We are our own worst enemies. I realized this during a tournament this weekend. As decent people, we desire to please others. This often conflicts with our position as referee. It is true that when we make a decision on the field, we disappoint about half the people involved in that particular game. However, we are obligated to make decisions that are supported by the LOTG, without regard to the popularity of that decision.
This weekend, I worked a local tournament. I was crewed with 3 other referees. They all have a great deal of experience and I respect their knowledge and abilities. We had 2 incidents that I observed that illustrate the point I made above.
First, in a U-12 game, we had a situation that instigated a conversation about Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity by Foul. A ball was played to a player near the top of the penalty area. The player dribbled straight at the goal, unopposed. in the middle of the penalty area, he beat the goalkeeper who immediately pulled the player down from behind. The ball was at the player's feet. He was heading directly to the goal and he had no other defenders in his way. In this particular situation, the attacker's team mate put the ball in the net before the referee stopped play.
I was off that game. I joined into a conversation between AR 1 and the referee as they were coming off the field. The AR was making his point that, had the ball not gone into the net, the goal keeper clearly had denied a goal scoring opportunity and had to be sent off. In the case of what actually happened, the goal keeper should have been cautioned. The referee was making the case of the players only being 12 and was saying he would have a tough time sending off in this situation. I agreed with the AR. The player had to go had the goal not been scored. I pointed out to the referee that had the players been, say U-17, he would clearly have no problem sending off the goal keeper. I also pointed out the LOTG is clear and makes no reference to age. My suspicion is the referee was uncomfortable with dishing out a severe punishment to a young player. However, this is an obligation of our position as referees.
The other situation involved a coach behaving badly. One of our crew had to leave early so a replacement was sent to our field. The rotation of the crew put a relatively inexperienced referee on a U-12 game. Having seen this referee work before, I felt he'd have no problem with the game itself. However, we had heard that the coach of one of the teams was a notorious problem in the technical area. AR 1 was a very experienced referee. I was AR 2.
I observed this coach starting problems in the technical area shortly before the half. The referee went over and spoke with him at least twice. At half time, AR 1 commented that the coach must be dismissed if he continues. The referee seemed to agree. Shortly into the second half, the coach was causing problems again. From my vantage point, I could only see the referee and AR 1 speaking with both coaches. I could not assess the severity of the situation. I was told later that AR 1 advised the referee to dismiss 3 times.
If a referee fails to deal with poor behavior in the technical area, it will not be long before the teams on the field start to misbehave. That is exactly what happened in this game. Not only was the coach a problem, his team starting acting out as well. The cautions started. The referee was losing control. Fortunately, we got through the game. However, because this coach was never dismissed, he will continue his behavior at other games and cause problems for other referees.
We must deal with irresponsible behavior firmly and quickly. Remember, when behavior is a problem, the coaches are not your friends and your action is not a conversation or debate. The poor behavior must cease immediately or the personnel must be dismissed. The "Ask, Tell, Dismiss" policy has always worked for me. See the "Ask, Tell, Dismiss" video here.
Showing posts with label Send off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Send off. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Monday, May 23, 2011
2011 State Cup
I had a really interesting weekend at our State Cup. I came away feeling very good about my performance. The last time I was there, I didn't do well. I feel like I made up for my previous poor showing.
I had a schedule of 3 games on Saturday:
As a youth soccer referee, we don't often get to work as 4th officials. The position can be really boring...or really challenging, depending on the teams and their behavior standards. It gives one a great opportunity to use one's man-management skills. It is not easy if you are not used to it. When team staff are starting to get out of control, the 4th official must apply whatever skills they have to distract the attention of the individual to them and away from the referee. The 4th official must be a calming influence. When necessary, the 4th official must apply the "Ask, Tell, Remove" policy. Some teams are accustomed to screaming and yelling in the technical area (see the above paragraph). It sure is a rude awakening when they discover they have a crew that won't tolerate abuse.
