Question Number: 26783

Law 5 - The Referee 9/17/2012

RE: Rec Adult

Mickey of Panama City, Florida US asks...

I coach and play in a adult league. Our local referees are not the greatest, age and being out of shape makes it hard for them to properly cover the field. When there are many calls not being made and the refs are questioned, they refer you to the rules(found on our website). They refuse to explain why they made a call or even answer questions after the game. They threaten to card you for dissent. To top things off, there are 2 refs that are part of the board of directors, so if a team appeals a call or a card, they say they will always err to the side of the referee. The referee assignor says 'And please realize, as refs we do not have to answer any questions, and are tought to not to as a rule of thumb' How true is this and what can be done when they constantly missed basic calls like, illegal throw-ins and balls not being called when they go out of the lines by at least a foot.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mickey
Generally when calls are being questioned it is rarely for information purposes but dissenting the calls. Also after a game is not the proper location to be questioning calls as emotions can be running high. In a recent game where I was acting as an assistant referee the center called a penalty and in my opinion it was the correct call. After the game the player that committed the foul, who was substituted, came on the field of play to question the referee. His questioning was not to understand why the call was made but to 'tell' the referee that he got the decision wrong. The referee politely told him that his first motion on the challenge was not a foul but his subsequent action was hence the award of the penalty. Do you think that he accepted the CR's answer?
So if a referee does not call an 'illegal' throw in, he is the opinion that it wasn't or perhaps his angle of view give him a different perspective. That is part of the game. As regards the ball crossing over the line that is a matter of judgement. Clearly a foot over the line should not be missed but it does happen particularly when a CR is on his own with club ARs or a mistake by the AR.
In a perfect world every referee and assistant would be to a FIFA standard with superb fitness and speed. That is not possible and it is not going to happen. Referee assignors are doing there best to raise standard of officials. One of the very real problems that they face is that many young fit persons do not want to take on the role of referees as there is too much verbal abuse, hassle from coaches, players etc or those that do take up refereeing either progress on to higher levels or simply give up. In the UK alone seven thousand referees are quitting every season because of abuse on the pitch and the touchlines. The FA estimates that in some areas of the country, 20 per cent of games are played without a qualified match official.
So in some ways those that are " not the greatest, age and being out of shape makes it hard for them to properly cover the field" are providing a valuable service so that games can proceed. Perhaps if the refereeing experience was less difficult those with the potential and ability may offer their services.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

In my area, few players want to ask a question about a call. They don't want an answer to the question. They want to complain and dissent - - to express their opinion about the bad call. When they bring an attitude that says the player's don't respect the referee's authority or decisions, it can lead to real problems. Even if the player is correct that the referee made a poor decision.

When a player or coach approaches me after the match, I need to evaluate quickly from their body language whether they are still angry . If they approach red faced and in fury, I will refuse to speak with them. If I sense a potential problem, I usually will ask them to wait fifteen minutes until after I finish the paperwork. (None has ever remained to talk.) Those that are calm and respectful deserve to know what I saw or for me to hear what they saw. Most players can understand that each could see different things and can agree to disagree on whether the call was correct.

Bad referees, IMO, want to argue back and know how to push a player's button such that they will say something that ends up with a card for dissent or abusive behavior. Better referees try to avoid the problem by avoiding the discussion. While that can seem arrogant, my experience is that it comes from wanting to protect the angry players from their own behavior.

Most referee decisions are judgment calls, and not errors in the application of the laws of the game. Few protests are upheld. While we have no information about your league's board, I doubt that the issue is the two referees who are on the board. My experience is that referees on a protest committee are usually harsher than non-referees.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Are your games worked by a three man crew or only a single referee?

If a three man crew, I doubt many of the 'bad' calls would be viewed that way by an independent observer. If a single center referee, you get what you pay for. Without the ARs, a center referee will miss many things and have to decide at the outset what's most important.

Very few players or coaches want to 'discuss' a call. They usually want to complain. Yes, we are taught not to engage in discussions while the game is in progress.

Like the others, if approached at the half or after the game by anyone exhibiting a calm and earnest demeanor, I'm more than happy to discuss anything but I won;t engage someone that simply wants to argue