Question Number: 22531

Character, Attitude and Control 11/16/2009

RE: REC Under 17

Scott Lusk of Roseville, CA US asks...

We had a Ref yell out of control at a player and when the coach told him that he was a little to passionate he screamed out of control at the coach and told him to sit down for the rest of te game. Then the head coch came out to talk to the ref and he told him that he did not know what was going on and to back up before he gets carded. Is there anything we as coaches can do to get the ref off the field when he is out of line?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

No. The coach has no right to provide his opinion (even if correct) on the referee's decisions. The coach has no right to enter the field of play without permission.

After the match, the coach has the ability to work through the league to address the referee's conduct and the league will work with the assignor to see that the referees are either not assigned matches above their ability, are observed, or removed from assignments. If the league is affiliated with USSF, there are also disciplinary proceedings that can be taken against a referee who behaves irresponsibly.

No coach wants that opportunity, but the great ones uses such moments provide an opportunity to teach their players how to deal with adversity. How to remain calm. How to act as adults.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Coach Lusk
A referee should never yell out of control at a player. The matter should be reported to the relevant authority who will deal with the matter through the appropriate channels and take the necessary actions.
I would make the point as well that referees are human and perhaps this player said or did something very nasty that incensed the referee which led to the incident. The comment that the head coach did not know what was going on seems to suggest something untoward such as a nasty personal comment but that still does not excuse yelling or screaming by an official.
If I had any real and genuine concerns about player safety at an underage game or a situation that was disconcerting that gave rise to real concerns there is always the option of removing the team from the FOP even temporarily. While it is extreme it is none the less an option open to teams in very challenging situations.
Other than that I am not aware of any options available to teams to remove a referee who is officially appointed. Clearly when going this route the team would need to ensure that it had a cast iron case and the agreement of the opponents. Thankfully I have never come across this.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

We had a Ref yell out of control at a player and when the coach told him that he was a little to passionate he screamed out of control at the coach and told him to sit down for the rest of the game. Then the head coach came out to talk to the ref and he told him that he did not know what was going on and to back up before he gets carded. Is there anything we as coaches can do to get the ref off the field when he is out of line?

We often refer to the fact a referee is a match condition to which coaches and players must adapt too. Just like the wind rain or sun or a smooth close cut grass field or a bumpy all weather ugly stick they all are things to work around.
A referee is not a perfect human, he or she subject to the same imperfections as all of us and very often subject to an over abundance of verbal garbage abuse/dissent by so many over a period of time that further comments by those unaware of the damage already inflicted can have a profound effect on the situation by any sort of a perceived negative comment!

The coach is to REMAIN in the technical area and in youth leagues often commanded to exercise control of the touchline antics of the parents as well as the behaviour of the players if a referee is in distress then HELP keep the match from going to crap by acting in a manner to do so! A coach has two responsibilities in the game he is to provide tactical advice and act in a reasonable manner! As a coach the safety and welfare of his players should be on par with the officials view! If a coach encouraged the touchlines to act reasonably and his players to play fair and acted calmly and with dignity the raging referee would likely calm the heck down!

Most off the deep end referees are not Hitlerized psychotics to start with anyways, ;o) they are driven by the encouragement of those around the match itself. If a referee snaps on a player it could be true it is not justified as we always push the firm, fair and calm demeanour as the one needed to maintain the big picture from getting fuzzy. The cumulative effect of dissent and abuse plays a large role in why some referees just lose it! Trying to do the job, under appreciated, perhaps unfortunately above their pay grade and subjected to ridicule, intolerance and sarcasm they are not thick skinned enough to handle!

When a referee has acted inappropriately for whatever the reason it is why a league should keep a monitoring system in place and game report cards for parents and coaches and fans to drop in the suggestion box along with the mentors ongoing training and assessments by the technical people of a referee's progress. Is this an isolated incident? Is it a cumulative experience? The responsibility to fix things is not equally shared by those willing to point fingers of blame if their actions create the monster before them!

Some individuals are not cut out to referee at all, some only to a certain level! Making those decisions and realizing limitations takes someone to recognize what is occurring! Records, monitoring, training, if your league fails to have a system to integrate the overall game it fails to ensure success!

Cheers