A whistle blower

By Tim Middleton | Mar. 23, 2025

The second answer to that question, however, is ‘everyone’; everyone wants to be the referee; in fact, everyone considers they are the referee

Who wants to be a referee? There are two answers to that question. Firstly, no-one wants to be a referee. A referee is for the most part the most unpopular person, with both sides being against him. As Sir Alex Ferguson, the highly successful former manager of Manchester United said, “You can’t applaud the referee”; it is almost written down religiously so. Referees instead, tend to get abused, attacked and assaulted, verbally and physically, violently and frequently, by players and spectators alike. As someone has written, “Referees do not have a win/loss record”. Who then would want to be a referee?

The second answer to that question, however, is ‘everyone’; everyone wants to be the referee; in fact, everyone considers they are the referee. Players and spectators alike will correct the referee when they believe he has made a mistake. Players will rush to the referee when a decision goes against them and argue their case, claiming absolute innocence on their part and blindness on the referee’s part. Spectators, even at school sporting fixtures believe they are the referee, shouting out their claims, even though they have never trained to be a referee not ever volunteered to be one.

Having answered that question, perhaps we should also ask another question: not “who wants to be a referee?” but “who needs a referee?” Once again, we might answer in the same vein. Jock Stein, another hugely successful Scottish soccer manager, once said that “If you’re good enough, the referee doesn’t matter”. Philipp Lahm, the German soccer player pointed out that “Sporting behaviour means fair behaviour. That is the player’s task, not the referee’s”. If players got on with their task correctly and owned up honestly, then there would be less need of a referee. Watching children play soccer in the playground at breaktimes, we generally see them proceed ably enough without a referee. Yet, despite that, we do all need a referee.

The man with the whistle, though, is clearly not popular. So where is all this leading us? Well, there are other people, off the pitch, who blow a whistle, who not surprisingly are equally not popular. These are what is referred to as ‘whistle-blowers’. Some define such as being those who “reveal hard truths”, as those who “inform on a person or organisation which is seen to be engaging in unlawful and immoral activity”. Others define the role as someone “providing right information to the right people” or as “one who reports waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, danger”. They call ‘fouls’. Consequently, they are unpopular; they are seen to be spoiling people’s fun (or gains).

Who are such people? Once again there are two answers to that question — no-one and everyone. On the whole, few are willing to take on the responsibility of being the whistle blower.

The fact is that it takes courage and confidence to be a referee and equally to be a whistle blower. There is a danger to our reputation, a threat to our job security, a possibility of retaliation, a likelihood of isolation. There is a severe dilemma; do we remain loyal to people and the organisation or do we respond to moral and ethical obligations? Part of the problem here is that we tend to confuse loyalty and teach loyalty to people and not to values. Children in particular will stay loyal to their peers and not report or reveal wrong-doing though it is to the detriment of the school as a whole.

Joseph Brodsky, an American writer has said that “Life is a game with many rules but no referee. One learns how to play it more by watching it than by consulting any book, including the holy book. Small wonder, then, that so many play dirty, that so few win, that so many lose.” We do need referees; we need people to step up to the plate and blow the whistle — and they need to learn and start when young. As teachers and parents, we need to model, motivate and equip youngsters to blow the whistle. David Frost, the English television host and journalist, commented “having one child makes you a parent; having two, you are a referee”. In fact, we are all a referee, with or without children, and so we need to train up young people to be referees, to be whistle blowers.

We should not need to have referees but all of us should be referees, holding each other accountable. Security companies display signs that tell us: “See something; say something”. Few are willing yet complain when others do not. Blow the whistle — loud and long. Or face a red card.