Latest news with #umpiring
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Footy legend Nick Riewoldt slams the AFL for being TOO WOKE to take action over the most powerful woman in the game
Footy legend Nick Riewoldt has taken aim at the AFL for not demoting executive general manager of football Laura Kane sooner, labelling them 'social justice warriors'. The AFL announced last week that Kane's AFL football operations role will be split into two roles, with the 34-year-old no longer overseeing key football areas. Kane has become a lightning rod for criticism this season over issues such as the Willie Rioli saga, the standard of umpiring and AFL miscommunication around what happened when Collingwood player Lachie Schultz was concussed in a game against Fremantle. A separate head of football performance role is now being created . Kane will continue to oversee the AFL and AFLW, plus the VFL and VFLW and a newly formed medical and healthcare team that will oversee areas including mental health and concussion. It was confirmed on Monday that Lions chief executive officer Greg Swann will take on the role as the head of football performance. Riewoldt said Swann's arrival is long overdue. 'If the AFL weren't so consumed with being social justice warriors, Laura Kane would have been moved aside 12 months ago,' he said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters on Monday night. 'It is (a win) now. Either the role was too big, or she was the wrong person (for the job).' AFL chief Andrew Dillon insists there's nothing personal in the demotion of Kane. 'It was a big, big role,' Dillon told SEN radio on Friday. 'Decisions affect people but they're not personal. 'It's actually about what's the right thing for the AFL, not just for now, because the AFL's in an incredible position at the moment. ' ... We have now got a structure that actually allows us to continue to be successful for the next three to five years and that was the thinking.' In a separate interview on ABC Radio, Dillon rejected the notion that unconscious gender bias was a factor in Kane's dealings with clubs and subsequent demotion. 'It's not a gender thing,' he said. 'Laura has broken down a lot of barriers. She is an incredibly talented administrator.' Swann, who has been involved in club administration for more than 25 years, will oversee hot issues including the match review system, umpiring and laws of the game. 'I'm leaving to go the AFL to head up footy, I suppose, in the simplest terms,' Swann said when he confirmed his appointment to Lions colleagues. Lions coach Chris Fagan said Swann would be a major boost for the AFL. 'I'm really pleased for Swanny, it will be great for the game,' he said. 'He's one of those composed, calm and experienced people. We're obviously sad to lose him ... but things don't last forever. 'ln this instance, it will be a great win for the AFL. 'He'll help bring another angle to decision making that perhaps hasn't been there in recent times.'
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Not personal': AFL CEO Andrew Dillon explains executive reshuffle
AFL chief Andrew Dillon insists there's nothing personal in the demotion of Laura Kane while brushing off fierce criticism of the umpiring standard. Dillon has gone on the Friday hustings after his reshuffle of the AFL executive cost Indigenous identity Tanya Hosch her role and pushed Kane down the pecking order. Kane's job has been split, with the 34-year-old no longer overseeing key football areas. 'It was a big, big role,' Dillon told SEN radio on Friday. 'Decisions affect people but they're not personal. It's actually about what's the right thing for the AFL, not just for now, because the AFL's in an incredible position at the moment. ' ... We have now got a structure that actually allows us to continue to be successful for the next three to five years and that was the thinking.' In a separate interview on ABC Radio, Dillon rejected the notion that unconscious gender bias was a factor in Kane's dealings with clubs and subsequent demotion. 'It's not a gender thing,' he said. 'Laura has broken down a lot of barriers. She is an incredibly talented administrator.' Hosch's position of inclusion and social policy manager will no longer exist as a separate role once the first Indigenous member of the AFL executive leaves on 6 June. Instead, the existing corporate affairs portfolio will include First Nations engagement and inclusion. Asked about Hosch's departure, Dillon said on SEN: 'What we will have now is more voices and more leaders all across the industry in all of the work that Tanya was doing.' The AFL boss also launched in defence of the standard of umpiring this season which has attracted great scrutiny. Dillon described the umpiring fraternity as 'incredibly talented ... great decision-makers'. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion 'You strive for perfection but you know you're now going to get that in umpiring,' he said. 'We don't get it with the players either. But you have to do to is get as close as you can and that is a continued work in progress. 'You can pick out isolated incidents of any game and say that it's battling. What you have to do is actually look at all nine games over the weekend ... picking isolated incidents isn't the way that you judge the umpires.' Dillon said the system of four field umpires, which some pundits believe has created inconsistency, would prove its worth. 'We're a couple of seasons into the four umpires, it's a work in progress,' he said. 'What it does have, it allows ... umpires to be in better positions to make the calls. It's less physically taxing on them. 'When we brought the four umpires in, we expanded the list so we have a number of umpires who are in the early parts of their career. So I think over the medium and longer term it's going to be successful.'
