Question Number: 28652

Mechanics 8/10/2014

RE: rec Adult

alex of richmond hill, ontario canada asks...

AR raised the flag for a ball handling with the hand foul. CR determined that the ball was miskicked to the hand at close distance and fast speed that it was a ball to hand situation. CR let play continue and waved to AR to drop the flag. AR was not happy and went to sit on the substitute bench instead of carrying out his duties. Some senior referees' advises are that the CR should sent the CR home and write it in the game report. What would you do in such situation?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The referee should make every effort to try to bring the AR back to working as a team. But, if the AR will not assist, the referee should dismiss the AR. The match report will inform the league, but the referee should also immediately inform the assignor.

I have dismissed an assistant referee exactly once, at half-time. My efforts to persuade him to work with me were unsuccessful. (He felt that my conduct had not been respectful to his rights as a referee.) Fortunately, this occurred at a tournament in which additional assistant referees were immediately available to replace him. Most referees don't have that option, and must work harder to keep the team together.

Still, on that occasion, the AR and I met later that afternoon, and with the help of a third party we both trusted, we were able to work things out.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alex
Poor professionalism by the assistant referee. He is there to assist not to insist. Now we have all had flags waved flown and that can be hard to take when it happens. Sometimes we feel slighted that our opinion has been ignored or challenged. However it is the referee's game to call and if he disagrees with an AR's flag it is his prerogative to wave it down.
If the AR won't continue after some encouragement then he should be relieved of his duties and the matter reported in the match report and to the assignor.
Now if there is no immediate replacement the referee will have to get the assistance of a club linesman and the other AR will have to assume club linesman duties as well.
My favourite maxim is prevention is better than cure. Referees should advise ARs about ""unwanted"" flags and how he will handle those so that the AR is forewarned about a wave down. Also if the CR is looking straight at an incident and does not see anything wrong then many times a flag is not wanted. I got berated for no flag in a very high level game recently. I knew the CR had a perfect view of it and he was trying to play advantage. He did come back to the foul. My flag would not have helped the situation.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

While it sucks as AR to THINK you have been ignored or discounted by the center referee it is HIS MATCH! HIS DECISION! HIS REPUTATION! You bite the tongue, record the deficiencies subject to YOUR opinion and report to league or association your concerns, only AFTER you TALK over in the POST GAME or at HALF TIME what likely was NEVER covered in PREGAME! The incident of an AR walking off must be reported at the very least to the league or association

It takes a very cool AR to not get rattled or upset with a CR who waves away a clear decision you thought you nailed. You can not throw the flag away and pout even IF the CR is out to lunch in YOUR opinion because you SHOULD know a referee with integrity sees what he sees even if we see it different!

I recall one center referee and I as AR. I CLEARLY signaled a foul, vigorously WAVED the flag and tapped front shirt pocket indicating I thought it prudent to caution. It was a run though in behind the 2nd last defender! The CR thinking I missed the fact this guy was onside at the time of the pass through waved me down . Ok I am a little peeved but I follow play then the ball shortly winds up inside the opposition goal once this guy who HAD DELIBERATELY USED His fist to punch the ball through centered a pass to a team mate. Now I was 100% sure this was not FAIR! The celebrations going on I look over to the referee and shake my head, step into the field, do not go to the kick off spot to get ready, I try to wave him over spuriously we need to talk.
He appears upset but runs over stopping ten feet away pointing at the guy, claiming vehemently he was just onside, that's why I waved you off . My eyes popped, I gargled a bit then trying to keep calm and the acid from my voice, 'I signalled a FOUL, not offside! I did not just raise the flag I shook it back and forth, I tapped my pocket to indicate he should be cautioned! Your assumption I was flagging offside is erroneous! He PUNCHED the ball through with his fist. The myriad of spectators standing nearby could not help hearing our conversation since he declined to whisper into the ear but stand there looking peeved and while not yelling but loudly talking. They are nodding yup he did and these were HIS team supporters, sigh! He fumbles a bit and hangs his head and says crap! Well actually he said a derivate of crap lol but he APOLOGISES, disallows the goal, restarts with a DFK for the team no longer scored upon! Shows the yellow card, cautioning the puncher for USB . He could have choose to discount everything but he manned up and did the right thing took the heat, talked to both coaches . WE talked about it after and he knew that he assumed the offside must be, without really paying attention to the mechanics. So we learned something and we got through a tough situation because a referee with integrity will do what is right even if he thinks it makes him look a wee bit foolish. We were not totally professional but then who really is at the recreational level? We should strive to be! The important thing is we made it work, me by not rampaging off like an idiot insisting he was wrong but trying to assist him in getting it right and he because he was not a total git and learned from the experience! Jose was a great guy and developed into a good referee

Now as AR in a different match, different CR, with the ball cleared into the other end of the half I see the last yellow player from 25 feet away run up behind a red opponent and violently haul off and kick him in the back of the leg . It was BLATANT VC, easily the most discernible red card incident you could imagine. The player kicked turns around with a ready made fist but I scream out! DON'T I SAW EVERYTHING! Let the REFEREE deal with him! I am ON it! The player somehow reigns in and withholds his retaliation at MY insistence. I wave the flag get the referee to come over . Now we had several hundred people watching this incident it was ___Clearly___ in my opinion and in ALL those who witnessed it, a red card send off This referee decided to CAUTION both players because the loud mouth coaches of the team of the VC player suggested the defender would not do what he did unless something was done to him. Once again a CR with no sense of propriety but a free for all screaming match with all around yelling about what he should do.

I was dumbfounded, not that I am especially smart but this was possibly one of the worst decisions I have EVER seen a CR do and believe me as a coach, player and referee I have seen some doozies!

The player who was kicked and those who had actually seen what occurred were flabbergasted! Instead of the other team being a player down the victim of a violent attack was cautioned for a violation which no one ever saw or was sure ever happened at some point previously during the match which provoked our kick happy opponent sigh! Yellow won the match by two goals, might have been different if they played a man down like they should have!

Post Game I ask the referee seriously what were you thinking?? He replied it was likely they were altercations previously and that the match was a final and he did not want to send anyone off it could ruin the match so he let the players decide it . I told him, as I handed the flag back, 'They did not, you did !' Never worked with him since! I was not professional in my contempt, but then again I did not walk away nor bad mouth him during the match. I reported it to the league and later refused to do that league since they could not care less . Although, Lord knows if the kicked red player had decided to take a whack at the yellow guy, I do not know if I would have said boo!
Cheers