The effect of the absence of crowds on refereeing decisions

Scientific paper available for the insomniacs...

http://ftp.iza.org/dp13578.pdf

"Our paper also contributes to what is known about the way in which referees make decisions. We have found causal evidence suggesting that they can be unfairly biased in favour of one side or another by the presence of external crowds...More generally, any judged contest with adversaries and a crowd present needs to examine the fairness of the justice which may be administered.

A further implication of our findings is that they call into question the neutrality of referees or arbitrators in the presence of a crowd. This means that we should be cognisant of the possible influence that crowds can have on arbitrated, judged or refereed decisions."

 

My mates a linesman for in leagues 1 and 2, they don't go by first names unlike in the Premiership and with certain Championship players who undergo crop rotation.
There in lies the problem, 1st of last season. Liverpool vs Norwich, was well worth watching the addressing of players.
Does that create bias who knows? Personally like the Old Trafford and Fergie time effect it plays a part. Andy Liddle's thighs still stay so 23 years later.

 

So did the crowd influence the officials when Pinnock took the lace out of the ball in the first half and hauled down Ritzy in the second?

 

I remember a home game vs Norwich, i believe. As per any team, including ours, the Norwich fullback was taking as many steps forward as possible before throwing the ball. Usual East stand shouts of "weers e guin, Ref" etc and the ref stops the game and sends player back. This quite early on in first half. Every throw in that followed, crowd shouts up, ref sends him back. Only time I've seen it done consistently and throughout rest of game for both teams. Their left-back was most put out. Couldn't believe he wasn't allowed to gain 10 yards per throw-in.

 

Can't remember the game exactly but recently an attacking team got a throw in by the corner flag, but they took the throw in 10 yards backwards. Equally cheating, they should take it from where it went out but the officials let them get away with it

 

I refereed in local football for about 15 years, I know it’s on a lesser scale, but it still holds, I honestly didn’t hear much of the shouting, baying for blood, etc from the sidelines, Yes often I could hear the noise, but I was concentrating on the game so didn’t pay too much notice to the content. I didn’t need the crowd or anyone to tell me what sort of game I’d had, or was having, I knew. I’d like to think whatever it was, it was impartial, consistent and same for both sides. Sadly, I’ve seen too many games involving BFC where I can’t say the same for the referee. It’s not that the ref’s a ‘homer’ more often it’s about who we’re playing. The home game against Wigan and that outrageous foul on Kilian that resulted in just the yellow card was as much unsurprising to Reds regulars as it was astonishing to the rest of the watching football world.