Refereeing isn’t an easy job. It is important to put that front and centre in any discussion. The people in the middle are widely hated by both sets of players, managers from the two teams and everyone on the stadium. In the modern era, they get their decisions scrutinised repeatedly by the various broadcasters who show live football, without any real right to reply.
It is far from a job that most people would want in the sport, so due respect has to be shown to those that choose to take it on.