Question Number: 22061

Law 5 - The Referee 9/23/2009

RE: Competative Adult

Al Sinopoli of Covington, LA USA asks...

Wanted to throw this one to the panel, as the results of this game led to the CRs assault by a player on a game and a water bottle thrown at me on which I was the bench side AR.

The game has had 6 yellows and 2 red cards already (all well deserved). The attacking team is winning 1-0. It is the 67th minute.

An attacker is fouled by a midfielder about 40 yards away from the opponents goal (spectator side). As a result of the foul, the midfielder is down and he is helped off the field by a teammate at the direction of the CR. The CR is surrounded by players on both teams who are arguing about the call (one team wants a caution, and the other believes the foul is the other way). While observing this, the coach and a substitute come up to me and ask for the sub, as they do not wish to play a man down while the midfielder catches his breath. I collect the pass and signal for substitute and the far side AR sees this and mirrors my signal. A few bench personnel begin to try to verbally get the CRs attention, but given the commotion and the noise in the vicinity of the CR, I suspect he could not hear nor had a clear view of either AR.

About 30-35 seconds has elapsed since the foul. What happens next is the CR moves out of the 'pack' and signals with his hand and whistle blow to begin play. The attacking team immediately kicks the ball to an open attacker who runs by 2 defenders who are just looking at him and proceeds 1-v-1 on the keeper and scores a goal. Apparently they had not realized the game was restarted. In fact, I was caught off guards by the unexpected whistle as I dropped my substitution signal about 1-2 seconds after the whistle. I was probably only at the 25 yard-line by the time the ball went into the back of the net.

The bench begins claiming I was signalling offside & began to try to have me call the CR to nullify the goal, and the CR is busy with the defending teams dissention about the play. A player yells something in spanish to the referee who notibly irritated produces a red card for AL. The player then punches and kicks the CR with his cleats just above the waist. The referee moves upfield and whistles for the abandoment of the game. I circle around the retreating team to help the CR only to have the player that kicked the CR run up to me and throw his knee tape attached to a water bottle at me. I continue off field with the CR.

My question is the restart in this manner appeared rushed, but this was most likely done because the attackers wanted to take the quick kick almost 40 seconds after the foul and the defending team seemed to be bent on delaying the restart. Any advice on dealing with this more extreme situation, especially when giving yellow cards becomes counterproductive?

The really incredulous part of this is that our SRC informed me today the LA Soccer Association said that the player passes from the team in this game were not renewed in 2009, thus the team was unregistered and hence the match unsanctioned (the Amateur passes were not worth the paper they were written upon). They have washed their hands and refuse to sanction the former registered player for thrusting a size 12 cleat into a referees abdomen on the basis of paperwork (although criminal charges are pending). The SRC indicated that this player can now register in another USSF association league tomorrow in any state, rather than facing a lifetime ban from registering in the US. I cannot imagine why I as a referee fill out a 'risk management' form to protect players, but registered or unregistered, LSA or the USSF does not consider that turning a blind eye to this is hazardous to the protection of properly registered players. Is this the sad truth?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

While we can discuss the mechanics and procedures here that failed I am baffled how a team is permitted to play in a sanctioned league without paying or registering first and having current passes?? Of course whatever conditions are present this is an assault and criminal charges should be pursued. The failure of the league to do EVERYTHING they can to ensure this player is banned the team stripped or fined or held responsible is farcical. Who assigned the match? Was it league play? Who booked the field? Who was paying you to referee the match? I would definitely run this by the USSF official source Jim Allen at
http://askaref.riehlplace.com/
We are a panel of referees not policy or committee members on the decision boards of the associations responsible for dealing with such garbage! I can tell you only this as an official if this was a league they would be short one official forever

Let's pick a bit on the circumstances surrounding the dreadful outcome of the match.
Why are cautions counter productive? Are the first ones going out too easy? You did say cards were well deserved or was that only the red ones?
The fact his game was under pressure given the red cards and previous cautions even greater focus to communicate is required in these tough situations. One should not confuse a quick restart with time wasting and ceremonial circumstances. While it is good to restart play and move away to diffuse dissent we NEED To take all the time required to effectively deal with the situation at hand! Given the parameters and history of the match to that point a VERY short lease on the antics of players seems appropriate. I simply come unglued at times over official's apparant unwillingnes to caution those who crowd the free kicks and prevent free play.

