Question Number: 16450

Mechanics 8/27/2007

RE: Division 1 College

EM Pearson of Medina, Tennessee USA asks...

Not infrequently in college men's matches a player who is to be booked will not come to the center referee when asked to do so. The ref often winds up wagging his card toward a large group of players, leaving his ARs and the official scorekeeper in doubt as to who has actually been booked.

For instance a center asked me (AR1) last season if she had previously booked a player whom she was about to caution. I had to tell her I had no idea as I had no conception who had been booked 20 minutes earlier when she vaguely waved a yellow card toward a huddle of players.

I'm up for a number of college centers this season and am interested in how you would deal with the problem.

For my part I interpret the player's refusal to at least stand still for receiving a caution as a form of dissent. I'm tempted to call the captain and ask him if he wants to play with ten men today since his teammate is about to get a second yellow for dissent if he does not follow my (polite) instructions. Is this too much?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The referee must inform his ARs and or 4th which player is being shown the card! If the referee does not isolate the player then he could actually yell out the number of the player and the reason for the caution to be overheard by all!

I try to think by my positioning if I can place myself in an intercept path of a retreating about to be cautioned player so that he actually has to come towards me to get into position to resume play.

If I make the issue one of control . I say, "#15 red or Mr. so and so you and I need to have a conversation" and 15 red so and so walks away my next statement is a generalized, "It could be very VERY unwise for # 15 red not to respond!' Then his teammates and captain can cue in that this could be more then it needs to be!

At issue is the mind set and temperament of a match ! Sometimes the cautionable event has the offending player livid even more so than the offended player who received the hurt. Both can will snap rather than accept the decision so a sulking retreat although offencive and for sure dissenting to a referee could be overlooked briefly to calm the other from retaliating.
I try for eye contact and a firm "I got this! I saw it! I whistled it! It ends here, do we understand?

I also take whatever time is required to GET it right! While I like to restart play and get on with it I have no reservations to delay until I am satisfied that what is required has been accomplished.

I will only use my hand never a finger, to signal Please 15 red come here after I get eye contact and can be SURE he makes the decision he makes knowing full well that this will occur!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The referee's mechanics are poor. Pure and simple! A referee who just waves the card about without advising the guilty player what he's done is looking for trouble. The whole point of a caution is to advise a player continued behavior along the same lines will result in his being sent-off. How does the referee expect an improvement in behavior if he is not sure the player understands what he has done wrong.

Isolate, talk, write, show the card, whistle -- get on with play. On rare occasions show the card, isolate talk, write, manage the wall, whistle -- get on with things.

Never wave the card at a pack of players and expect everyone to understand what you're thinking -- it just doesn't work that way very well.

Regards,