Question Number: 29250

Mechanics 3/18/2015

RE: Rec Other

George of Parangarecutirimicuaro, CA Sacratomato asks...

I have refereed for two years headed for my third year and I finally decided to venture on to a different city since we do not have Spring soccer in my area. I am known for being a solid AR and and especially for being on top of the offsides calls. I am also known for having answers to tough calls when in question (I brag about doing my research on this website :). In our league, our leading referee often instructs us to give him a hand signal to clear a team from an offside offence and so he can focus on the play in progress.
So I went to another city hoping to impress. At the end of my first game, an individual who claimed to be an Assessor for that league came to give me some feedback. First, he mocked my hand signals (force of habit on my part). Told me never to make any signals not found in the rule book including raising my foot on a bad throw in. He then criticized my play call on the offsides which I still disagree. And finally criticized me for having my eye on the ball. He said that it did not matter that the ball was in play on my half of the field. That my eyes should be with the second to the last defender at all times. He said it was up to the referee to call the throw ins and for me to follow with the my flag. And that it was the referees job to call bad throw ins without my help. And I do tend to align myself with the second to the last defender while keeping my eyes on the ball.
I was hoping to get the panels advice. Should my eyes be on the second to the last defender at all times?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi George
First of all there should be little doubt who is a match assessor. They should introduce themselves as such and provide a written report. If this was an assessor I suspect he was saying that you are on his patch.
Now some of his advice is just plain wrong. Most referees want assistants to assist with TI direction. In the assistants half he will more than likely follow the ARs flag direction. If it is in the CRs half then he may be better placed to make the call direction in which case the AR follows his lead. If unsure there should be eye contact and if he needs help that may be obvious. Also at throw ins many CRs ask ARs to do foot faults and that the CR will view the throwing action. If I see a foot fault it a definite flag as that is the default instruction .
As regards hand signals the Law book says and I quote
**As a general rule, the assistant referee must give no obvious hand signals.
However, in some instances, a discreet hand signal may give valuable support to the referee. The hand signal should have a clear meaning. The meaning should have been discussed and agreed upon in the pre-match discussion.**
I see nothing wrong with a slightly raised foot at an incorrect TI to tell the CR that it was a foot fault.
As regards offside obviously I cannot comment on the correctness of the calls. What I can say is that the AR should always align himself with the 2nd last opponent at all times. There is no option here to *tend to* That means quite a bit of movement along with head movement such as looking both ways constantly. Crabbing is a particularly useful technique here whereby the Assistant Referee faces the field of play and moves his body to the left or to the right by using crab-like leg movements to shift sideways, for the purpose of keeping in line with the second last slow moving defender. In that position it is difficult for anyone looking to know what the AR is looking at as he is facing the FOP.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Well this assessor is 1 for 2 (can't tell if he was right on the offside calls or not).

USSF Advice to Referees (section 5.4) instructs to avoid additional signals:
'If the referee has developed a useful signal for some specialized situation (e.g., overruling an assistant referee's signal for a throw-in based on having seen a different last touch on the ball), it may be used provided it:
• does not duplicate or replace an official signal,
• is not distracting,
• is limited in purpose, and
• is thoroughly discussed in the pregame conference.'

However, ball out of play is the first duty given to the AR in Law 6:
'Two assistant referees may be appointed whose duties, subject to the decision of the referee, are to indicate:
• when the whole of the ball leaves the field of play'

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi George,
The difficulty is life coverage, it does not always show the essence of the EB element (Esse Baharmast 1998 world cup )integrity, fair play and ability which is not highlighted as often or as clearly as it does the OTHER CMI (Critical Match Decisions)decisions that are in fact missed or misdiagnosed! To not award a PK, then caution the striker and award the INDFK out only to see a replay that clearly shows it was a PK? To award goal only to clearly see it WAS offside or take away a good goal because it WAS NOT offside! To send off a player for a foul that he did not commit or forget that 3 cautions to the same player is one too many? There is NO referee alive who has not missed a foul or made a mistake. The only fault a referee could have to be unforgiven for is the quince essential character of ...NO..., no effort, no integrity, no respect, no accountability for the things that a NO referee displays