My U16 semi final went well. I thought I did a really good job, and the assessor seemed to agree. He had a few things to point out, but they were tips for improvement, not "you got this wrong."
One of the lessons I want to impart here is that sometimes, teams just don't come to play soccer, even at a game as important as state cup. One of my teams did not come to play (white). It was obvious from the first whistle. We had overly physical, cynical play from the start. Again, perhaps this team was used to officials that let this sort of thing go. I am not one of those officials. The first half was an exercise in management skills. The first few rough tackles were reward with a one-on-one conversation about how that sort of thing was not going to be tolerated. Those conversations were followed by a caution. By the end of the first half, I had already had one conversation with a previously cautioned player that started with "Please don't think for a second that I won't give you the 2nd caution..."
I had a conversation with the crew at the half and expressed my concern we were going to have a tough 2nd half. The overly physical team was down 2-0 and already had 2 cautions. They had little to lose so the game could go either way.
It turns out I was prescient. Early in the 2nd half, we had a tackle or two that resulted in more conversations. About midway through, one of the previously cautioned players started with very vocal dissent. He received his second caution (after having been talked to twice before) and his second off. This cooled the temperature of the gamed noticeably for some time. Oddly enough, when the team started concentrate on the game, they had more success. The game eventually got to 3-2. White was still in the game. Late in the game, one of white's forwards felt he had been fouled (he clearly wasn't) and I expressed my disagreement. White responded with an abusive statement. I stopped play and sent him off immediately. As a referee, you must be willing to make the tough decision. It is not about being "hard" or "tough." It's about enforcing the LOTG appropriately in order to make the game more enjoyable for all participants!
There was a funny incident related to the send off. While I was writing in my notebook, one of the opponents asked me what I had sent the player of for. I told him what the player had called me. He said "I don't think that about you at all Sir!" I had to chuckle at that one.
As I mentioned, the next day I had a couple of AR assignments. The U-15 game was a tough one! Not so much for me, but the referee. He had 7 cautions and 4 send offs. Yes, you read right...4. One each for Serious Foul Play, Denies a goal scoring opportunity by foul, second caution and abusive language. The abusive language was after the final whistle. The player approached the referee and screamed all sorts of profanities at him. For a moment, I thought he might be physical with him, but it didn't happen. It was a tough game, but I thought the referee handled it as well as he could. Again, sometimes, teams don't come to play.
I had a schedule of 3 games on Saturday:
- 4th Official on a U-17 boys Semi-final
- Referee on a U-16 boys Semi-final
- AR1 on a U-15 girls Semi-final
- an AR on a U-15 boys final
- an AR on a U-16 boys final
As a youth soccer referee, we don't often get to work as 4th officials. The position can be really boring...or really challenging, depending on the teams and their behavior standards. It gives one a great opportunity to use one's man-management skills. It is not easy if you are not used to it. When team staff are starting to get out of control, the 4th official must apply whatever skills they have to distract the attention of the individual to them and away from the referee. The 4th official must be a calming influence. When necessary, the 4th official must apply the "Ask, Tell, Remove" policy. Some teams are accustomed to screaming and yelling in the technical area (see the above paragraph). It sure is a rude awakening when they discover they have a crew that won't tolerate abuse.
My U16 semi final went well. I thought I did a really good job, and the assessor seemed to agree. He had a few things to point out, but they were tips for improvement, not "you got this wrong."
One of the lessons I want to impart here is that sometimes, teams just don't come to play soccer, even at a game as important as state cup. One of my teams did not come to play (white). It was obvious from the first whistle. We had overly physical, cynical play from the start. Again, perhaps this team was used to officials that let this sort of thing go. I am not one of those officials. The first half was an exercise in management skills. The first few rough tackles were reward with a one-on-one conversation about how that sort of thing was not going to be tolerated. Those conversations were followed by a caution. By the end of the first half, I had already had one conversation with a previously cautioned player that started with "Please don't think for a second that I won't give you the 2nd caution..."
