The 1974 football World Cup final had barely started when the Netherlands’ imperious playmaker Johan Cruyff embarked on a mazy run through the West German defence which ended with Uli Hoeness scything him down.
The referee Jack Taylor duly awarded a penalty which the Dutch converted, but only after West Germany’s most famous player, Franz Beckenbauer, had confronted him, saying venomously: “Taylor, you’re an Englishman.”
Just one minute had elapsed on the clock.
Twenty-six minutes into the match, Taylor awarded another penalty – this time to Beckenbauer’s team, prompting such furious protests from Cruyff that he was booked.
Such can be an official’s lot.
Referees are not biased either way, no matter what anyone thinks.
I certainly haven’t come across a biased official in my many years in rugby.
Yet when I read some of the posts online at times, it is clear there are people out there who genuinely believe that some referees favour certain teams because they happen to come from the same country as those sides.
It’s a debate that seems to recur more in the Guinness PRO14 because we have teams from five countries and, given the number of available referees from the various nations, you are going to have situations where a referee may be from the same country as one of the teams he is taking charge of on a particular day.
But the debate is flawed. It is flawed because it fails to understand a referee’s mindset.
Without wanting to be too pompous about this, an official favouring one side at the expense of another would go against everything a referee is about.
It would cut completely against the mindset of pretty much every official I have met.
A biased ref simply wouldn’t be in a job. It would be like a firefighter going around starting fires or a doctor deliberately harming his patients.
Making the scenario even more improbable is that TV cameras are pretty much trained on a referee’s every move and call.
The level of scrutiny is such that there is no chance for any dodgy behaviour to pass by unnoticed.
There may be refereeing performances that could be better, just as there are playing performances that could be better, but that’s the extent of it.
Don’t listen to the conspiracy theorists banging on about bias.
The focus on officials has gone through the roof in recent times. It is massive compared to where it was 20 years ago or even a decade ago. Pretty much every game I ref is televised and that brings its own pressure.
It’s not just on TV at home. There’s also the big screen in the stadium. You can have a situation where the players might know you have made a mistake, you know it and so do the crowd.
The one thing you can’t do is try to compensate by giving a decision the other way. Do that and you’re finished as a ref.
The aim is to try to perform as well as possible. You always hope the side that wins does so because they’re the best on the day rather than because of a refereeing mistake.
In common with Super Rugby, the PRO14 has a policy of the best officials taking charge of the best games, no matter what country they are from.
Appointments are merit-based, with those who perform well getting the biggest games. Neutrality has always been part of the decision-making process around appointments, but capability is a key factor and if you ask players and coaches they will tell you they want the best official in charge.
The clubs, provinces and regions wanted the situation to evolve on those lines.
I have heard people saying that Irish officials in charge of Irish provinces isn’t right when the other team is from another country. I have heard the same said about Welsh officials, too.
Apparently, the perception is there could be bias. The perception is wrong.
I suppose the thinking is that because referees work for a particular union they are going to favour teams that are owned by that union.
On that basis, I would be biased towards the Dragons, who are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union. But I am not.
There are a number of other things that go towards confirming the absolute integrity of officials in the Guinness PRO14.
After every game there is a comprehensive review process, involving an assessment by an independent assessor and the Guinness PRO14 referees’ manager. There is also a self-review.
Performances are then discussed through a two-hour conference call between the referees’ managers for each the countries and the PRO14’s referees’ manager, Greg Garner, an ex-international whistler himself.
Selection is carried out for every round by the referees’ manager for the PRO14 and the national union referees’ bosses.
Feedback is given directly to referees via the PRO14 referees’ chief and their own managers after every game.
Coaches can also feedback through the referees’ manager for the PRO14 on the performances of officials and any queries they may have arising from games.
PRO14 referees work with participating sides on a regular basis. I, for instance, have attended training sessions with the four regions over the years.
As officials, we see ourselves as one big team, not as a collection of individuals from different countries. Our aim is to deliver the best possible performances across the board, regardless of which teams are on the pitch.
I also know the goal of the PRO14 and the unions is create a large enough pool of top-level officials that will mean neutral appointments can be made at ease if required.
Should the TMO be neutral? Well, what needs to be underlined is that the referee has the final say when dealing with the TV official and 99 per cent of the time it will be his call that holds sway.
So it doesn’t matter where the chap in the box is from – anyway, TMOs are ex-referees, so the ethos of fairness is exactly the same for them.
The TMO will challenge the ref if he thinks he is wrong, but the man with the whistle will always have final say and that’s how it should be in my book. The buck stops with the referee and no-one else.
Where do you draw the line if you think a ref is biased? If people thought that about me, then would they object to me taking charge of a Six Nations game involving, say, England and Ireland? After all, the match could conceivably affect where Wales might finish in the championship.
It’s a nonsense. The bottom line is referees don’t care which side wins.
Once people understand that fundamental truth, they will enjoy sport more.