Comments on: Steve Bennett Scandal Shows Refs Need to Speak Up More

By: Dustin Edwards

Dustin Edwards — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:15:00 +0000

It’s amazing. A referee talks about something that Bad Players are doing and somehow it’s STILL the refs Fault? Wayne Farry, Shut up. Imagine if Bennett said something, think he’d get any more games? Probably not. Ridiculing Refs in the EPL is like Kicking a Baby. It’s soo fucking easy, and everyone does it, no one stands up and says “Don’t kick the baby!”

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:29:47 +0000

I kind of have to agree with Phil.

Their job is to play for our entertainment. Yeah it is a strange job compared to the majority but honestly, that is their job and they should have known what they signed up for. You can’t just skirt around your responsibility like that. Let alone screwing your team and fans over by making sure you sit out the next game.

Incredibly selfish behavior.

By: Phil McThomas

Phil McThomas — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:37:13 +0000

Waaa waaa. I have to work over Christmas. Waa waaa. I have to go into training for 2 hours, or leave after lunch to travel to an away game. Waa waaa. And I only get paid XX,000 pounds a week for this. Waa waaa.

Most days of the week, they’re home after lunch and can spend all the time they want to with their kids. The other days, they don’t work at all. The rest of us aren’t home until 6 or 7 at night, we see our kids for an hour before bedtime, and we work a year for what they get paid in a week.

I’d be interested to know whether the same footballers finagling their way to an easy Christmas are also the same stand-up family guys who are getting arrested outside of nightclubs or driving their sports cars into assorted lamposts, walls, etc.

During my teenage years, my dad worked away from home (he did heavy engineering projects around the UK and even overseas at times). We’d say goodbye on a Sunday night and wouldn’t see him again until last thing on Friday.

This isn’t a sob story – it’s just normal for many families. If my Dad starting throwing sickies to spend a bit more time with his family, they’d kick him out.

So pur-lease, save the sypathy for footballers.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:20:47 +0000

Not that the Sun is known for its honest, fair journalism but color me a little skeptical of the whole thing. So this undercover reporter decided to talk to a former reporter in the hopes that he just might find something good to write about? I find it hard to believe that the reporter either a)didn’t have an inkling on what exactly he was fishing for or b)knew the story he was going to write and took anything he could to support it. Color me skeptical of the whole thing.

Has Bennett had any comments about the article since it came out?

By: Wayne Farry

Wayne Farry — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:47:19 +0000

Great point really well made Daryl. If Bennett and the rest of the refs feel so strongly about this they should come out and say it. Shows what a coward this guy is, and he’s in way more shit now than he would’ve been if he came out and said it to the press publicly.

By: workbench

workbench — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:43:34 +0000

I can understand someone picking up a 5th yellow so they miss away to stoke, but are available to play against germany or brazil or the like… but to have an xmas break. its a shambles.

By: Bro

Bro — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:48:02 +0000

I agree entirely with you.. Maybe if this was aired out more, there’d be a greater move toward taking some time of for Christmas, like in the continent. Complain about inflated salaries in football all you want, spending Christmas with your family isn’t something your job should be preventing you from doing year in, year out.