Question Number: 28986

Mechanics 11/18/2014

RE: club Under 17

Russ of Augusta, GA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 28973

Thank you for the insite.

In the most recent DH against my team, the player reacted as if she had put her hand on a hot stove and slowed down looking for the ref. The AR shook his head no and waved his hands indicating "no foul" but Center blew whistle and gave a pk " no yellow or red, just pk.

I understand that if a ref reverses the call once, this opens Pandora Box for coaches and parents to second guess the calls. Why have AR's do anything but call the ball out of bounds if the
center does not use their judgement? In this situation, the players were facing the AR less than 15 yards from him. He should have the better view / angle right? When I ref I look for the reaction of the players in a handball situation " especially in the 18 yard box. My thought is the players " amature and youth " will "tell on themself" more times than not.

It is nice when a ref comes up to a coach and admits he blew a call. A player on my club team was leveled in the 18. She was given a DFK from the spot " not a PK. We scored anyway but at half time when we asked about the call, thinking since we were playing in another state, maybe this is some new rule for that state, he said bluntly, "Glad you scored. I blew the call."

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Russ,
thanks for the question and the kind remarks, we are happy to assist! .
ARs are there to assist the referee. Remember his match, his decision, his reputation , is on display, no matter whose opinion he follows. ARs do not make hand signals or indicate handling is not a foul unless the CR requested they do so if he is miles away from the play, In the pregame the AR /CR conversation on calling fouls or indicating non fouls if the CR is seeing the same thing? Usually eye contact, perhaps silent signal saying, I do not think so, thumb down, heads shake no etc.. then defer to the call or non call the CR makes.

An AR who sees something the CR is NOT looking at, it is more likely the CR will input this information differently. The CR can chose to abide by an AR observation especially if he has no opinion on the matter himself. Only a foolish CR discounts credible Intel from his ARS but it is not a contest on who is more correct but one of trust and a desire to do what is best for the match.

I think your observation on reversing a call is maybe a bit harsh given how impressed you were the referee admitted a mistake. I believe getting the call correct is crucial and those playing are more inclined to forgive an error in judgement than a lack of effort. Notice no s on the error, credibility is important. Making mistakes is part of refereeing, admitting to all of them during a match not usually a good strategy but getting them right as often as possible is!!

As a side note while it might be nice to know the truth, if the referee awarded a DFK inside the PA but did not conduct it as a PK, everybody out behind ball keeper only kicker only, the LOTG have been compromised and a protest if filed could be upheld and a replay ordered .
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Russ
Lets take the easy part first. There cannot be a DFK inside the penalty area. It has to be a penalty kick. Now you do not mention if the goal was scored directly from the kick. If so the conceding team could protest that they understood the kick was indirect as that is what it must be inside the penalty area.
Most decision are matters of opinion rather than matters of fact. It is easy to say that a technical mistake was made whereas matters of opinion are just that. Referees can be unsure about a call but that is different from making a technical mistake.
As regards the ARs involvement it is the referees game to call. ARs are there to assist and as we have said so many times deliberate handling is a difficult call. My view is that the CR takes 99.99% of the on-field calls and if he clearly looking at an incident with an uninterrupted view then I'm not getting involved unless he looks for assistance through eye contact. Referees can have different tolerance levels on fouls, deliberate handling etc and a referee may adopt zero tolerance on the raised arms contact on the ball certainly in the older and open age groups. I saw a referee award a DH penalty in a recent game. The lead AR did not see it and there were three referees spectating and one was of the opinion that the CR was correct, one was unsure while the other thought it was harsh but he could see how it could be given.
As regards your interpretation I might add that if you decide that it is not handling based on your opinion and an AR raises his flag to make the call do you take the flag or vice versa? As I tell benches when they complain to me on the line about calls or non calls that it is the referees game to call not the ARs. It is the referee that is in charge, his game, his reputation.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Referees learn early that the angle of view is critical. What the players and coaches see (from one angle), what the referee sees, and what each of the assistant referees see often appears radically different. A good referee takes information from the assistant referee before making a decision. But, in the end, it is the referee's judgment whether a foul has occurred or not.

I agree with you about admitting mistakes. Players understand that referees are human. It is nice when the referees admit what everyone already knows