Question Number: 19695

Law 5 - The Referee 8/5/2008

RE: Competitive Adult

Jack of Sydney, NSW Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 19555

This system [dual] seems to work in futsal, so why not outdoor? I can see quite a few points against it - inconsistency on what is doubtful/trivial/careless, less strict policing of offside/ball out of play. Oh, and as someone says, you can't wave down a whistle, can you?

Surely, there are good points though? More field is covered than with just one referee and one AR. With good eye contact and discrete signals, couldn't the system work in outdoor as it does in Football, avoiding unwanted whistles?

That said, I've never seen it done, and you guys would probably have a cache of arguments against it, seeing it first-hand.

Do you have any personal experiences where you've seen the system go absolutely belly-up? (ie, one of the 'referees' trying to sell a decision from 50 yards away and provoking a mass confrontation)

One more question, do you think the dual system could be used efficiently for modified football (ie a summer 6-s-side comp), with no offside law to worry about, and more similarities to futsal?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The dual system of control is a load of rubbish. I am forced to utilise this system on the odd occasion doing a USA high school match. I have had an opportunity to play off an advantage 10 metres from play only to have my opposite number blow from 70 metres away. This is absolute rubbish. Think if you will of a referee who cares not to look at the other standing 5 metres from the ball barely grazing a blue gent and thence to touch and watch him signal opposite what should be, again, from 50 metres distant.

I don't like the dual system of control or two whistles or whatever you choose to call it. I'll do it when I am required but the assignor will not like my match report nor my phone call when I abuse him at length for putting me there in the first place.

Thanks for asking...