Question Number: 24182

League Specific 10/18/2010

RE: Select Under 13

Jeff Samples of Rocky Mount, NC US asks...

as a coach do i have the right to refuse a scheduled center from reffing the center without causing a forfeit of my team?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

That will depend on how you refuse and what your league rules are. Rather than creating a fuss at the fields, which will not end well, I would recommend contacting your referee assignor first and asking for some help ahead of time.

Coaches would complain to me about this or that referee during a season, and once we could isolate their issue with the referee, we could often resolve it without further incident. Generally, the complaints were unfounded, based mostly on either unreasonable expectations or misinformation about what is and is not legal in the game. The ones that were the real deal generated action.

I kept the door open, and was willing to listen and to work with the coaches, we were able to help both sides - but not always. A verifiable complaint resulted in help for the referee - and/or loss of job opportunity, depending on the response. We would get the referee's side, and would schedule an informal assessment/evaluation. The referee wasn't always aware of this until afterward. The coaches learned, too, about our job, more about the game, and how to help their players and themselves interact with the referee teams to everyone's benefit.

There is such a thing as coaching around the referee one draws - I am reminded of Tony DiCicco's tour de force with the USWNT in the WWC against Nigeria. In the first half, the referee was unable or unwilling to protect players, so in the second half, the US team played keep away, never allowing the Nigerian team to get close enough to tackle one on one. It had a good result for us - no permanent injuries and a 7-1 win.

But if a coach just walks off with his team, he and his team are subject to league sanctions. There are better ways to deal with the issue.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jeff
Teams generally have no right to refuse an officially appointed referee. There has been a number of high profile cases where teams suggested that they did not want to play their game with a certain referee. The assignors stood firm and the games were played with the appointed referee.
If there is some information such as a conflict of interest the assignors will listen to that case carefully and decide accordingly.
Leagues cannot have a situation where teams choose who referees their games.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

It would be a rare league that would permit you to do so after the assignment is made. A few leagues allow coaches to blacklist a limited number of referees who will never be assigned to their matches, but most do not.

If you are aware of some conflict of interest issue, raise it with your club's referee liaison or referee assignor well before match day.