Question Number: 30083

Law 5 - The Referee 2/6/2016

RE: Adult

Robert Findley of Gosford, nsw australia asks...

What happens to the match if the referee does not follow the rules and red cards a player and can the team walk off the field in protest and the match be null en void

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Robert,
we are 'ALL' responsible for our actions. A referee's accountability to know and apply the LOTG in a neutral fashion is something that is reviewed in cases where matches are abandoned. However, the team and players will be equally culpable in their actions, duties and responsibilities and will be held accountable. It is a HUGE decision for a TEAM to walk off. Even if a referee has erred in a decision, be it an opinion, a referee with integrity sees what he sees even if he sees it different. Teams can be fined, expelled from the league, have points deducted, be declared the loser and not permitted to replay who knows what the ruling body might ultimately decide.

If you observe inappropriate conduct by an official or feel a decision is made in error of the LOTG you can protest the match. You can record the information and submit it to the association authorities. yes it is a pain, costs money and time but walking off carries CAN far more consequences.

In over 50 years I have never been involved in a walk off either as a player coach or referee. In BC we played year round outside on occasion fields were pretty iffy. A referee was pressured to get a match in as it was holding up a cup competition. I told him as a coach that I felt the field was not safe to play far too icy and hard. He argued it was his decision not mine. I said ok here is the deal I want you to run at that goal post and stop on the edge of the six yard goal area if you can do that we will take the field . AFTER he picked himself up of the ground by the post I held up a phone. I had phoned the association director and asked to reschedule our 9 o clock match for a 4 pm in a sunny open field not screened by the trees if the opposing team would agree. SOMETIMES we can effectively give our side of an argument, most times LAW 5 entitles a referee his opinion and carries the day.
And if you try to get cute you can suffer it as well. We had another referee take the afternoon match he was terrible. The guy that was there in the morning was actually quite good.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Robert
Authorities take a dim view of teams taking unilateral action such as walking off in a game because they dont like a referees decision making or his handling of the game. Many times there is no independent evidence to suggest that the referee erred in his handling of the game. If it is an error in the application of the law that is protestable whereas a matter of opinion is not.
In 1982 the World Cup match between France and Kuwait was temporarily suspended by a walk-off of the Kuwaiti team. With France leading 3-1, Alain Giresse of France scored a fourth. The Kuwaitis complained that they had not tried to stop him because they had heard a whistle and assumed the Russian referee, Miroslav Stupar, had blown for an offence. Prince Fahd Al-Ahmed Al-Jabar, the president of the Kuwaiti Football Association, threatened to withdraw his team if the goal was not disallowed. The referee eventually agreed to disallow the goal but he never officiated another World Cup game. Had the situation not been resolved the game with the game abandoned IMO it would have had serious consequences for the team and every possibility that the match would have been awarded to France and Kuwait sanctioned.
Think about it. Can we really contemplate a situation where teams cause a game to be abandoned because they disagree with the referee. Whatever about safety concerns such as bad light, lightning etc disagreeing with decisions is not going to be a viable argument at a disciplinary hearing. Even on the safety one there would need to be strong independent evidence to support the position. I can recall a case in point where a team complained to a colleague that a wet soft pitch had become unplayable which the referee did not agree with. Had the team walked off who would the League disciplinary panel take evidence from? If both teams walked off that would be an entirely different matter.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Robert,

Part of playing (and I say this as an ex-player/coach as well) is accepting that the referee won't always make decisions you agree with. One piece of advice I've heard is to treat him like a field condition - you can't change the ol' bobble at certain fields, or a muddy penalty area - and you can't change the way the match is going to be refereed. So you can either get upset and make things worse for yourself, or accept it. I've seen so many matches lost because one team became more concerned with what the referee was doing than their opponents.

The vast majority of red cards are correct, even if everybody on the field disagrees. So the possibility is that the individual who has read the Laws of the Game and been to numerous meetings and education sessions on the laws of the game may know something about that incident that the players don't and the red card is justified. Of course the possibility is that the referee just saw the incident wrong (and sometimes an incident can look completely differently from different angles - so it may be yourself that's seen it wrong. How many times have you looked at replays on television and thought 'well, from the first camera it looks like he didn't even touch him, but now I've seen the other angle I can see where he clipped his legs'?) and made an honest incorrect decision. And yes, the possibility is also that the referee made an error in his understanding of what the LOTG state and illegally sent a player off.

Regardless, the referee's decision is the referee's decision. If you abandon the match, then you're making your own decision and are responsible for your own actions. You may be unhappy with how the referee is officiating the match - and it may even be justified - but it doesn't warrant walking off the field. Regardless of the reasons, you can expect to be held accountable for those actions.

What happens then is at the mercy of CCF, your local football authority, as it's in the competition rules, not the LOTG. At a minimum I'd expect it to be considered a forfeit against your team with an automatically determined number of goals (unless your team has already conceded more). There's the potential for fines, docking of competition points, or suspension of the team. Action may also be taken against the club as well. Expulsion of the team from the competition is generally a possibility under the disciplinary code, though that's often a last resort. Depending on the disciplinary record of the club (which you probably wouldn't know too much about), it may be possible for the entire club to be suspended or expelled.

Quite a few years ago I was involved with education and assessment of referees on the Central Coast, among other things. You certainly have the right to appeal the red card - and if the error was that the player was sent off for something that is literally impossible to be sent for under the LOTG you can attempt to appeal the match result as well. You also have the option of submitting a complaint about the referee - though if you do so, try to keep it objective and factual. If warranted, and not just a typical 'sour grapes' complaint then they'll try to ensure the referee is mentored/assessed in the near future.

As a player I've been so angry with the referee that my team has wanted to walk off, so I do understand that. Was my anger justified? In my experience across all roles, generally such anger is based on the biased perspective of a fan/player, or not understanding the LOTG or that the referee may have actually had a better view of the incident than yourself - or even anybody at the game. Frustration builds frustration, and too often a referee may not be doing anything wrong even if one team is convinced he hasn't made a decision right all match.

Best advice? Play the whistle, get on with it, and keep thinking about the job your players turned up to do.