I realize the Neanderthal emotional explosive bone head players can not at times help themselves from self destructing despite our best of intentions to referee match fairly and safely we can not always save them from themselves or force them to admire and respect our decisions. I have had matches simmering on the edge of destruction and used my, "Lets kill this thing dead before the bomb goes off!" Strategy by whistling bad breath challenges, the laying on of hands and the passing of wind for rocking the player. It was 10 minutes of pure piercing whistles for the most minuscule of everything. I had dissent and whining but I EXPLODED right on them with "Why the frig do you think this is happening here! I can't trust you to play fair. You don't like it, I hate it so CHANGE and lets play the game instead of watching paint dry or whack a player. It was irritating, grumbling agony at times because I lost the thread of the match earlier and now I had to get it back! I was trying to make the point play fairly or we play this way until the end! Sometimes they relent and they get with the program and we continue with more restraint but with fewer whistles! Then again? :o(

Substitutions are not permitted unless the substitute is already checked in before the stoppage! If an injury substitution is GOING to occur, the REFEREE MUST sanction it. He should KNOW to do this ONCE he HAS determined the player is in fact leaving to be treated if this substitution protocol is in fact permitted It is my opinion you should not be signaling only acknowledging! No referee should EVER Restart play without first LOOKING to and confirming with the ARS they are on board and nothing else is going on, especially after contentious or controversial situations!. You mention the referee was surrounded? In the pregame the referee should go over what to do if the pack descends and he loses EYE contact with the ARS . The Team aspect of officiating needs to be taught with a greater degree of urgency and support in mass confrontations needs to be safety first not substitute concerned!

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Al
A very unsatisfactory situation and thank you for taking the time to air this unsavoury incident. My colleague Richard has raised some very important questions about this match and its status. I fail to understand how a match can be scheduled for an unsanctioned team with unregistered players but that is a matter for the relevant authorities to deal with.
As regards matters that refer to refereeing and match control I would make the following comments
1. I would describe match control like blowing up a balloon. Each incident adds air into the balloon and the referee needs to ensure that each incident is dealt with properly to take air out so as not to burst the balloon. Also too many incidents together also add to the danger of the balloon bursting. Cautions at the appropriate time and to the appropriate players are important. When match control gets to almost lost further cards can have little effect.
2. When a game gets to 6 yellows and 2 reds I believe that match control has been seriously threatened if not almost 'burst'. In those situations there has to be a really firm control taken. In this game the final incident seems to have been a poorly managed FK situation by the CR. Allowing play to start when the defending team plus his assistant were not ready is asking for difficulty. He may have thought that by restarting the game quickly that the 'fuss' would abate but it had the opposite effect.
3. In these situation hot air has to be taken out of the game. The CR has to be alert to opportunities to deflate the game 'balloon'. Perfect opportunity was the substitution. He signals for it and maybe comes across as well. Slow things down, calm the players, appeal to the 'calmer' players to intervene, delay free kicks, remind cautioned players of the risk of dismissal, zero tolerance on infractions. Now it is not easy to do and its a skill that has to be developed but the game needs to be 'deflated'.
4. Look back on the game and I bet that there was probably one/two incidents that kicked all this off originally. That is the incidents that have to be handled well with justice delivered in the appropriate manner and the message given that the ref is in charge and he will not tolerate the game being played in a unsatisfactory manner. Deal with those early on and it will not get to the 'big bang'

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

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