It is difficult to form an accurate assessment of the assessor's actions being similar to the first part of the word as in ass/ist and less the prof/essor or educational/mentor. If he is the ACTUAL match assessor and you are being evaluated, you should be provided with a written report. If this was an official, who assesses and was trying in a friendly way to give you feedback as a courtesy, then a warm introduction and a welcome before ripping strips and handing you your head might be less hurtful then an unwelcome constructive criticism session. I much rather we react positively to the feedback from others and take action to improve ourselves. No one gets good at this job unless they have some leather to their skin and an intelligent open mindset to listen to hard truths spoken by someone who is worth listening too.

We not only learn from our own mistakes but can avoid the mistakes of others by drawing upon another's experience's. Unfortunately the benefits from sharing experience and knowledge can be darkened by the ego as easily as enlightened by the id. When it comes to deciding on how good or effective we are as an official those determinations are best left to those others rather than oneself. Confidence with humility, Courage with compassion Respect with accountability these benefit a referees character development. To encourage these attributes I suggest becoming a referee mentor yourself as mentoring helps retain and improve the use of such values. It is important to be open to constructive evaluation, we need to hear the hard truths, to embrace and value criticism related to our on field performances. It is tempting to want to argue with assessors, to explain ourselves and actions, perhaps still convinced in our own minds the certainty of our position or decisions to excuse our weaknesses rather than accentuate our strength's.

The price we pay in the accumulation of knowledge, the search for wisdom, the value of experience and journey of understanding is we get lost on the journey, not understanding its importance, so little wisdom gained in forgetting that everyone's else experience is of a greater sum then yours, that there are always wiser purveyors of knowledge that we need to heed if we are to educate ourselves effectively. It is not just WHO to trust but is the accuracy of the information being relayed and just how effective this all is within your character, your management strategies, your comprehension and comfort level of abilities.

Those who provide guidance and instruction, well meaning, insightful to the point of arrogance, spoken with a tone of superiority that can grate on the senses causing us to suffer an assault, as if mediocrity is a terrible burden for a referee to endure when the ego overrides. The attempt to be helpful turns more into a lecture of, Listen to me I KNOW what I KNOW because I am all Knowing! How do I know this, because I suffer from it on occasion. Sigh

It is crucial to remember to request feedback from your colleagues coaches players, all those connected to the game to go over in ...your own mind... the foibles and faults within our decision making so we can strive to do better. We can not discount information JUST because it is not of our liking, however neither are we obligated to accept nonsense or disrespect. Wrong is wrong no matter the referee spouting the wrong has done so for years. Just as right is right by a new referee who is passing on the class lesson recently learned and now ingrained within the overall experience pool of shared information.

Just like anything else there are good and bad assessors, there are those who correctly highlight flaws for one referee who improves but not for another, who flounders. Assessors are not any different than a referee who on any given Sunday can be perceived as Hells spawn or praised as Gods gift to the football region from where he resides. LOL

Criticism like praise maybe well meaning or spiteful but it does not make what is said the truth any more than denying or accepting it makes it a lie.
There is a reason we look for mentors and colleagues because we respect the individuals' knowledge and genuine desire to be helpful for guidance and sage advise as honest criticism to be judged as value and recognize its importance. Setting aside prejudice or preconceptions and examining the who as well as the when and where or why of what is being said. The ability to disseminate and process information as TRUSTED input, to accept it as truth or simply an option or to equally disregard it as not appropriate, not
important or not factual.

The USSF has compiled an incredible collection of information and procedural instructions within their ATR advice to referees. I have not always agreed with everything within the document over the years. But it too has evolved and to their credit have altered and reworded until their versions of the guidance and instructions to their referees strive to bring uniformity in assessing the game and implementing a standard of excellence where an AR from Dakota can pair up with a AR from California between a centre referee from Florida with the knowledge the same mechanics , the same procedures the communication process is ingrained and in a decent pregame these elements are easily tested.

