They Should Have Gone To Specsavers

Have you noticed how small print these days is getting smaller? And even less small print is getting smaller? In fact I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that lots of things in the world are getting harder to see.

What do you mean go and get your eyes tested Georgina? Are you suggesting it might have something to do with my age?

Well I can understand why you might suggest that. But you see I have good evidence for thinking its not just me.

We have been aware for some time that Mr Wenger and Mr Ferguson are struggling. Even Avram Grant has succumbed.

And we all know that there are a significant proportion of referees with sight deficiencies.

Now I'm a girl who believes in celebrating diversity and I am passionate about finding ways to enable people with disabilities. But if you have this much trouble at home, should you really be refereeing a football match?

It would be good to think there can be a place in sport for those with eyesight problems. Already we have linesmen who sometimes pick up the wrong flag on their way to the match. And the Blind World Cup Football tournament is proof that anything is possible.

They say that disability is made by those around us. If we all only had one arm we would structure our world around us to respond to that. But because the world is, in the main, geared up for so called 'normal' people (if such a thing exists) those who are 'different' have to somehow try to fit in.

So I have been giving some thought as to how we might 'enable' some of these football managers and referees to be able to operate better in the football world.

Maybe it is a colour issue. After all one symptom of this condition is the ability to see fouls by the other team but not your own. Presumably then if you managed a team in a different colour, the problem would be solved. For the managers at least.

Or perhaps players should be fitted with a tackleometer which is able to give instant feedback on how hard they have been hit and where. It could have the double advantage of deterring some of the divers as well, who obviously present a trip hazard to those less able to see what's in front of them.

In truth, I'm not sure how you decide if it's you or the rest of the world. After all, there is every chance that when this or this happens, you are blissfully oblivious.