New Year...but the same old favouritism?

I haven't written an article for a while; Christmas has seen the usual array of activities as well as plenty of football. There was a lot of discussion about the "penalty" which Steve Bennett rescinded on Tuesday in the Hull vs Aston Villa game, but the crucial thing here was that the correct decision was reached (in the end!). It may not have looked good, but the decision being correct is what is important.

The beginning of a new calendar year sees a selection of promotions among the international rankings of referees. Among them, Englishman Mike Dean has been elevated to UEFA's "Premier" category of referees. This is the second tier of European officials (behind the "Elite" list, which includes Howard Webb and Mike Riley). This should put him in line for some decent UEFA Cup games and some early stage Champions League encounters - just reward for the good season he is having domestically. Dean is undoubtedly one of our top three officials at the moment.

Webb, Riley and Dean are our top three European officials. Martin Atkinson is in the "Premier Development" category, so may well make the Elite list in the not too distant future. We have three other officials on the list - Rob Styles, Steve Tanner and Mark Clattenburg (whose future seems somewhat doubtful, given he hasn't refereed a game in some six months - clearly investigations are ongoing with regard to his personal situation).

That gives us seven continuing International officials, out of a potential ten, so January has seen two promotions onto the International list, bringing our total up to nine. First to go on has been Andre Marriner. I am delighted for Marriner. At 37, he was almost at the point where it wouldn't have been possible for him to make the International list. He has been a Premier League referee for almost four years now, but after injury problems at the start has settled down well. He will never be our 'top' referee (a Webb or a Poll) but in terms of doing a quiet, efficient job on some of the lower-profile games he is doing really well. The only moment of controversy for him so far this season was the second yellow card he gave to Wigan's Emerson Boyce at Newcastle back in November, a decision which he subsequently admitted was the wrong one. Back when he was refereeing in the Conference, he was always a safe pair of hands and did several of the higher profile games. Indeed, last Sunday he took charge of the West London derby at Craven Cottage, and again the game passed without incident. Based on performances, he deserves to be on.

The second promotion, however, is a more contentious one. When Stuart Attwell was appointed to the Premier League group of referees at the age of 25, there were murmurings. He has not had a good time since then, with the phantom goal at Watford and the chaotic end to the East Midands derby. He turned down an obvious penalty for Fulham in a Premier League game at Stoke a few weeks ago, and even in the lower leagues hasn't always made the big calls correctly. His confidence has been shot to pieces, and quite how the problem is to be solved I don't know.

Whether appointing him to the International list is a solution is doubtful. In fact, all it suggests is that the New Year signals only a continuation of the favouritism towards certain officials. Attwell is undoubtedly a good official, but whether he is one of our top 20, or now (as his International appointment suggests) one of our top 10, is very much open to question. All he will get internationally for the first year or two will be Intertoto Cup games and the like - he won't be shooting to Champions League fame - but the question is whether he deserves it. I think there are more deserving officials out there who might be doing better than he is, with the benefit of a little more experience. It is no reflection on him - more a reflection on the insistence of the powers that be to promote him quickly. His first match wearing the FIFA badge will be on Saturday, at Stamford Bridge, for his first visit as referee to Chelsea.

So, will the New Year be a new start for referees? I don't think a lot is going to change. Certainly those who are in charge have indicated that their relentless push of one poor young man from Nuneaton is unceasing - do they really believe that he is ready for what they are throwing at him, or is it now becoming blatant favouritsm? I'll let you be the judge of that.