I CANNOT let Neil Yates (Sports Letters, May 11) get away with his defence of referees.

He mentions that referee Gary Willard sent off three Barnsley players at Oakwell Park, but I would ask would he or any other Premiership ref have sent off three United players at Old Trafford, or Arsenal players at Highbury given the same situation?

Not a chance!

Willard's decision at Charlton cannot be defended by any stretch of imagination. He was on the spot, witnessed the foul and bottled out.

Does Mr Yates really believe that David Elleray was 100 per cent sure when he awarded Liverpool a penalty against Manchester United, or, again, with that disgraceful sending off of Denis Irwin?

If, as he intimates, the refs are so honest, perhaps he can tell us how many penalties have been given against Manchester United or Liverpool or Arsenal in the Premiership on their home grounds.

I agree, there are people out there, as he puts it, who cannot tolerate their team losing, but there are those who find modern referees very, very poor. One would be hard-pressed to find two refs in the Premiership who interpret the rules in the same way.

Here we have the finest league in the world, modern stadiums, professional management teams, very professional players, spectators who pay good prices to see good football . . . and we have very amateur refs. I have watched football since 1930 at Ewood Park and I have to say, these are the worst batch of refs we have ever had.

To the FA I say 'get real' - we are in the 1990s and need professionals.

British football dragged its feet over substitutes for years. Remember Blackburn in the 1960 Cup Final having 10 men for half the game?

Mr Yates asks what would happen if the man in the stand, the second ref, does not agree with the ref. The answer is if it is referred to the second ref, he makes the decision.

Mr Yates should watch and listen to the rugby refs - both codes - and see the respect both players and refs have for each other. Why? They know their game.

ARTHUR FINCH, Cowell Way, Blackburn.

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