Les Mottram Interview
With the proposed professionalisation of football referees seemingly always in the news, Soccerphile talked with a British referee who is already a professional. Mr. Leslie Mottram, who began officiating in Scottish football, turned pro when he left a teaching job in Scotland to take up a contract with the J-League in Japan. He is one of the top British referees, having officiated at USA World Cup 94, Euro 96, UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals and Scottish FA and League Cup Finals.
He has also experienced, like all referees, criticism for his performances on the field, most notably when a goal was allegedly 'scored' in a match involving Dundee Utd and Partick Thistle, only for play to be waved on: the type of incident the planned introduction of video replays and the introduction of professional officialsis designed to eliminate. Mr. Mottram's experience as a professional ref in Japan seems a foretaste of things to come in other parts of the world.
Soccerphile: Mr. Mottram, how did you become a referee?
L. Mottram: Having played professional football for a short time
in Scotland, and after refereeing matches at school level, the natural
progression for me was to continue my involvement as a referee.
Soccerphile: Do you agree that refereeing should be professionalised?
L. Mottram: I think all international referees should be full-time
because of the combination of international and domestic demands.
L. Mottram: Respect for the referee's position is greater in Japan. In addition, it also helps not being able to read what the sports reporters are saying!
Soccerphile: The amount of money circulating in the footballing
world has greatly increased. How has this affected the game, in your opinion?
L. Mottram: The game has changed from a "sport" to a business.
This has added a further dimension of pressure because of the livelihood
factor of those taking part in the business. This, in turn puts further
pressure on officials.
Soccerphile: Do you hold any views for or against changing the
laws of the game to increase the number of goals scored? Recent suggestions
have included making the goals bigger, providing a basketball style backboard
surrounding the posts and crossbar to make possible more numerous rebound
and altering or abolishing the offside rule.
L. Mottram: I think the emphasis should be on players playing
within the present-day rules, instead of changing the rules to compensate
for lack of skill.
Soccerphile: Another feature of basketball that many would like
to see incorporated into Association Football is the strict timing of
matches. One could imagine the clock being stopped when the ball goes
out of play, or when play is stopped by the referee, thus eliminating
the seemingly capricious and subjective feature of the 'adding on' of
extra time for stoppages. It is argued that this would also free the referee
to concentrate on more important decision. Your view?
L. Mottram: I have no problem with the concept of another official
tending to the time, but I don't see it as a major problem. Players and
coaches will still complain to an independent timekeeper when they feel
the issue of timing is against them.
Soccerphile: Do you take your work home with you? Once the match
is over, do you ponder over the decisions you've made?
L. Mottram: Always. I analyse all my matches with a view to improving
positioning, man-management skills and so on.
Soccerphile: Does or can the crowd influence refs' decisions during
a match?
L. Mottram: To be a successful referee you have to be honest and
courageous which means you have to act neutrally to incidents.
Soccerphile: Do you think there is an ideal age to be a referee?
L. Mottram: For internationals, 40 to 50: an age which should see
the culmination of previously gained experience.
Soccerphile: What are the chances of there being women refs in
the near future?
L. Mottram: A very good chance. There are some FIFA women referees
who are very competent. I imagine that it won't be long before they are
officiating in top class men's football.
Soccerphile: How do you train referees? What techniques are used?
L. Mottram: After learning the laws of the game and attaining
the required fitness, it is down to experience and man-management. 'Look
and learn' is another major factor, where individuals can see top-class
referees in action and learn from their styles of refereeing.
Soccerphile: We often see referees' performance on the field of
play being assessed by both managers and the press, yet the public rarely
gets to know referees' opinions. It seems to us that referees are allowed
too little space in the media to air their views. What's your position
on this?
L. Mottram: Referees' opinions are based on the laws of the game.
Maybe if managers and members of the press had the same qualifications
regarding the laws, they would understand our decisions and would not
need to seek our opinions.
Soccerphile: What are your views on the tackle from behind?
L. Mottram: I believe the process of trying to eliminate the tackle
from behind was not carried on from USA 94. It's a fine line. There are
different situations. Contact equals a foul. How physical the contact
determines yellow or red. It also depends on whether the ball is within
a playable distance from the player in possession, the intention of the
tackler, and so on.
Soccerphile: What is the future of football? In which direction do you think it is headed?
L. Mottram: Survival of the strongest and richest clubs.