Question Number: 25974

League Specific 2/15/2012

RE: Varsity High School

David Fountain of austin, Texas United States asks...

Valentine's Day Meltdown-

Last night our high school team played a game where there were at least twenty set piece calls, at least ten yellow cards issued and two red cards for what appeared to be minor infractions. The other team had a three to nothing lead early in the second half. At this point he issues a player from the other team a red card. The player becomes upset and refuses to leave the field and behaves aggressively toward the ref. The ref at that point declares the game to be over with twenty eight minutes left on the clock.

The kids on both sides were frustrated and disappointed. Of course we are going to protest the result, but what is the specific rule regarding ending a game because of another teams behavior?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

There is no appeal from referee decisions in Texas high school football under the UIL rules - even if the referee is dead wrong, so an appeal will fall on deaf ears. Even if this was not under HS rules (but it is), the referee was well within his authority to abandon the game when a red-carded player refuses to leave the game and the referee feels he is being threatened, so there would be nothing to protest in that regard even under USSF policies. While at the local level, an abandoned game can be replayed under certain circumstances, this is simply not an option in a HS game.

Based on your comments above, it appears the referee was not practicing good game management techniques, leading to the frustration of the players (apparently both teams) and the high number of cards. It takes a fair amount of skill and concentration to determine at what level the players want to and are able to play safely, and to match your control to what the game needs.

It is entirely possible the referee is not at fault at all, however, and the players just refused to accommodate the referee's enforcement of the rules of play. More likely, the truth is somewhere in between. The coaches have the power to make sure that referee does not do any further games for them.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Sounds like a terrible night for everyone but if the red carded player refuses to leave the field, the referee would have no recourse other than to abandon the match. If any referee feels he's in physical danger, he also should abandon the match. In your case, there were both so I don't know what there is to appeal. The referee may have been the worst referee in Texas but if a player refuses to leave the field AND threatens the referee no appeal board anywhere will show any sympathy. And this was a player on the team that was winning? What was he thinking? What was his coach thinking? What were his teammates thinking? They should have grabbed him and thrown him off the field so the game could continue.

I'm curious, exactly what are you going to protest? You were losing 3-0. I'm not sure about your neck of the woods but in a lot of locales, abandoned games are replayed either in their entirety or from the time of the abandonment. Did the abandonment automatically end the game with the score 3-0? I would think that would be the only reason you would even consider a protest but I can't imagine any protest committee finding the referee at fault given the reasons for abandoning this game.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi David
The decision here is whether the score at the time of the abandonment would be the match result.
That is never a decision for the referee to make and it is always a matter for the competition organisers to decide on based on the competition rules.
The referee reports the facts surrounding the game and leaves it up to the competition committee to decide.
In equity it would unfair to award an abandoned game to the team that caused the abandonment with 28 minutes to play. Usually the team that causes the abandonment should have a significant sanction.
As regards the game itself it reads like both teams did not adjust to the referee's decision making. Whether we agree or disagree with the referee's handling of the game the fact is that players must adjust and act accordingly. Too often the referee is blamed for poor behaviour by players. Yes there can be frustration but that does not condone multiple cautions, sending offs and a player refusing to leave the field of play. Even referees at the highest level has experienced this with the most recent example being Mr Ivanov's handling of the WC game between Portugal and Holland which resulted in 16 cautions and 4 dismissals or Mr Nieto's handling of Cameroon v Germany in the 2002 WC which resulted in 13 cautions and 2 dismissals in an ill tempered game. Usually there is a moment of truth in the game where a decision such as an early caution that is seen as harsh or a dismissal that is not made which then set the tone and starts the decline of match control and then it is difficult to get the toothpaste back in the tube.
Unfortunately there are no winner in this sitaution and perhaps lessons will be learned by all concerned.