Question Number: 12998

Character, Attitude and Control 6/9/2006

RE: recreational, competitive High School

Selamo of Noblesville, Indiana USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 101

Is is Fair Play or sheer naivity if the referee missed a call and I point it out to him/her...(penalty,offside..etc) even if the call is against my team?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

I suppose that's fine if you don't mind the referee managing your player's positions and who is used as a substitute for the remaining part of the match.

I'm sure you don't need any help in that area, do you? Why would you ever think the referee would need any assistance doing his job, I sure don't when I referee.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Most of us would not welcome your pointing out what you see which is never unbiased. As ref Fleischer points out, we never tell you what to do, why do you feel the need to tell us?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Selamo,
honesty is not a bad trait but like all things a time and place and the need are what they are.

A referee makes decisions that are HOPEFULLY based on integrity and the know how to apply the laws to what he/she just witnessed.

Referees make thousands of decisions in a match. We see, evaluate and consider yes or no. There are NO maybes either we stop play or allow it to go on. Some decisions are ordinary and easy others make or break a match wide open. Yet hard or easy we generally need to make the decisions quickly, authoratively and get on with the game.

The possibility we see something different or we see something wrong by not seeing it at all is always possible and likely occurs in all matches everywhere. How important is the need to point out a PERCIEVED difference by a coach or player to a referee?

After a failed shot on goal by your player who hits a ball wide would you as coach want me to describe a proper shooting technique and point out the poor placement of the non kicking foot, the weight shift was poor and the lean back placed him off balance. I think he is tried and should now be subbed . In fact I think rather than striker I will switch him to left mid where he could be of more use? From MY PERSPECTIVE it would be quite honest but how appropriate and more importantly how true?

In a World cup match Maradonna a brillant player for Argentina hit a ball into the goal DELIBERATELY with his hand. The AR saw this and should have made this information available to the CR. However, because the CR had told him the fouls in the PA were strictly his not to contradict him no matter what. That goal should not have counted. It should be a caution to Maradonna as he CHEATED by deliberately handling the ball. If Maradonna had stepped up to the plate and admitted to the referee "I punched the ball in with my hand please do not award us a goal. " It would have been a great gesture of TRUE fairplay to not take credit for such an important event but we would be naive to think anyone else would do different to give up a goal.

In the last World cup Rohnaldino had a ball strike his knee he grabbed his face and flung himself down to the ground in order to convince a referee to throw an opponent out for such a viscious attack. It was a pathetic gesture and once more we have a great player cheating by trying to decieve a referee by exaggerating an injury. The Turkish player deserved to be punished with a send off show a red instead of a USB caution show only a yellow. This play acting was to ensure a referee did his duty? The theatrics were an embarrassment to the player and the game.
It would have been a great gesture of TRUE fairplay if he simply stood stunned at the attitude and actions of the Turkish player who was responsible but we would be naive to think anyone else would do different to sell a call

When you point out flaws of imperfection or percieved imperfections DURING a match to a referee you undermine his credability and inadvertantly or deliberately ridicule his efforts.

ONLY if I see a protestable or a blatant unsafe situation would I risk incurring the wrath of an offical at a match I was coaching in by becoming the dreaded unreasonable behaved coach we are forced to toss on occassion.. You better pick and choose those battles carefully because usually you lose and the game suffers. I always try to support the game by supporting the officials in charge of a match even if I disgree with their approach, attitude, decisions application of the laws, foul recognition or general disposition.

You will find somethings go your way ad some do not. SPEAKING as a coach I suggest recording and report all referees for the job they do good and bad. While we are biased in our NEEDS for results are not an officials over time patterns develope and by monitoring and recording, actions can be initiated on a collection of recomendations.

A referee is a MATCH condition just like the weather or the pitch surface. So remind your players, be it sunny and hot or wet and cold, smooth or hard ,bumpy or mudbog. A referee is a fixture like the corner flag of goal post. It is anyones guees at which stage of the learning curve he could be and what level of confidence and backbone he has to go with his experiance? A referee is always under pressure to be perfect in any match no matter what level and then somehow steadily improve? You adapt to the new guy, the change his mind guy, the stay at centre guy, the fussy guy, the set in his ways old school guy. We can only respect the position and hope our neutral official has integrity to be neutral , compassion to keep us safe and a desire for all to enjoy themselves because for that match he is the decider, good bad or indifferent .
Coaches coach, players play, fans and parents cheer, referees officiate. If we keep that train of thought the games generally work out well. Cheers

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 21019