Viera - Players must lay off refs

PATRICK VIEIRA believes pressure from players is stopping referees making crucial decisions.
The ex-Arsenal skipper has had his fair share of run-ins with officials during his illustrious career.
But he now feels enough is enough and has called on players to sort out their behaviour on the pitch to ease the pressure on refs.
Vieira said: "I feel now as if the referee is going on to the pitch afraid to make a decision � afraid even to be a referee. There is negative pressure on the referees and I really get the feeling they don't get any help from players or the football authorities. The referee is under too much negative pressure. Because of this I think they lack spontaneity and passion. Being a referee should be like being a player � you should go with your heart, enjoy it and not have to think. If you think it's a free-kick, you give the free-kick. At the moment it's less spontaneous. French ace Vieira also thinks match officials should receive more support from the game's governing bodies. He added: "Referees are quite isolated in comparison to players. There is pressure they receive from the fans, the public and the players, so their job is becoming really hard. We, as players, have an important role to play, to really accept the referee's decisions. There should be more interaction off the pitch between referees and players, players and fans, fans and referees, so that everybody feels more comfortable and we understand each other. It's true that we have interactions with them but only on the pitch. We don't know them and they don't know us."
Former referee Anders Frisk has blamed some officials for causing their own problems on the pitch. And he reckons the amount of cheating would be reduced if officials toned down their egos.
Frisk said: "Some referees have the aura around them that they are untouchable. If you have a positive aura around you, maybe the players would not try to cheat. That means the right body language and the right communication. But it's important to adapt your leadership in a match.
Matches are always different. Some are really competitive, some are very friendly, and you have to adapt your leadership as a referee for each match. If you are having a match between Turkey and Greece, you have to be one type of leader on the pitch. If you have another match between England and Holland, a friendly game, you have to have another approach. You must maintain a balance. But if you look at the World Cup or the Champions League, I think you have a better consistency today of a referee's interpretation of the laws."

THE SUN WEDNESDAY 13 JUNE