With the growing likelihood that any 2020 MLS season return would occur without fans in the stands, Professional Referees Organization general manager Howard Webb anticipates a period where his colleagues adjust to that reality. After all, they’re accustomed to making game-altering decisions with tens of thousands of raucous fans in attendance each weekend. That'll impact referees just as it would players, and Webb said earlier via conference call that he’s hoping English referee Anthony Taylor could be a resource. Before Covid-19 suspended soccer in Europe, Taylor oversaw a closed-doors Champions League Round of 16 encounter between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes. “One of the things we've been looking to do in the coming weeks is maybe bring in some officials who have had experience of refereeing games without fans, fairly recent experience, to share with our group what that felt like,” Webb said. “What was it like? What do you expect, and how was it different? And we're looking at doing that with a few of the guest speakers that are going to share that experience.” There's also the need for referees to be at match fitness, since they’ll need to keep pace with players at a full sprint. In preparation, Webb said, he’d hope that MLS referees could officiate scrimmages after last doing so March 8 when LAFC hosted the Philadelphia Union.
Webb also anticipates changes in game-day routines, such as increasing the number of substitutes and doing away with pre-game handshakes. “You know, these are sensible things, aren’t they, when we're coming into a phase of the game where the cadence of games could be higher than normal,” Webb said. “ These things make sense and no decisions have been taken yet with what will happen in MLS, whether they’ll use additional subs up to the maximum of five, which (the International Football Association Board) says we can do. But I'm expecting that that's quite likely and then seems to be a sensible introduction.” Whatever environment referees enter, Webb expects safety and sensibility to prevail. He cited an anecdote from the K-League in South Korea as how it all could look. “I saw a video a few days ago of a Korean game where the referee was asked by a player to pick him up by the hand and the referee said, ‘Sorry, I can't pick you up,’” Webb said. “It was quite interesting to see how that was on the mind of that particular official. And again, we'll be reminding our referees of the need to not create unnecessary contact when it doesn't need to happen and to be sensible and to maintain their personal space. But that’s pretty standard officiating anyway, not to get into a player’s face, for example.”
He said officials are preparing for everything — including working out of a central hub if Major League Soccer goes ahead with a reported plan to bring all the teams to a location like the Orlando area when the league returns to action without spectators. Webb acknowledged that not all of his officials may be able to commit the time needed to move to a hub for a block of games. “We’re hoping as many as possible will,” he said. Officials are as keen as the players to get back to action, Webb said. “I’ve had no pushback in terms of the safety issues,” he added. “I think our workforce is fully confident that the environment will be a safe one and that testing will be available and that the necessary PPE (personal protection equipment) will be available.” Webb said officials will have to be tested for Covid-19, like the players. “It’s not possible to socially distance our officials when they’re doing their job,” he said. “And of course, the games will be meaningful when they get started again and they’ll be officiated in the normal way.” PRO officials are in contact with MLS twice a week as the league works on getting back on the field. On the plus side, Webb said his officials are well equipped to work remotely during the pandemic, given they do it during the season due to their geographical spread. The officials are taking part in virtual “training camps” and fitness regimens. MLS referees are full-time and are still getting paid although they are not receiving match fees. Assistant referees and video assistant referees are not full-time, although they get a retainer at the start of the season. They too are missing game fees. Webb said PRO staff like himself have taken a pay cut during the pandemic.
Source: MLS
