Referees’ body ask clubs, officials to show more respect towards officials after Floriana FC criticism

The Malta Football Referees Association has called on clubs and their representatives to show more respect towards match officials in the light of the stern criticism directed at referee Philip Farrugia by Premier League club Floriana FC.

Farrugia was subjected to a lot of criticism by the Greens following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat in the Jubilee Cup Last 16 tie at the Tony Bezzina Stadium.

Floriana felt that Farrugia’s performance on Sunday was not up to standard and their disappointment was centred on the second-half incident that saw Ħamrun Spartans goalkeeper Henry Bonello shown a yellow card for a rash challenge on Mattija Veselji outside the box.

The Greens officials felt that the Malta goalkeeper should have been sent off and in their statement, Floriana FC said that they would be complaining about Farrugia’s performance to the Malta FA, MFRA, UEFA, and FIFA, among others.

On Tuesday night, the referees’ body said that it had full trust in the integrity and professionalism of all referees and cannot accept personal attacks on individual officials.

“The Malta Football Referees Association (MFRA) has full trust in the integrity and professionalism of all referees,” the statement said.

“Clubs and their representatives have every right to share their views and express disappointment when decisions do not go their way – such discussions are part of the game. However, personal attacks or public targeting of individual officials are unjustified.

“Even more so, baseless suggestions of bias or lack of integrity are unacceptable. Any concerns supported by evidence should be raised responsibly through the proper channels.

“In the meantime, the MFRA wishes to acknowledge and thank all local referees who, over the past weeks, have undergone intensive training in preparation for the introduction of Football Video Support (FVS).

“Last week marked the first-ever use of match technology in local football, with selected matches benefiting from FVS trials. The implementation ran smoothly, thanks to the professionalism and commitment of our officials.”