The former Skellefteå coach lamented the referee’s focus
Stefan Hedlund is tired of stealing the referee in Swedish ice hockey.
The former Skellefteå coach wants to see a better climate for the white-striped team.
– The lack of judges in the media, so I think there will be less focus on them, he says.
After two seasons in the Skellefteå training cabin, Stefan Hedlund has spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Swiss national team Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. There, he noticed from a distance the referee concentration present in Swedish hockey.
IC More broadcasts from the SC final on Saturday between Skellefteå and Växjö, interviewed during the break and said that in broadcast cases they are replayed many times and comments have to be taken from the judges – something that causes a lot of focus on the judges.
When Sportbladet calls, he means not to say he is right, but to develop his ideas.
– All credit to C More and Aftonbladet they’re watching closely, she’s tough. But there is a drawback to, say, doing a back-and-forth tackle on TV and then bringing the referees out for comment, Hedlund says.
continued:
– They then make a quick decision and so they can see it on TV and see it from all angles, look at what went wrong and then have to defend it. All of these things mean that there is more and more focus on referees.
Sometimes players or managers answer questions from the media, but sometimes they also deal with the referees’ criticism themselves. How do you see that?
I feel commenting on refereeing efforts in the media is very easy and common for managers and players. When they do, you can go back and look at it again, see that it’s questionable, and then you want to suspend judgment, he says.
20 thousand fine
Hedlund himself tells of a time he spoke critically in Switzerland to the ice-leaving rule. He was then fined 20,000 SEK.
– After that I didn’t do that and then the problem was solved.
20,000 is a lot. Was that reasonable?
– I don’t know, but my point is that in SHL you get a 5000 kronor fine for eg diving and then I understand it has no effect. If you look at what an SHL player earns, there is not much money. If you want a good system, it should be noticeable and sting a little. Then whether or not this is the right way to go…
Sometimes it happens that the referee’s mistake is decisive in the outcome of the match. Shouldn’t we still be able to discuss it?
– Absolutely. But it’s one thing to discuss it. Discussing it and then stopping the referee to comment on it is another matter.
“I do not like it”
Judges should comment specifically on decisions he doesn’t like.
– I don’t like this move, I let the referee stand, look at things and comment. Sometimes even during a break. It’s better to discuss Joakim Lindström’s skills than referee errors or fouls in general. This is the way I look at it. In the studio sure, but let it stop there. You don’t have to bring up the referee and let him explain, and that’s when he has his focus. Then his kids at school have to hear that Dad made a huge mistake there… It’s somewhere where you have to find the balance.
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– Same in Aftonbladet. Was this mutual scrutiny critical? Sure, but do you have to take it further and have feedback from the referees rule? It’s as if my athletic director would comment if I went and took the goalkeeper out. What the hell, it doesn’t make me any better. What the hell is this, it doesn’t make me any better.
Best in Switzerland
Hedlund feels after his years in Switzerland that the refereeing climate is better. If referees were highlighted more rather than analyzing mistakes, he believes it could attract more people to the profession.
– We have problems with judges in Switzerland and Sweden. If we can focus on referees doing a good job instead of making mistakes, they will get more and more respect. Can you bring in more judges then? More young judges? I think so.
purely concrete. What kind of solution do you want?
– You can start with players and managers who don’t comment on referees in the media. Good or bad, let it be. They talk about the game and their team and I think that’s the solution. Then you can ask if Hockey Allsvenskan should have that referee question then when they have to stand up and explain. One might ask whether the judges on television should comment or leave it up to the studio to say what they think. There will be less focus on referees in the media so I think there will be less focus on them.