Referee knocking

It looks like referee Khoun Ly is really enjoying his work! Pic: nicksellsphotography

I must admit I'm not the biggest fan of the match officials in the Metfone C-League. One or two can get through their games without resorting to frantically waving their yellow and red cards in the air anytime someone makes a tackle, but they are in a minority. There's a distinct lack of consistency amongst the referees and it's painful to watch some of their decisions from the stands. A recent example was the Khemara v Phnom Penh Crown match where Tuy Vichheka booked 12 players and brandished 1 red card. At a real push I could agree with half of his decisions, and yet he failed to book the worst culprit on the pitch, Khemara's Zidougha Paris, who persistently committed fouls and received no more than a series of finger-waggings. We've had 20 matches in the C-League so far this season and 77 players have been shown the yellow card and 5 players a red card. The most dedicated of the card-waving referee's club are Thong Chankethya (21 yellows + 1 red), Yien Kivatanak (18 yellows + 2 reds) and Tuy Vichheka (14 yellows + 1 red). We've not managed to get through 1 game so far without a card being shown. I know it's a tough job, that knocking the referee is all too easy, blah, blah, blah, but seeing really is believing in this case and the matches as spectacles are suffering as a result.

It's all in the presentation. Nice that the ref's have black patches on their underarms to hide their sweat stains. Pic: nicksellsphotography