I had a conversation with the crew at the half and expressed my concern we were going to have a tough 2nd half. The overly physical team was down 2-0 and already had 2 cautions. They had little to lose so the game could go either way.
It turns out I was prescient. Early in the 2nd half, we had a tackle or two that resulted in more conversations. About midway through, one of the previously cautioned players started with very vocal dissent. He received his second caution (after having been talked to twice before) and his second off. This cooled the temperature of the gamed noticeably for some time. Oddly enough, when the team started concentrate on the game, they had more success. The game eventually got to 3-2. White was still in the game. Late in the game, one of white's forwards felt he had been fouled (he clearly wasn't) and I expressed my disagreement. White responded with an abusive statement. I stopped play and sent him off immediately. As a referee, you must be willing to make the tough decision. It is not about being "hard" or "tough." It's about enforcing the LOTG appropriately in order to make the game more enjoyable for all participants!
There was a funny incident related to the send off. While I was writing in my notebook, one of the opponents asked me what I had sent the player of for. I told him what the player had called me. He said "I don't think that about you at all Sir!" I had to chuckle at that one.
As I mentioned, the next day I had a couple of AR assignments. The U-15 game was a tough one! Not so much for me, but the referee. He had 7 cautions and 4 send offs. Yes, you read right...4. One each for Serious Foul Play, Denies a goal scoring opportunity by foul, second caution and abusive language. The abusive language was after the final whistle. The player approached the referee and screamed all sorts of profanities at him. For a moment, I thought he might be physical with him, but it didn't happen. It was a tough game, but I thought the referee handled it as well as he could. Again, sometimes, teams don't come to play.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Good Day at the College Showcase
I worked a really nice college showcase over the Easter weekend. Going into the tournament, I wasn't sure how it was going to work out. I had come down with a nasty cold earlier in the week and it was unseasonably warm. I was very concerned how I was going to hold up. Fortunately, for whatever reason, I did not get assigned on the Friday of the tournament so I only had one day to worry about.
As is the custom at this tournament, we received our field assignment upon arriving at the facility. I was put with three very experienced referees, one of which I had worked with before. At these higher level tournaments, it's always good to be with a quality crew because you can learn so much and expose yourself to other styles of game management. Always be an observer when working with others. You can sort out the good and bad, but it's all good for your experience.
We had eight games scheduled for the day. Someone likes me somewhere, because I was again scheduled for one of the bracket final games (in this case, U-17 boys). After running my first two games on the side, I decided I felt decent (not great) and I'd make it through the day without passing out on the field!
As I mentioned earlier, I was working with quality officials. The thing I noticed is how their game styles differed. One guy had mechanics that were very, very crisp. It was almost like he was used to working games in large stadiums where you have to be a little more theatrical with your mechanics so they can be seen from distance. Also, he was very (maybe overly?) polite to everyone on the field. I'd very much like to see him do a very physical, nasty game to see if he operates the same way and keeps that persona. I think he might.
Another of the guys on the crew was very particular about things on the field. He was bordering on "Blade of Grass Syndrome." Kicks had to be taken from the exact spot of the foul and he called some things I thought were trifling. That said, both of these guys were quite successful. It shows you that different styles work for different officials. I think you have to find your style that works for you. It's helpful to see others work to discover your own personal style.
As is my nature, I go find my teams about 25 minutes before game time. Remember, in a tournament, you almost never have enough time between games. Most of the tournaments I work allow about five minutes. In a four person rotation, you should be off right before you're in the middle, so there is no excuse for not having your teams checked-in and ready to go as soon as the current game is completed. I collect the passes, make a cursory inspection of players equipment, remind the coaches about the duration of the halves and the tournament substitution procedures, collect a game ball and do the coin toss. When the current game is done, we are walking onto the field. The only thing we have to wait for is the two assistants to get some water and we're ready to go.
