Who pays the ferryman
View(s):In a letter dated 2nd June believed to be addressed to the Schools Section by a Andrew Fowler – Watt (no designation in letter) says “Please Assure the Referees Association that Trinity College will do all it possibly can to ensure the security and safety of the referees and other officials”.
Trinity says “we have opened a dialog between the college and the so called Trinity Army which is an entirely unofficial group of old boys which the school has no jurisdiction. It also says that whatever the provocation Trinity does not condone violence and that history and traditions show this. The school has also taken action to identify the man who has allegedly assaulted an Assistant Referee and are attempting to identify other adults (not schoolboys) who behaved in an unacceptable manner.
On the question of jurisdiction say you have a party and the friends of your children come and start abusing the musicians because they don’t like the music. Do you as hosts abandon the musicians? It may be true that the unofficial group bought tickets and came to a match which you are hosts. Still they cannot spoil the show and it is the responsibility of the hosts. When you go for a dance to a hotel do the authorities permit unacceptable behaviour because they have bought a ticket and or they are an informal group which has turned to be a mob?
It was a close game at Pallekele
Will the writer be like Helen’s Prince charming who turned out to be the biggest jerk? If everybody says sorry we have no authority then it is not long before a knife is possible.
Isipathana sent two letters signed by the Principal to the school section the first being an apology for what happened taking full responsibility and an assurance of safety and introducing an awareness program to educate school boys as well as spectators. The second confirming the action of lodging a Police entry and that an inquiry is in progress.
Who should grow up? The referees the fans or the administrators. The school being the pivot of the next generation should be in the first to grow up. There should be no place for immature thugs who have left school. Tolerating is squandering the opportunities to let kids to grow up. In business they ask leaders to allow people the freedom to make mistakes so that they can learn and grow. This thinking is scary as mistakes can be expensive. Making an honest mistake once is all right but making it over and over again is what is bad.
It is futile to talk of what history records as testimony for not condoning violence. A few weeks ago there was an ugly incident and mayhem followed on how the shield should be shared. In 2012 the much talked of Bradby first leg was almost called off when a section of adult spectators from the Kandy school invaded the ground and attempted to threaten the referee. The ugly protest was because the referee sent off a player for kicking a man on the ground. In 2007 the school had to pay the hospital charges when a referee got assaulted by a spectator as the hosts failed to provide adequate security. The finger of accusations for mayhem at this match was pointed at a foreign coach. Sunday Times, June 3, 2007.
If you take recent events it is a repetition of mistakes that recur periodically. The irony of the last few years is that it is not the students or players who are involved but parents as well as old boys who think that the path to success is by the use of force.
There was a lot of talk about the protest on the referees and making pronouncements that we will not play if these referees were to officiate. It appears that the litany of mistakes that were expected have not materialised though two weeks have passed. Except you keep moaning at matches whilst giving an assurance on the other hand. Probably the much awaited report from the sand pit was not favouring those who do not know. Watt must be understood is that the referee has to make an immediate decision and he does not have review after watching over and over for two weeks.
The important point is to ask? Was there. Admission – we made a mistake. Apology – we am sorry for making the mistake. Acknowledgement – we recognize where we went wrong that caused the mistake.Attest – we plan to do the following to fix the mistake on this specific timeline.Assure – we will put the following protections in place to ensure that we do not make the same mistake again.Abstain –we will not get into this situation again. Yes in one but partial and veiled in the other.
The plus point is that there is an indication that there has been something wrong and the blame is outside school authorities and whatever vilification that is made in various media the school does not condone the action.
— Bryan Bowers, the Scotsman
* Vimal Perera is a former player, coach, referee and an IRB Accredited Referees’ Educator