Referees have borne the brunt of the FA’s foundering Respect campaign and, yesterday, they were dealt another blow when they were left out in the cold at a summit meeting of the League Managers Association (LMA). No one from Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the referees’ governing body, was invited to attend.

It leaves two of the most influential bodies in English football on a collision course, with the LMA flexing its collective muscle and seeking to assert its authority. It is understood that it is to ask for a representative — a former manager or player — on the board of PGMOL in an effort to encourage better liaison and greater “feedback”.

Instead of seeking the views of the match officials at the “technical” meeting in Coventry, the LMA chose to go it alone. Privately, it has “disappointed” senior PGMOL figures, their relationship with LMA now seemingly close to meltdown. “More like extremely disappointed,” a refereeing source said last night.

The apparent snub by the LMA will further alienate the referees, who believe that they are receiving little support in the face of regular verbal attacks from managers and are becoming isolated. Joe Kinnear, the Newcastle United interim manager, called Martin Atkinson a “Mickey Mouse referee” after his team’s 2-1 defeat by Fulham on Sunday.

And Simon Davey, the Barnsley manager, fired a broadside at Andy D’Urso after Iain Hume, the forward, fractured his skull in the match against Sheffield United on Saturday. Hume is in a hospital high dependency unit after a challenge with Chris Morgan, for which the Sheffield United captain was shown only a yellow card.

“The decision not to show a red card was an absolute disgrace,” Davey said. “It beggars belief that you send a manager to the stand when a referee’s assistant makes a decision from 70 yards down the pitch; yet a challenge like this seen from 15 yards away, which ends with Iain suffering a fractured skull, goes virtually unpunished.”

However, the referees themselves are far from happy with life, either, with a lack of confidence in the FA in particular.

Last month, when the FA decided to annul the dismissal of Habib Beye, the Newcastle defender, Rob Styles, the referee who had issued the red card, considered retirement. It was only after persuasion from leading PGMOL members that he agreed to continue.

Kinnear’s remarks are to be reviewed in context by the FA. It has already charged Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, with improper conduct after he launched a finger-jabbing tirade at Mike Dean, the referee, during United’s 4-3 victory over Hull City at Old Trafford ten days ago.

At the start of the season, the Respect campaign appeared to be working in the Barclays Premier League and three divisions of the Football League. Managers and referees seemed to coexist relatively harmoniously. However, this has degenerated in recent weeks, with Paul Ince, the Blackburn Rovers manager, Tony Mowbray, of West Bromwich Albion, and Roy Keane, of Sunderland, also highly critical of match officials.

The LMA called its meeting to address the issues, which included the training, appraisal and talent identification of referees.

More than 35 league managers attended, although none of the “big four” of Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, of Arsenal, Rafael Benítez, of Liverpool, and Luiz Felipe Scolari, of Chelsea.

Richard Bevan, the LMA chief executive, said: “What we want is to see an improvement in the overall system, leading to a higher standard of refereeing. Our members have unrivalled depth of knowledge, experience and expertise. We will continue to represent their views.”

The LMA’s findings will be passed on to Keith Hackett, the PGMOL general manager. “Our intention is to support Keith Hackett and referees and provide better teamwork,” Bevan said. However, it is believed that if the LMA’s wish to have a representative on the PGMOL board is rejected, the position of Hackett — and that of Peter Heard, the PGMOL chairman — could be under threat.

With Respect apparently at a crossroads, the FA is to meet with the LMA and individual managers to discuss the campaign. “We will offer them a further opportunity to raise any concerns,” Jonathan Hall, the FA’s director of governance, said. “It has been disappointing to witness various incidents of managers publicly criticising referees over the past few weeks. It is easy to support officials when a decision goes your way, the real test is the ability to show understanding when a call goes against you.”

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