My first middle of the day developed into a decent game. The two teams played well and it was a competitive match. It was a one-goal differential most of the match so my decisions were critical in that they could effect the outcome. At one point in the game, we were heading toward white's goal. I was about 10 yards out from the left side of the penalty arc, almost directly behind the attacking player, heading toward the left corner flag. As the attacker crosses the penalty area line, he is halted by two defenders, standing about four feet apart. They kick at the ball. The attacker takes an obvious (to me) dive to the ground, rolls over and holds his arms up as if to say "Did you see that foul?" Every match has that "moment of truth" decision. This one was easy. I yell "Get on your feet! I'm coming back to you!" as the ball heads toward the touch line. The ball is played out and I immediately caution the player for Unsporting Behavior (simulation). The funny thing is, as I'm writing the details down, one of the attacker's OWN TEAMMATES sidles up next to me and says "Sir, that was the worst dive I have ever seen." Having not been fooled by the simulation, I felt like I had earned the respect of the players.
During one of the games were I served as an assistant, we had a serious injury. A player was fouled (careless trip, nothing serious). When he fell to the ground, he apparently separated his shoulder. He was down on the field for some time, being dealt with by the tournament medical staff. In a situation like this, it is important to note all the pertinent facts on the game card like the time of the injury, the player's number and any associated misconduct that might have occurred. Leagues and tournaments have insurance for these situations. If a claim is made, your game card will be used to validate the injury occurred on the field, during play. Don't forget to file a complete game report!
The last game of the day was also my last game in the middle. It was the final for the U-17 boys. From the kick off, I knew this was going to be a good game. Both teams moved down the field like gazelles, which was not good since I was just getting over a cold and I had already worked five games. Fortunately, I'm the kind of person that can gut it out and go hard anyway. It is one of my strong points.
Given the importance of the game, both teams were trying to get every call they could. I think I did a good job managing the flow of the game by being very selective with fouls. Neither team seemed to mind and played through the trifling stuff. I met the occasional appeal with a quick word and moved on.
I will often attempt to manage players with a few words or a formal conversation before I go to the cards. I find this to be effective in most cases, and this game was no exception. The game was well under control through the first half. In the second half, things got only slightly warmer and a caution at mid-field for an off the ball shove quickly calmed things down. The push occurred almost right next to me as I was getting wide to see play, which had moved toward the goal. A red defender shoved a white attacker while red was playing the ball in white's penalty area. I blew the whistle for the foul and showed the red player the card. Red's coach yells out to me that I can't move the ball all the way out to mid field for the foul! WHAT!? I didn't expect that from a fairly high level coach, but you hear it all when you are a referee.
Late in the game, white is down by a goal and playing hard to get the draw. Red gets through at mid field and dribbles to the top of the right side of white's penalty area. He beats the defender, and turns in toward the goal. He is then tripped from behind. Let's see:
I felt like I had a couple of really good games. Lately, I have felt like my experiences over the last few years are really starting to pay off and I'm doing some solid officiating. That's a good thing, but I won't lose sight of how quickly that can change. Thanks for reading.
As is the custom at this tournament, we received our field assignment upon arriving at the facility. I was put with three very experienced referees, one of which I had worked with before. At these higher level tournaments, it's always good to be with a quality crew because you can learn so much and expose yourself to other styles of game management. Always be an observer when working with others. You can sort out the good and bad, but it's all good for your experience.
We had eight games scheduled for the day. Someone likes me somewhere, because I was again scheduled for one of the bracket final games (in this case, U-17 boys). After running my first two games on the side, I decided I felt decent (not great) and I'd make it through the day without passing out on the field!
As I mentioned earlier, I was working with quality officials. The thing I noticed is how their game styles differed. One guy had mechanics that were very, very crisp. It was almost like he was used to working games in large stadiums where you have to be a little more theatrical with your mechanics so they can be seen from distance. Also, he was very (maybe overly?) polite to everyone on the field. I'd very much like to see him do a very physical, nasty game to see if he operates the same way and keeps that persona. I think he might.
