No mercy: Referee Artur Dias shows a yellow card to Manchester United’s Casemiro during the match against Sevilla. — AP
THE modern version of the game of football has been around since the 19th century, and for almost as long there have been referees. While we know referees use whistles and coloured cards to call out fouls now, in the past it is said they used handkerchiefs.
Is this true?
Verdict:
TRUE
It is true that football referees used to use handkerchiefs to call fouls in the past.
Before the introduction of modern referee whistles, handkerchiefs or flags were commonly used by referees to signal fouls and other decisions during football matches.
In the earliest football matches, disputes were actually settled by the captains from both sides. At the time, there was no umpire involved in the matches as the game was regarded as a gentleman's game.
As association rules were established and competition began in 1872 each team appointed an umpire to keep an eye on play.
As the rules and regulations were still evolving, referees relied on various means to communicate their decisions to players and spectators.
Carrying a handkerchief or a small flag carried in their pocket gave the umpires a visible and practical way to draw attention to fouls or for any ungentlemanly conduct on the field.
Over time, as the game of football became more organised and standardised, the use of whistles became more prevalent.
Whistles provided a sharper and more consistent way for referees to signal fouls and other rulings.
Joseph Hudson, of Birmingham in England, came up with the first whistle ever which was used in a match by a football referee in 1868. The first game ever credited with the use of a whistle was a game at Nottingham Forest.
The use of handkerchiefs or flags as a primary means of signalling fouls gradually diminished and is rarely seen today even in informal or amateur matches.
Today, in professional football matches, referees play a central role to keep the match in control by using a variety of whistles (from ones with peas to pealess, or even electronic ones), hand gestures, verbal communication, and cards (yellow and red) to indicate fouls, misconduct, and other decisions on the field.
References:
1. https://www.footballhistory.org/
2. https://www.britannica.com/sports/football-soccer
3. https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/a-short-history-of-the-football-referees-whistle
4. http://fitba2014.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-short-history-of-referees-whistle.html
