Isapea chairman urges match officials to be impartial

 By LARRY AULA ANDREW
GULF Isapea chairman Jacob Ivaroa has called on Digicel Cup referees and touch judges to be consistent and impartial in their duties in order for the competition to benefit and progress.
A disappointed Ivaroa raised issue with how their round four fixture against the Lae Tigers was controlled last Sunday and in particular how a seemingly inexperienced touch judge was allowed to officiate at the Digicel Cup level.
The Isapea lost to the Tigers 16-8 at the Lae Rugby League Oval and while Ivaroa accepted the final result, conceding that the better team had won on the day, he was scathing in his assessment of the refereeing and the performance of one touch judge.
“There has to be consistency in the decisions and calls being made by referees at this level in order for the games to flow and for the contest to be fair and even for the players, clubs and their fans,” Ivaroa said.
He said it seemed at times during the match, the touch judge in question either could not help the referee make informed decisions — or would not — and one these instances resulted in the Tigers scoring a crucial try in the second-half.
The touch judge failed to flag an apparent knock-on by the Tigers, who were on the attack in the passage of play that led to them scoring the match-winning try.
Ivaroa, who had earlier raised concerns about the general safety of players and team officials at venues around the country, as well as refereeing standards after his side drew 22-22 with the Waghi Tumbe in round two, said his club had no problems with the Tigers or the result but laid the blame on the quality of the encounter on the refereeing.
He said the referee and his touch judges missed many errors during the course of the game as well as allowing several instances of dangerous play and niggling tactics to go unpenalised.
“We are all trying our best to improve the quality of our game and the least we expect is for organisers and match officials to do their part.”