Another of the guys on the crew was very particular about things on the field. He was bordering on "Blade of Grass Syndrome." Kicks had to be taken from the exact spot of the foul and he called some things I thought were trifling. That said, both of these guys were quite successful. It shows you that different styles work for different officials. I think you have to find your style that works for you. It's helpful to see others work to discover your own personal style.
As is my nature, I go find my teams about 25 minutes before game time. Remember, in a tournament, you almost never have enough time between games. Most of the tournaments I work allow about five minutes. In a four person rotation, you should be off right before you're in the middle, so there is no excuse for not having your teams checked-in and ready to go as soon as the current game is completed. I collect the passes, make a cursory inspection of players equipment, remind the coaches about the duration of the halves and the tournament substitution procedures, collect a game ball and do the coin toss. When the current game is done, we are walking onto the field. The only thing we have to wait for is the two assistants to get some water and we're ready to go.
My first middle of the day developed into a decent game. The two teams played well and it was a competitive match. It was a one-goal differential most of the match so my decisions were critical in that they could effect the outcome. At one point in the game, we were heading toward white's goal. I was about 10 yards out from the left side of the penalty arc, almost directly behind the attacking player, heading toward the left corner flag. As the attacker crosses the penalty area line, he is halted by two defenders, standing about four feet apart. They kick at the ball. The attacker takes an obvious (to me) dive to the ground, rolls over and holds his arms up as if to say "Did you see that foul?" Every match has that "moment of truth" decision. This one was easy. I yell "Get on your feet! I'm coming back to you!" as the ball heads toward the touch line. The ball is played out and I immediately caution the player for Unsporting Behavior (simulation). The funny thing is, as I'm writing the details down, one of the attacker's OWN TEAMMATES sidles up next to me and says "Sir, that was the worst dive I have ever seen." Having not been fooled by the simulation, I felt like I had earned the respect of the players.
During one of the games were I served as an assistant, we had a serious injury. A player was fouled (careless trip, nothing serious). When he fell to the ground, he apparently separated his shoulder. He was down on the field for some time, being dealt with by the tournament medical staff. In a situation like this, it is important to note all the pertinent facts on the game card like the time of the injury, the player's number and any associated misconduct that might have occurred. Leagues and tournaments have insurance for these situations. If a claim is made, your game card will be used to validate the injury occurred on the field, during play. Don't forget to file a complete game report!
The last game of the day was also my last game in the middle. It was the final for the U-17 boys. From the kick off, I knew this was going to be a good game. Both teams moved down the field like gazelles, which was not good since I was just getting over a cold and I had already worked five games. Fortunately, I'm the kind of person that can gut it out and go hard anyway. It is one of my strong points.
Given the importance of the game, both teams were trying to get every call they could. I think I did a good job managing the flow of the game by being very selective with fouls. Neither team seemed to mind and played through the trifling stuff. I met the occasional appeal with a quick word and moved on.
I will often attempt to manage players with a few words or a formal conversation before I go to the cards. I find this to be effective in most cases, and this game was no exception. The game was well under control through the first half. In the second half, things got only slightly warmer and a caution at mid-field for an off the ball shove quickly calmed things down. The push occurred almost right next to me as I was getting wide to see play, which had moved toward the goal. A red defender shoved a white attacker while red was playing the ball in white's penalty area. I blew the whistle for the foul and showed the red player the card. Red's coach yells out to me that I can't move the ball all the way out to mid field for the foul! WHAT!? I didn't expect that from a fairly high level coach, but you hear it all when you are a referee.
Late in the game, white is down by a goal and playing hard to get the draw. Red gets through at mid field and dribbles to the top of the right side of white's penalty area. He beats the defender, and turns in toward the goal. He is then tripped from behind. Let's see:
- Defenders to beat? none.
- Direction to goal? check.
- Distance to ball? check.
