Adams vows to back referees
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Portsmouth manager Tony Adams has pledged to bite his tongue even if he thinks a referee's blunder has hurt his team – an unexpected boost for the Football Association's "Respect" Campaign. Adams admits he used to dish out fearful abuse to officials during his Arsenal playing days, but now Pompey's new leader is keen to set a different example.
Some managers have reportedly discussed staging industrial action with measures like delaying the kick-off in games by keeping players in the dressing rooms to make a point about allegedly falling standards among referees. And Adams admits: "There is a lot of worry and stress out there about whether you will be in a job next week. And when there is that kind of intensity people do things they would not normally do."
But he told the Portsmouth News: "Nobody is perfect. I can get things wrong and so can referees. So I will try to count to 10 and give them the benefit of the doubt – although I haven't been tested [as a manager] in that way yet. I am going to try to support them as much as I can – although they need to give us 10 penalties a year."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments