You might not be aware of it, but the referee who sent Robin van Persie off at the Nou Camp for shooting three milliseconds after he blew the whistle was promoted to Head of FIFA referees in 2011.

The decision, which most likely cost Arsenal the tie, was farcical at the time and has become even more so with the passage of it.

But this is how the governing bodies work, and this is what happens to referees – they rarely ever have to pay for the consequences of their poor performances and regularly get rewarded.

The referee Massimo Busacca shows a red card to Arsenal's Dutch forward Robin van Persie during their Champions League round of 16, 2nd leg football match FC Barcelona vs Arsenal on March 8, 2011 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)
‘I don’t care how many people there are…’ AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE

Don’t believe me? Look at Mike Reily, the ref who let United assault Arsenal to end their unbeaten run. He is now head of PGMOL, the governing body for referees in England. A referee who was beyond

A referee who was beyond atrocious (for younger readers, think Mike Dean on a *really* bad day) is now in charge of all the others.

The referee Massimo Busacca shows a red card to Arsenal's Dutch forward Robin van Persie during their Champions League round of 16, 2nd leg football match FC Barcelona vs Arsenal on March 8, 2011 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE
The referee Massimo Busacca shows a red card to Arsenal’s Dutch forward Robin van Persie during their Champions League round of 16, 2nd leg football match FC Barcelona vs Arsenal on March 8, 2011 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE

Makes some things seem a lot clearer now, right?

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 08: Robin van Persie (L) of Arsenal reacts to referee Massimo Busacca after receiving a red card during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Barcelona and Arsenal on March 8, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – MARCH 08: Robin van Persie (L) of Arsenal reacts to referee Massimo Busacca after receiving a red card during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Barcelona and Arsenal on March 8, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

Anyway, Massimo Busacca opened the first joint-preparation Elite AFC, CAF and OFC Referees Seminar in Doha, Qatar (ever notice how these things are always in impoverished countries? Oh wait..) with the official countdown to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the Women’s World Cup in France in 2019.

The seminar is the first time in the history of the organisation that female referees have joined their male colleagues for this sort of thing which will include theoretical practice, both in the classroom and on the pitch.

The end result? While they are hoping to ensure the referees will benefit from time together studying the game, all that’s likely to happen is that the men will taint the women with their uselessness.

Thankfully, no Premier League referees are at the event as UEFA are not included. Can’t have that lot tainting the pool further.