- Distance to goal? check.
I felt like I had a couple of really good games. Lately, I have felt like my experiences over the last few years are really starting to pay off and I'm doing some solid officiating. That's a good thing, but I won't lose sight of how quickly that can change. Thanks for reading.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Good League Games
Wow! What great weather we had this weekend, in the Mid-Atlantic area, for our league games! We could not have asked for anything better.
One of the assignors I work with called me late last week and asked me to work a couple of recreational games. My younger son (13, grade 9) works this league so he figured I'd be there anyway. Apparently, he's having a hard time getting the young referees out to do games. He assigned my older son (16, grade 8) to work a game as well. I had 2 6th grade boys games. They were a lot of fun. If you ever feel yourself getting burned out by officiating games, go out and do a couple of short-sided games at a recreational level. They are fun and really low stress. This league wants the referees to take advantage of "teaching moments" and instruct the players, so I had a few chances to educate the players on the Laws of the Game.
My older son and I put in for Sunday league games and we were assigned with another real quality referee to 3 games. We had U-12, 14 and 16 boys games. I can't remember the last time I had high school age boys in the Fall season. In New Jersey, the high school age boys usually don't play competitive soccer in the Fall. Their high school teams don't like it so the club team coaches don't do it.
I had the middle for the U-16 game. In checking in the teams, we noticed the visiting team (yellow) players were generally much bigger than the home team (red) players. We went through the player passes and realized that many of the home team's players were playing up a year. Oh boy.
It was pretty obvious from the whistle that this was going to be a one-sided affair. Yellow was much bigger, faster, and handled the ball better. I have to give the red team credit though, they hung in there for quite a while before the first goal. The first half went well. I had a few opportunities to control the game with my voice and I noticed the other AR was doing the same. He's really good and I know I can count on him. Both AR's were calling appropriate fouls and it seemed we were all on the same page.
By the half, the game was a bit lopsided (3-0). The teams had sort of settled into a playing pattern. I did notice that yellow was still playing quite aggressively. I thought this a little odd given the score. Early in the 2nd half I had to have a few stern conversations with yellow for border-line tackles. Again, I felt this was strange for a one-sided game.
Late in the 2nd half, red managed to get the ball down the left side of the field. Their attacker attempted to put a ball in front of the goal from around the intersection of the penalty area line and the goal line. The ball went over the right shoulder of the defender and he reached up and knocked it down with his hand! A peaceful game went to kaos in about 4 seconds as the red team's coaches were screaming for a send-off! I was positioned around the top of the penalty area. I blew the whistle hard and walked quickly toward the offending player. In my mind, I though of sending him off for a second, and then realized this was not an obvious goal scoring opportunity. I cautioned the player and pointed out to him how close he was to being sent off. After the caution, I had to give the red team's coach a quick "Sit down and be quiet!" as he was going ballistic. Red converted the penalty kick for a goal.
After the game, we talked about that play. My son said he felt that I made the right decision while my other AR said he wasn't so sure. In reviewing the "Advice to the Referee" later, I found this:
I think I've said this before, but this is another example of how you cannot "fall asleep" during a game that seems like it has settled down. Things happen when you least expect them, even in an "easy" game. You must always be on your toes and paying attention. Also, notice the quote above doesn't say "don't bother sending off if it's a lopsided game." As much as I might have found it distasteful, I would have had to send this player off had that attempt on goal been likely to go in.
As a side note, I lost one of my favorite flip coins. I think it flew out of my pocket when I was getting my book out. Where do you keep your coin so that won't happen? I'm just wondering what other officials do.
One of the assignors I work with called me late last week and asked me to work a couple of recreational games. My younger son (13, grade 9) works this league so he figured I'd be there anyway. Apparently, he's having a hard time getting the young referees out to do games. He assigned my older son (16, grade 8) to work a game as well. I had 2 6th grade boys games. They were a lot of fun. If you ever feel yourself getting burned out by officiating games, go out and do a couple of short-sided games at a recreational level. They are fun and really low stress. This league wants the referees to take advantage of "teaching moments" and instruct the players, so I had a few chances to educate the players on the Laws of the Game.
