Question Number: 30907

Other 10/17/2016

jeff of boston, ma usa asks...

Not a direct rule question, but do you guys as referees notice yourselves defending referees more often, even for other sports?

I see people constantly criticizing referees in American football, basketball, baseball, pretty much every sport (as people are wont to do, blame the refs for everything) and find myself defending them a lot.

I also get kind of annoyed when I see referees I work with criticizing other referees, like if they are a parent watching a game I am doing and criticizing the referees calls. Seems to me like referees should stick together since we are really the only ones who will defend and support each other

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jeff
It depends on the manner in which the criticism is made. Referees should never ever criticise a fellow referee in the presence of third parties such as coaches, managers, spectators etc. I see no difficulty though with referee colleagues discussing calls made in a game that is done privately among themselves or asking about a call made by a match official in a game.
The USSF Code of a Ethics specifically states that
# I will be loyal to my fellow officials and never knowingly promote criticism of them
# I will not make statements about any games except to clarify an interpretation of the Laws of the Game
Now human nature leads us all at times to moan or criticise when we hear or see something that is not done correctly. It happens in everything including work where we might complain / moan to each other about a colleagues poor performance or handling of a situation.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jeff,
Refereeing is a job and we are accountable for our actions ON and OFFF the field! Experience should teach us, as they say when you walk a mile in them shoes, you can grasp the difficulties all referees face when trying to apply the LOTG to any sport as a neutral official. Technology now can pinpoint discrepancies in almost Nano second time with instant replays, slow motion video multi angle dissection to drive home a possible mistake. Few events hold the true honour of an official then my Mentor Esse in the instant moment of courage in 1998 World Cup in France

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-lNODXuA6k&feature=player_embedded

http://www.canoe.ca/SoccerWCNews/jul10_ref.html

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/03/17/12/46/esse-baharmast-1998-world-cup

On this site we strive for effective communication and understanding between all those who seek answers or justification of events. We are acutely aware of the perspectives and the needs of those who play coach or watch are NOT the concerns of a neutral party where by an official must continually make instant judgement calls based on their knowledge and possible angle of view in a given moment. Criticism of officials is not unwarranted you should see or sit in on the post match reviews at the elite levels where the discussions and self criticism are as harsh as any produced by outside amateurs and pundits.
No referee officiates with a thin skin effectively and when they have a poor match or forget their duties or simply apply the LOTG incorrectly we understand that experiance and circumstances factor in when commenting on the situations asked of us. One MAIN critizim from coaches and players and parents and referees is the arrogance of certain referees and the distain betwwen say AR and CRs for not working well together, Criticism is not always unjustified, yet we do think on who or how it is being applied.
As a referee, as an AR or 4th and coach I had moments where watching the onfield performance of referees doing matches that had me almost apoplectic trying not to comment or correct their issues or my perceived issues when it came to the safety of players or the laws of the game being misapplied. I will try to privately communicate but after a hotely contested match many referees prefer not to engage so I might record and write in the concerns to the league with the aim of improving the referee's next performance not just venting frustration.

In conclusion we appreciate all who blow the whistle but those who forget while doing so that it is a JOB, it has responsibilities and accountability on and off the field the comments directed will reflect those concerns in a reasoned professional manner not a personal one!.

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Jeff,

When it comes to football (soccer) I feel I have a good enough grasp of the laws to be able to arrive at an informed opinion on whether a referee has acted within the laws or not. Quite often I find myself defending other referees simply because the criticism directed at them is based on a mistaken impression of what the laws dictate in a given situation.

Also, as a referee who had made his share of errors, I suppose I have somewhat understandable tendency to sympathise with other referees. Having said that, if a colleague has made an egregious enough mistake and I am asked to comment on it, I would feel honour-bound to acknowledge the error.

Then there is the fact that in refereeing, as (I think) in various other areas it is neither desirable nor productive, nor to a certain extent ethical, to be overly critical of your colleagues.

As for other sports, although I enjoy watching quite a large cross-section of them, I do not feel in most cases, that I have a sufficiently detailed knowledge of their laws or rules to make a judgement.