Equal opportunities for everybody has long been the mantra of modern society, and the English FA, being fifty years behind the times, has finally caught up to the rest of the country with a landmark decision.
Although it went without fanfare, at the start of the 2008-09 season in English football, no longer will referees be discriminated against because they have a disability. Referee changing rooms across the country have had to be modified in case the official is wheelchair bound by the provision of ramps and lower sinks and door handles.
The whistle is no longer to be the only mechanism that a referee can use to indicate the stop and start in play, and deaf referees can now use a laser pen to replace the whistle.
The most controversial aspect of the new ruling is that blind referees can now officiate a match. Some may argue that they have been doing so for years, but now it's official.
As with all referees though, the referees of impaired sight have had to start at the lower rungs of football ladder in the so-called "grassroots". Saturday 1st November saw the first officially blind referee take to the pitch in the Conference North match Alfreton Town v Stalybridge Celtic.
At the end of the match, both sets of fans were left disgruntled with the referees performance. "I'm all for equality," said one Alfreton fan, "but you've got to draw the line somewhere. I just hope that idiot can see the line."
"It's no good," said a Stalybridge fan, "He missed too much and at times just looked to be making it up!"
The referee was unavailable for comment.