My older son and I put in for Sunday league games and we were assigned with another real quality referee to 3 games. We had U-12, 14 and 16 boys games. I can't remember the last time I had high school age boys in the Fall season. In New Jersey, the high school age boys usually don't play competitive soccer in the Fall. Their high school teams don't like it so the club team coaches don't do it.
I had the middle for the U-16 game. In checking in the teams, we noticed the visiting team (yellow) players were generally much bigger than the home team (red) players. We went through the player passes and realized that many of the home team's players were playing up a year. Oh boy.
It was pretty obvious from the whistle that this was going to be a one-sided affair. Yellow was much bigger, faster, and handled the ball better. I have to give the red team credit though, they hung in there for quite a while before the first goal. The first half went well. I had a few opportunities to control the game with my voice and I noticed the other AR was doing the same. He's really good and I know I can count on him. Both AR's were calling appropriate fouls and it seemed we were all on the same page.
By the half, the game was a bit lopsided (3-0). The teams had sort of settled into a playing pattern. I did notice that yellow was still playing quite aggressively. I thought this a little odd given the score. Early in the 2nd half I had to have a few stern conversations with yellow for border-line tackles. Again, I felt this was strange for a one-sided game.
Late in the 2nd half, red managed to get the ball down the left side of the field. Their attacker attempted to put a ball in front of the goal from around the intersection of the penalty area line and the goal line. The ball went over the right shoulder of the defender and he reached up and knocked it down with his hand! A peaceful game went to kaos in about 4 seconds as the red team's coaches were screaming for a send-off! I was positioned around the top of the penalty area. I blew the whistle hard and walked quickly toward the offending player. In my mind, I though of sending him off for a second, and then realized this was not an obvious goal scoring opportunity. I cautioned the player and pointed out to him how close he was to being sent off. After the caution, I had to give the red team's coach a quick "Sit down and be quiet!" as he was going ballistic. Red converted the penalty kick for a goal.
After the game, we talked about that play. My son said he felt that I made the right decision while my other AR said he wasn't so sure. In reviewing the "Advice to the Referee" later, I found this:
The send-off offense for deliberate handling, number 4 under the seven send-off offenses, "denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)," does not require any particular alignment of players for either team, but simply the occurrence of the offense under circumstances in which, in the opinion of the referee, the ball would likely have gone directly into the goal but for the handling.The infraction the yellow player committed was certainly cheating and it was certainly unsporting behavior, but by this definition, it was not denying a goalscoring opportunity. In my opinion, this ball was not going directly into the goal in a thousand tries. It just was not going to happen. I think I did the right thing.
I think I've said this before, but this is another example of how you cannot "fall asleep" during a game that seems like it has settled down. Things happen when you least expect them, even in an "easy" game. You must always be on your toes and paying attention. Also, notice the quote above doesn't say "don't bother sending off if it's a lopsided game." As much as I might have found it distasteful, I would have had to send this player off had that attempt on goal been likely to go in.
As a side note, I lost one of my favorite flip coins. I think it flew out of my pocket when I was getting my book out. Where do you keep your coin so that won't happen? I'm just wondering what other officials do.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Interesting, but Disappointing
Normally, I don't write entries that have a negative feel to them, but I will have a hard time hiding my disappointment in this posting.
I attended our National Championship Series quarter finals yesterday. I was assigned the middle for one of the games and asked for my upgrade assessment. I attended a mandatory meeting last week. I researched the teams I knew I was getting and even went through some of the new sections in "Advice" publication. I put in quite a bit of time to be sure I was ready for my game. I went to the fields the night before to make sure I knew where they were located. I arrived at the field the day of the game several hours early so I could watch the previous game. All of this was done to properly prepared for my assessment...which didn't happen. Apparently, someone failed to ask assessors to come to the games in time for them to be available, so none were there. I don't really understand that. I assume state cup games are scheduled many months in advance. My next two weekends, I only have lines, no middles. I spoke with one of the committee guys and tried to express my disappointment. He said he'd get me a game for the semi-finals. We'll see. For those of you that have gone to these types of tournaments, does this sound a little unusual?
