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       #Post#: 71881--------------------------------------------------
       TOM FOLEY
       By: Alfie75 Date: December 5, 2023, 3:08 am
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       Very sad news that Tom Foley (TMO in the WC Final) has decided
       to step away from international duties due to the vile abuse
       he's received since the Final.
       More evidence that authorities need to take swift action
       otherwise decent refs will just walk away!
  HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/67613298
       I feel we won't see Tom Foley back for a while (if at all on the
       international scene).
       #Post#: 71917--------------------------------------------------
       Re: TOM FOLEY
       By: Seagull Date: December 5, 2023, 11:39 am
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       A sad state of affairs, to say the least. Generally, I didn't
       think RU fans were known for abusing officials, unlike so many
       football fans, sadly. I see that Tom will still officiate in the
       Premiership. Hopefully, he will continue to enjoy that, which is
       what it's all about at the end of the day.
       #Post#: 71920--------------------------------------------------
       Re: TOM FOLEY
       By: UmpireIan49 Date: December 5, 2023, 11:54 am
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       This sadly is a problem which is affecting most sports now,
       especially with the rise of the keyboard warrior who has a
       dangerous sense of entitlement and will stop at nothing to
       vilify an official.
       Social media is mainly to blame, along with a total lack of
       respect generally in society. But stop to consider, there is a
       shortage of match officials in most sports. Why? Because of this
       glorification of mistakes and the vilification of people who are
       just trying to do an honest and fair job and facilitate their
       chosen sport.
       But why isn’t the challenge given to those numbskulls to take up
       officiating? Because they wouldn’t want to take the crap they
       dish out and will run away at the first sign of trouble. Quite
       content to sit behind a keyboard, pretend you’re an expert and
       then make people’s lives a misery.
       An intolerance of mistakes has crept in and the media just love
       jumping on the next error they come across and won’t leave it
       alone, like a dog with a bone. It’s like a pack mentality, and
       the followers of certain sports just blindly follow the pundits
       and parrot everything they say. It’s a depressing state of
       affairs that we have come to this and I certainly wouldn’t want
       to be a professional official in modern sport, the expectations
       are now for the officials to be perfect all the time. Of course
       the people that come out with this claptrap have never made a
       mistake in their own lives before have they?
       It’s not going to get any better, I have to say.
       #Post#: 71946--------------------------------------------------
       Re: TOM FOLEY
       By: greeny Date: December 5, 2023, 11:49 pm
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       On similar lines, Ben O'Keeffe put up a post on social media
       about abuse he received during the RWC and the stats are really
       alarming.  I admire any official that feels like they can have a
       public profile - and there are a number of rugby officials who
       do, but unfortunately, as with other sports like football, they
       just get bombarded with threats and abuse when their decisions
       go against a country.  Social media sites really do need to be
       stricter on abuse and trolling.
       #Post#: 71955--------------------------------------------------
       Re: TOM FOLEY
       By: Alfie75 Date: December 6, 2023, 6:28 am
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       The media also need to take responsibility and ownership.
       During the RWC Final and the panel afterwards , I remember
       watching the NZ TV and they absolutely lambasted Foley & Barnes.
       I had to switch off - it was awful!!
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