FCArmstrong

Guess what? As a referee we are human and do make mistakes or miss things. Yep that includes me. I had an epic miss last night during my match. However as a referee team, we caught the miss and made the correction during the normal flow of the game.

Did you know as a referee, you have until the next restart to correct any major errors in judgment or fact?

Let me admit my human fallibility first. I may develop a diving vs foul bias once I see a player go down too easily after contact. That bias may only increase after I award that players team a penalty to end the first half. There are some games where the gamesmanship is greater than the skill. There are also games where the gamesmanship, skill and competitive drive are all equal. I recognized five minutes into this game that while I had players that could play through fouls and use the wait and see approach to see who would get to a ball when one player was in an offside position, due to the age of the players not all were willing for the correct wait and see approach. My referee team clearly communicated that we were applying law 11 correctly and that we were not going to comply with their requests. I also was clearly communicating when body contact was acceptable and when it was not. I allowed several advantages to play when I saw that there were players willing to continue through being fouled according to law 12.

OK back to my bias. I have a 3-1 game with the first half time running out. Team Yellow’s Center Mid–who I was watching closely due to previous issues with not wanting contact receives a ball at the left top of the 18 arc, dribbles around one player and beats the right back, who in the process trips him going to goal in the penalty area. Penalty is awarded and we go into half time Pink 3– Yellow 2. I definitely had lower body contact on a calf of a Team Yellows Center Mid, but he definitely embellished the foul by going down with a little extra air time.

The second half kicks off, team Yellow decides to push the pace for the first 10 minutes in an attempt to get the equalizer giving team Pink some great counter attack opportunities. The tennis match begins with team Yellow sending balls out to their positional 11 repeatedly taking the center and left backs on for team Pink.

In minute 57 the Yellow 11 finally breaks free going to goal. The keeper comes sliding out trying to win the ball before Yellow 11 can take a shot. As I’m chasing from behind I see Yellow 11 go straight into Pink GK. Due to Yellow’s body position, I don’t have an angle that shows the GK making illegal contact. Pink then clears the ball and begins their own counter at the other end. The AR with the view from his touchline and goal line clearly could see a high dangerous challenge by the keeper in which lower body contact was made. The AR did not immediately raise their flag for the foul thinking I had seen the challenge clearly. As I was chasing the counter attack I was yelling HELP, HELP, HELP, SCREEN, SCREEN, SCREEN in my coms. Upon which the AR describes a dangerous challenge by the GK and a Penalty!

Upon the end of the counter attack and a possible corner kick for team Pink, I then whislte the play dead and track back to my AR who saw the penalty. Before we get to confer the Yellow 11 chased me down in and started yelling as I was trying to get a moment with the AR. A caution was issued for dissent after he would not allow space and continued with verbal and visual dissent. As I finally was able to start reviewing the action with my AR, Yellow 11 then decided to call me “fucking horrible referee”, triggering a send off for foul and abusive language. In minute 59 after final review, Penalty was awarded for trip by the GK in the penalty area and a caution was issued to Pink GK.

We are human and we do make mistakes as referees. When we work as a team we do minimize the chances of making game critical mistakes. I will admit if I’m wrong or don’t have an angle. Please be patient and please be kind. We are often giving up family time to make sure your games can be played.

Pink vs Yellow
Match won by Yellow 5 – 3
Goals for Pink
14:30 Scored by: 8 Normal Goal
23:58 Scored by: 8 Normal Goal
32:27 Scored by: 3 Corner Kick
Goals for Yellow
20:48 Scored by: 9 Free Kick
45:00 Scored by: 9 Penalty
59:17 Scored by: 3 Penalty
68:10 Scored by: 13 Normal Goal
77:48 Scored by: 9 Free Kick
Cards for Pink
58:34 C1: Unsporting Behaviour for GK
Cards for Yellow
58:23 S6: Offensive Language for 99
Report Created by SFRef Soccer Referee Watch