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
BAM lodges complaint over umpiring decisions in Malaysia Masters game
BAM alleged that three controversial decisions made at crucial points of the match involving young national men's doubles pair Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai on Thursday had denied them a fair contest. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has lodged a formal complaint with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) over multiple umpiring decisions that it deemed contentious during the second-round action at the Malaysia Masters 2025 on Thursday. BAM alleged that three decisions made at crucial points of the match between young national men's doubles pair Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai and Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard had significantly influenced the outcome, thus raising serious concerns over the fairness of play. 'A formal complaint has been submitted alongside video evidence and detailed match documentation for BWF's immediate review. 'BAM remains committed to upholding the values of sportsmanship and professionalism, and calls on BWF to take swift and transparent action to address this matter and prevent similar incidents in future competitions,' it said in a statement today. The controversial umpiring decisions marred Khai Xing-Aaron's exit to the Danes, who won the 67-minute clash 21-10, 24-26, 21-16. Meanwhile, BAM secretary-general Kenny Goh, in the same statement, emphasised the importance of maintaining integrity in officiating, stating that while the association respects the role of technical officials, it is crucial that a thorough review of officiating standards be conducted by BWF. In BAM's view, Goh said the decisions made by the umpire were clearly erroneous and denied the players a fair contest. 'Such officiating not only affects the outcome of matches but also undermines the credibility of the sport of badminton,' he said. National men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi had, after the match, described the decisions as unfair and felt that the situation placed emotional stress on 19-year-old Khai Xing and 18-year-old Aaron.
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
BAM files complaint to BWF over ‘clearly erroneous' umpiring in Malaysia Masters men's doubles clash
KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has lodged a formal complaint with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) over multiple umpiring decisions that it deemed contentious during the second-round action at the Malaysia Masters 2025 on Thursday (May 22). BAM alleged that three decisions made at crucial points of the match between young national men's doubles pair Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai and Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard had significantly influenced the outcome, thus raising serious concerns over the fairness of play. 'A formal complaint has been submitted alongside video evidence and detailed match documentation for BWF's immediate review. 'BAM remains committed to upholding the values of sportsmanship and professionalism, and calls on BWF to take swift and transparent action to address this matter and prevent similar incidents in future competitions,' it said in a statement today. The controversial umpiring decisions marred Khai Xing-Aaron's exit to the Danes, who won the 67-minute clash 21-10, 24-26, 21-16. Meanwhile, BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh, in the same statement, emphasised the importance of maintaining integrity in officiating, stating that while the association respects the role of technical officials, it is crucial for a thorough review of officiating standards be conducted by the BWF. In BAM's view, Kenny said, the decisions made by the umpire were clearly erroneous and denied the players a fair contest. 'Such officiating not only affects the outcome of matches but also undermines the credibility of the sport of badminton,' he said. National men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi had, after the match, described such decisions made as unfair and felt that the situation placed emotional stress on 19-year-old Khai Xing and 18-year-old Aaron. — Bernama
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Crackdown on counties criticising umpires on social media
Counties have been warned they could face sanctions for criticising umpiring decisions on social media. In an attempt to protect officials from pile-ons from fans, the counties were informed by the England and Wales Cricket Board this week that the Cricket Regulator was 'actively looking at social media posts from clubs, specifically around dissent to umpiring decisions'. It added that clubs should not 'post negatively about officiating decisions'. The guidance applies to both men's and women's county action. The 18 counties all have hundreds of thousands of followers across their men's and women's teams' accounts on X, Instagram and TikTok. During matches they use the accounts to keep fans up to date with scores, posting descriptions of wickets or showing clips of the action. It has been felt that some posts have veered into overt criticism of the officiating, and has incited engagement from fans over the quality of the umpires, who have no access to the Decision Review System at county level. It is understood that umpires have been hurt and frustrated by fans' criticism, and there are concerns that it could affect their confidence. Even describing a dismissal as 'adjudged' or 'given' lbw – which raises doubt over the correctness of the decision – could be considered loaded language. The below social media post by Somerset is an example of an instance that generated a huge reaction among fans and caused a social media pile-on against the umpire in question. OUT!!!!!! A magnificant innings from D'Oliveira is over as he's adjudged LBW!!! LIVE STREAM ➡️ #SOMvWOR #WeAreSomerset — Somerset Cricket (@SomersetCCC) April 7, 2025 It is understood that in the first case, advice would informally be offered to the club or individual over the nature of their posting. If it persisted, they could be issued a caution, or even be charged with bringing the game into disrepute. Players are also encouraged not to criticise umpires from their personal accounts. Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, is among those who have questioned decisions before. The regulator would have the power to intervene in such cases, too. The regulator was launched in 2023 to 'ensure compliance with the game's rules and regulations'. It is described as 'ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB' and has an 'independent board'.
