ALAN Snoddy has rubbished claims that Irish League referees are not being made accountable for their performances.
Top-flight match officials have suffered a venomous backlash in the past week following a number of controversial decisions in the Danske Bank Premiership.
Managers have voiced their anger and concern – not least Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter who branded the performance of referee Tim Marshall and his assistants at Seaview on Saturday as “embarrassing”.
Irish FA Referee Development Officer Snoddy insists there is “no escape” for referees as they continue to fall under the spotlight.
He also insists the current crop of officials is “of a very high standard”.
He added: “Anyone who says there is no accountability in refereeing doesn’t have a clue about how it works.
“There is accountability left, right and centre – there is no escape or hiding place.
“We want to see high standards and we are all working hard to achieve that.
“I think at the weekend all the big decisions were right ones by our referees. But we will take a look at how they were handled and we will see if we can improve.
“I think the way the league is shaping up this year has added to the tension. It could be one of the closest title races in years – this only heightens the pressure.
“But the pressure is part of the game. It is the same for players, managers and referees. The higher the level the more pressure there is.”
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