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Danny Law: Why can’t we encourage more footballers to become referees when they call time on their playing careers?

Referee Szymon Marciniak shows a yellow card to France's Adrien Rabiot during the World Cup final.  Image: Shutterstock.
Referee Szymon Marciniak shows a yellow card to France's Adrien Rabiot during the World Cup final. Image: Shutterstock.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe were the stars of the 2022 World Cup final but there was another man who rose to the occasion in the biggest game of his life.

Szymon Marciniak was entrusted to referee the showdown between Argentina and France in Qatar and was widely praised for his assured performance.

A bad referee can disrupt the flow of a match and potentially change the outcome with a wrong decision, whereas a good referee will often allow a game to ebb and flow at an enjoyable pace and go largely unnoticed.

There was no chance the 41-year-old from Poland would be able to go under the radar as he was dealt a frenetic encounter that relied on him making several big decisions, including awarding three penalties in what many people are regarding as the greatest World Cup final of all time.

His decision not to award France’s Marcus Thuram a penalty and instead book him for simulation drew praise from several former officials and was lauded as the best refereeing decision of the World Cup.

Marciniak believes his background as a former semi-professional footballer has helped him progress to the top level of refereeing.

Referee Szymon Marciniak during the World Cup final in Qatar. Image: Shutterstock

It was during his playing career and after remonstrating with an official who had sent him off that Marciniak decided to sign up to a refereeing course, believing that he could do a better job.

Howard Webb, the English Premier League’s head of referees, believes becoming an official is a great way for footballers to stay in the game but admitted it has been difficult to recruit ex-pros.

Surely a case can be made to fast-track former players who wish to move into refereeing once they hang up their boots.

Anyone who has played the game in the SPFL should have a strong knowledge of the laws of the game as well as the fitness required to take charge of a professional match.

Former players would possess other attributes that would be beneficial, such as being accustomed to performing and making decisions in front of big crowds.

Some may argue that it could be difficult for former pros to officiate games involving their former teams.

That could be avoided by a stipulation that referees can’t be appointed to games involving their old clubs.

The team of Polish football referees are welcomed back to Warsaw, Poland. Image: Shutterstock

But there is no doubt there are plenty of players playing every week in the Scottish Premiership, Championship and Leagues One and Two as well as the Highland and Lowland Leagues who would have the potential to become excellent referees.

At a time when the quality of our top-level officials is under constant scrutiny, the Scottish FA should be doing everything they can to encourage players to consider this pathway.

Their playing careers will mean they won’t be able to compete with a referee who started officiating in their early twenties for experience.

But the governing bodies have to make it easier and attractive for players who want to make the transition into refereeing roles.

It would be reasonable to think that fans and players would give an official who had a track record as a player the benefit of the doubt when they are learning the trade.

And as Marciniak has proven, bringing more former players into refereeing could improve the quality across the board.

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