Demand Fair and Neutral Refereeing in International Rugby League
Why was an Australian referee appointed to officiate a Rugby League World Cup semi-final involving Australia?

The appointment of Australian referee Adam Gee to the Australia vs Samoa semi-final raises serious questions about impartiality, fairness and the integrity of international rugby league.

The controversial refereeing decisions during the match, including repeated six-again calls and what appeared to be inconsistent rulings against Samoa, have only added to those concerns.

Qualified referees from other countries were selected for this World Cup, including English referees Chris Kendall and Liam Moore.

If qualified referees from neutral countries were part of the tournament, why was an Australian referee appointed to officiate such an important match involving Australia?

Was this decision based on experience, performance or other selection criteria? And why wasn't a neutral-country referee given priority for a World Cup semi-final?

These are reasonable questions that deserve clear, public answers.

This petition is not about attacking an individual referee or claiming that nationality alone proves bias. It is about ensuring that international matches are officiated independently, transparently and without any perceived conflict of interest.

We call on International Rugby League and the Australian Rugby League Commission to:

Conduct an independent review of the refereeing decisions in the Australia vs Samoa semi-final.
Publicly explain why an Australian referee was appointed to a match involving Australia, rather than an official from a neutral country.
Disclose the selection criteria used for appointing referees to World Cup knockout matches.
Review the appointment process to ensure transparency, independence and accountability.
Introduce a mandatory neutral-country referee policy for future Rugby League World Cup semi-finals and finals.
Every nation deserves a fair playing field, regardless of its size, ranking or influence in international rugby league.

Samoa's players gave everything on the field. Like every other team competing internationally, they deserved an officiating process that was fair, independent and beyond reasonable questions of impartiality.

International rugby league must not only be fair. It must be seen to be fair.

Neutral refereeing should be the standard, not the exception.

Sign and share this petition to demand transparency, accountability and a level playing field for every nation.