He says that unlike before, they did not experience problems with availability of stadiums. He is, however, worried by the media coverage, especially Btv, which he says is confined to the south. He says the standard of refereeing has improved a lot but more needs to be done during tense or high profile games. "I suggest that the Premier League must categorise referees according to experience such that highly experienced ones handle tough games and derbies," he says.
Lebogang Rapulane of Police XI says the managers of the Premier League have tried their best to utilise the minimum resources at their disposal. He says attendance at games has declined even for big matches. He attributes this to poor performance by clubs. He says that although there is significant improvement in refereeing, the main worry is still the performance of northern referees' in matches involving southern clubs. "It is shocking if you look at the way referees up north handle games against south teams and it is not surprising to hear remarks that south teams will go to [the] north hopeful and return empty-handed," says a worried Rapulane. He has reservations on media coverage. He says the media tend to only focus on struggling clubs or those that are doing well.