A match prime directive is the AR should align himself with the 2nd last opponent! This is of #1 positional importance so to deviate requires something of greater match significance than just position. Crabbing, no not complaining lol is an effective side to sideways movement of shuffling along, following the gradual movement of the 2nd last opponent as he moves forward or drops back while the AR is facing the FOP!

This does not mean the AR ONLY watches the 2nd last opponent, the AR has other duties. The ball itself is an offside guideline so it too bears some watching does it not? It is when a priority arises that supersedes the directive you change your crabbing into a full fledged sprint to follow a one on one breakaway, no value in watching the 2nd last defender at this stage would you agree?

However you watch the ball flight as it flies in the air and as the ball moves so too the 2nd last defender then oops you are not aligned? There is no doubt the AR does not see the match from the same perspective as the referee. An assessor should be relaying his thoughts and if you have percieved he is incorrect in his assumptions then I heartily suggest you have yourself videoed as you AR a match, asking them to follow your movements, not the ball itself. The visual clues from an assessor point of view may not coincide with what you thought you were doing or in fact where you were exactly at the moment of decision. Hand signals not withstanding these are a CR referee decision not an ARs and must be discussed in the pregame!

I can recall when I would entrust my ARS with offside as THEIR baby, THEIR responsibility but evolution of the game has taught me it is OUR baby, our responsibility. So to our journey as officials take us where our paths will intersect with others and it is a responsibility to share information but you must be accountable for understanding its significance and value in both the telling and in the accepting.

Throw in are a simple method of restarting the match, they seem to weigh heavily on newer officials than older ones but once again pregame instructions with the referee should clear up if he wants more or less. As a CR when I entrust my ARs I try to factor in their level of understanding and their desire to participate. This is different then elite levels because of the groundwork already laid well before. I ask them to tell me what their idea is of a correctly taken throw in then what is not? I do not use the words ,foul throw, anymore I never put an s on the end of the word offside (onside or offside) anal? not really, more in the evolution of being part of something I care about, I try to say and do the things that impart correct habits.

I cannot fault another official for wanting to help another official even if I might disagree or think a certain way. That said we are all accountable for our actions and the responsibility for speaking the truth as we see or understand it. I very much disapprove of belittling or mocking as a way of getting a point across, sarcasm is not lost on me and blunt truth can ruffle feathers, however, we should not ignore the message just because the sender maybe perceived as a putz/

You ask, 'Should my eyes be on the second to the last defender at all times?'
No of course not, you STRIVE to be directly across with every means at your disposal when it is critical to do so but there is MORE to an AR than mirroring the 2nd last opponent. If you are NOT across when it is critical ...THAT... is what a good assessor should notice!
Your are adjusting and shifting to the changing parameters of the match but it is easy to be lulled into passivity when things are static or play is far away. The 2nd last opponent drifts into the opposing half, you are at the midline, not following him, because you KNOW better! Staying across from the 2nd last defender does not mean you can not ...see... a ball deflect off a player into touch cross the goal line or a player strike another in behind play. Or a ball is now closer to the goal line you better not be with the 2nd last defender, you should be even with that ball yes? Being aware of a 2nd last defender engaged in conversation with his keeper while play is in the opposing half do you need to be directly across? If there are no attackers within that half? You have situational awareness that in of it self is helpful to match control.

Law 6 list the duties of the AR but a working relationship of ARS and CR only work well if they communicate and respect where the other is coming from on their journey as an official. Arrogance and dismissiveness of abilities from those thinking they know more than they do even if they know more than another are not enjoyable, create hardships. discontent and outright dislike when egos collide. This is not only a stubborn CR/AR issue but in any transfer of information between two parties we must strive for that essence of humility we pay lip service too. Forgiving perceived insulting behaviour couched in the fable of I am trying to help you part of a good referees understanding that not all things are quite what they seem. Learn to pick the cherries just leave the tree if you find it not to your liking!

Cheers