Question Number: 26483

Law 5 - The Referee 6/21/2012

RE: Competitive Under 19

Anonymous of Toronto, Ontario Canada asks...

This question is a follow up to question 26457

I had asked a previous question regarding handling dissent from players and coaches on the field but I was also wondering how you deal with it when you can't forget what players and coaches said to us during and after the game.

A lot of coaches like to give their choice words directly to the referee after the game when the teams are shaking hands. How should we manage the situation when we know they are going to make a comment? The game is over and it is pointless to eject them.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
What makes you say that a sending off after the game is pointless. The person will face disciplinary action by the League which very well will include a playing suspension for a player or a sideline ban for a coach.
So if anyone is insulting or abusive after the game the player on the field of play should be dismissed and shown the red card while a team official can also be dismissed and informed that he is being reported for misconduct.
As regards what else can be done I would make some suggestions.
First off it is never a good idea to engage with irate persons after the game. Politely tell them to walk away and to leave the field of play. I would also advise that it is a good idea to position oneself well away from the departing players and coaches so that they have to come out of their way to engage. It is also a good idea to wait until they have left again before leaving which also makes engagement more difficult.
Okay it is never possible to avoid all contact in these situations and it is best then to leave swiftly to the changing room without engaging with anyone. Remember that the comments can be to provoke a reaction and when that does not happen it can lose its impact. So the advice is to stay calm and objective. Use a firm confident voice in a courteous professional manner and bring your own personality to the words used. I might say " I hear what you are saying. The game is over so please leave it at that"
A final thought is that with experience I have been able to blot out most comments through ignoring it, not making eye contact etc almost impervious to it. When the comment is not having the desired effect the person can decide that it is a waste of time and energy.
Experience also has a way of making for a tougher skin with comments seen as aimed at the role not the person. In the heat of a game and just afterwards things can be said that are not meant to be personal. Every referee has had to deal with comments most of which I just ignore and dismiss same.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Ref McHugh has some excellent suggestions, which I endorse. Do not make yourself any more available than you have to immediately after the game. Get with your ref team at once and stand away from the players and coaches. If they come anyway, be brief, if you say anything at all, keep it courteous and professional and keep a poker face on. I've been known to ask before they start in 'Excuse me, coach/player. Remind me of your name, please?' Or, address them by name. 'Is there something I forgot, Coach Jones?' It usually slows them down a moment to think.

If they are threatening you or abusing you or the crew, get quickly to a safe place, then write them up and send it to the local disciplinary committee immediately. Never fail to do this, as you can be certain that without reporting it, you will not be the first or the last referee to suffer their intended slights and worse.

If this behavior occurs on the field, issue a card if it is a player, and add it to the report. If it is the coach or other team personnel, let them know they have been officially dismissed and include that in the report so that they will miss their next game(s).

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You certainly can make a point either dismissing a coach or sending off players after a game. A few years back I had 5 or 6 players come up to me after the last game of the season at the handshake with the other team which our League requires the referee crew to oversee. Each one got in my face and said there was nothing I coud do to them. Sent them all off, wrote my report and got it to the main office in time for them to be suspended from the tournament the next week.
If you cannot avoid a coach after a game that wants a confrontation, you and your crew politely tell the coach he is not being constructive and you do not wish to talk to him. Turn around and walk away. Include his remarks and behavior in your game report. Don't engage him. That's what he wants.