To make it worse, my game was...well...trying. The summary is this: 3 cautions, 2 send-offs. Yeah. The first half went really well. 9 minutes into the second half, there was a tackle right in front of me. By my view, the player with the ball fell and landed on the ball. The defender was standing over him. As the attacker was getting up, the defender stomped on his thigh. In my view, this was a clear send off. In hindsight, I probably should have stopped play immediately, but as I mentioned, the attacker was getting up. Anyway, that was the catalyst for the game to go down hill. The team with the send-off was generally getting outplayed to begin with and them playing a man down tipped the scales. After that, it was nothing but dissent and debate.
In fact, I had spoken to one of their players about his constant comments at least 2 times. Late in the 2nd half, he was taking the ball into the opponents half when he was fouled. As we stopped play, he shoved the defender. I cautioned him for it and he proceeded to call me...something not very nice. That was the 2nd send off.
It was a tough game. The feedback I received from the others was maybe I was not clamping down on the small stuff and that caused the violent conduct send-off. I accept that maybe I should have been a little tighter, but I will not accept that I am somehow responsible for a players actions. I didn't make him stomp on that player's leg.
It was a tough weekend and I'm disappointed and a bit disillusioned. I feel like I could have done a better game, and I really feel like I'm going to have a tough time getting this upgrade assessment.
Let me know if you have had similar circumstances.
I attended our National Championship Series quarter finals yesterday. I was assigned the middle for one of the games and asked for my upgrade assessment. I attended a mandatory meeting last week. I researched the teams I knew I was getting and even went through some of the new sections in "Advice" publication. I put in quite a bit of time to be sure I was ready for my game. I went to the fields the night before to make sure I knew where they were located. I arrived at the field the day of the game several hours early so I could watch the previous game. All of this was done to properly prepared for my assessment...which didn't happen. Apparently, someone failed to ask assessors to come to the games in time for them to be available, so none were there. I don't really understand that. I assume state cup games are scheduled many months in advance. My next two weekends, I only have lines, no middles. I spoke with one of the committee guys and tried to express my disappointment. He said he'd get me a game for the semi-finals. We'll see. For those of you that have gone to these types of tournaments, does this sound a little unusual?
To make it worse, my game was...well...trying. The summary is this: 3 cautions, 2 send-offs. Yeah. The first half went really well. 9 minutes into the second half, there was a tackle right in front of me. By my view, the player with the ball fell and landed on the ball. The defender was standing over him. As the attacker was getting up, the defender stomped on his thigh. In my view, this was a clear send off. In hindsight, I probably should have stopped play immediately, but as I mentioned, the attacker was getting up. Anyway, that was the catalyst for the game to go down hill. The team with the send-off was generally getting outplayed to begin with and them playing a man down tipped the scales. After that, it was nothing but dissent and debate.
In fact, I had spoken to one of their players about his constant comments at least 2 times. Late in the 2nd half, he was taking the ball into the opponents half when he was fouled. As we stopped play, he shoved the defender. I cautioned him for it and he proceeded to call me...something not very nice. That was the 2nd send off.
It was a tough game. The feedback I received from the others was maybe I was not clamping down on the small stuff and that caused the violent conduct send-off. I accept that maybe I should have been a little tighter, but I will not accept that I am somehow responsible for a players actions. I didn't make him stomp on that player's leg.
It was a tough weekend and I'm disappointed and a bit disillusioned. I feel like I could have done a better game, and I really feel like I'm going to have a tough time getting this upgrade assessment.
Let me know if you have had similar circumstances.
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