I imagine there is so much banter between players and refs at that level that the fans never hear. A camera just happened to catch this one.
The video of the "incident" (which I put in quotations because this is absolutely laughable): Players can dissent and abuse officials all day with few repercussions, but the moment an official shows, post-game, a positive, human side to a player... it becomes a scandal? Absolutely absurd. Plus, as code1390 says, this sort of thing happens--I hope--all the time. I can't believe this is an issue and it is rather infuriating that an official is actually being sanctioned for this.
They just turned a highly favorable story PR-wise into a PR nightmare. You damn well know Arsenal went crazy with this story and pitched a fit to the FA and PGMOL.
Another story/perspective from the Guardian on this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jan/15/linesman-manchester-city-off-duty?intcmp=239 I get the thought process in getting him the night off, but it's not the same situation as Clatts - don't remember the deal with Sian, was it getting run into on the line (I think?) Can't imagine the boiler room that is the British press, but I gotta think there are options other than giving him the night off.
At the pro level, this sort of thing goes on all the time, at least on this side of the pond. It's called "man management." The other lesson is that, at that level, referees are expendable. It's a business, an entertainment business, and if the bosses decide that you are 'controversial,' and you aren't a player or coach, you will be dealt with. Doesn't matter, frankly, whether this is normal or fair. It just goes with the territory.
You're right, though it stinks at that level to think of these folks as expendable it's a reality. Reminds me of the "Demotivator" I see around our IT department from time to time: "Always remember you are unique, just like the rest of us."
Ah, Demotivators. A great way to waste precious work time (after Big Soccer, that is!). And, for the soccer-inclined: "If you expect to score points by whining, join a European soccer team."
Ah, my favorite (since I work in Corporate IT), seems to have disappeared from the site: "Leaders are like eagles. We don't have either one of them here."
My favorite remains a dig at my own profession: "Consulting - if you're not going to be part of the solution, there's a lot of money to be made in prolonging the problem"
I thought that the way consultants work is that they sit around the lunchroom, drinking coffee, until one of the employees tells them what the answer is.
We called it "Continued Engagement" when the goal was to continue on a project without solving the problem.
