Question Number: 21676

Law 5 - The Referee 7/21/2009

RE: Adult

George P of Lawrence, KS United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 21642

Several things are notable about the video clip: First, the ref is right on top of the play, less than 10 yards away, with a clear view. Even if he makes a call that I, as a fan disagree with, I must concede that he has a better view than I do.
Second, from his close vantage, he may have seen the defender stamp the attacker's leg (possibly), or knee the down attacker in the back (possibly), or sit on the attacker, preventing her from getting up (definitely). From his POV, these actions may have warranted a foul call (obviously something did).
My third point, which was noted only indirectly in your reactions to the actual call, is that the event happened in the 4th minute, yet the writer feels comfortable blaming the referee for the loss!! How absurd and insulting. How many shots during the other 76 minutes did the referee block? How many breakaways did he interfere with, or defenders did he trip up while running, and how many rules did he misappply? None, I venture. Hm. Maybe the losing team failed to win because they didn't score enough goals.

Of course, even if the foul occured in the final seconds, I can only re-emphasize that the ref was right on top of the play, and hence, his view of the facts must win out not only because it says so in Law 5, but because he was RIGHT THERE!

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Presence lends conviction. Most players will accept a call when the referee is close to play, and not when the referee is too far away to be credible.

Still, I appreciate someone sending a video and asking for opinions after the match. It is far better way than what often happens in youth matches at the touchlines and after the match. It is IMO an appropriate way to question the decision of the referee.

Someone I knew gave me a DVD of his son's match for which I was the referee. He added that he hoped I would learn from my mistakes. He also asked me not to play it with sound, because he was embarrassed by the behavior of the other parents. I took the DVD and reviewed it carefully. I did make mistakes, the most significant of which favored his deal, and the video helped me. (He didn't know that there was a match assessor present or the quite different assessment of the match I received.)