reference to Dowd following the match.

In effect, the exact words Wilshere tweeted were, "Inconsistent refereeing needs to stop. It's killing the game." No disrespect to the FA or Dowd, but the kid has a good point!

A similar incident saw Liverpool's Ryan Babel fined £10,000 by the FA when he posted a photo of referee Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt, following a 1-0 defeat for Kenny Dalglish's team at Old Trafford.

When emotions run high and refereeing decisions are appalling, one cannot really blame Babel for his reaction. Webb had awarded Manchester United a penalty for the feeblest of touches on Berbatov, again another preposterous call by a top Premier League official in a high-profile matchup.  

If the FA plans to castigate the opinions of every player to the extent of social networking sites, in defense of their officials that are clearly at fault, then the former association is indeed killing the game.

Based on recent proceedings, it can be alleged that referees are undeniably over-protected by the English FA.

For football to be fair in its entirety, the FA should treat every individual and entity as equals and make evenhanded assessments pertaining to events on and off the pitch.