Cloud hangs over Australian football with referees still on strike weeks out from A-Leagues opener

There are serious concerns about how the stand-off between FA, APL and the referees’ union will impact the start of the new season There is a common saying that the best refereeing performance is the one nobody notices. They enforce the rules and punish unacceptable behaviour, but ultimately an official’s job is to let the game flow and not become the story. But after months of trying to resolve their latest dispute with Football Australia, 96 of Australia’s top football referees are a big story – they have withdrawn their services indefinitely, adding their own chapter to a wider narrative about the slow implosion of the Australian game. Continue reading...