Question Number: 31008

Law 5 - The Referee 11/10/2016

RE: Rec Under 17

Alex C of Waukesha, Wisconsin USA asks...

Past Sunday ,my team encountered a rival team in which we were losing by one goal.after half time one of their players had an injury and partially blamed it on our team,however the ref knowingly agreed with us and continued the game,however the opposing coach grabbed and pulled the ref.This led to postponing of the game and a mandatory meeting on Friday.I was wondering which consequence should be held accountable and what rule should the ref have followed.In our area,when aggression happens they tend to end the match and give the win to whomever is wining,luckily this time it didn't happen and we were losing .

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alex
Assault against a match official is a very serious offence. The Laws of the Game in Law 5 give the referee the power to stop, suspend or abandon the match, at his discretion, for any infringements of the Laws (or because of outside interference of any kind). Assaulting or abusing the referee committed by a player or team official, spectator etc is grounds for terminating the game, as that is an infringement of the Law. So the advice does include abandoning the game when personal safety is compromised. The matter is reported immediately to the appropriate authorities. If the assault is serious the matter should be reported to the police.
Have a look at this video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y2J-HJtVEnE
Referee Herbert Fandel is aggressively confronted by a supporter. That action resulted in the game being abandoned. Denmark in red had fought back from 3-0 down to make it 3-3 when Referee Fandel sent off Denmark defender Christian Poulsen for violent conduct in the 89 minute.
UEFA subsequently ruled a 3-0 result in favour of Sweden in yellow, the supporter was jailed for 20 days and sued successfully by the Danish FA for losses incurred with a final settlement of €35,000 agreed. Many times the principle that the offender or offending team not benefitting from any abandonment is used which can result in the game being awarded against the offending team. Other times when there is no benefit or apparent benefit the game might be replayed or the remaining time played out or for that matter the result to stand.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Alex,
it is always difficult when I don the coaching hat to be as neutral as when I wear the whistle around my neck, er wrist actually I keep my spare there lol.Your statement the referee knowingly agreed with you reeks of collusion when viewed by an upset coach That said, although I am candid enough to admit that an injury could occur with little blame or no fault the self interest biases when my players' get injured because of an opponents' aggression, does NOT sit well with me. I hold those responsible accountable, the opposing coach, the player themselves and I am critical of the official in their actions as they rule on what has transpired! I can agree to disagree. I can also see if the referee is expending some effort to stay with play, view his compassion & foul recognition, recognize his angle of view and positioning and the help or non help the assistant referees provide.
NO coach can expect to confront a match referee in any form of a physical or abusive manner and not expect repercussions of including expulsion and sanctioned from the sporting body that controls your league to police intervention perhaps facing assault charges. The ONLY way to deal with issues that occur during the match is to monitor and record and send the evidence or explain the situation to the best of your ability, to those who have decision making powers! You can hope to converse in a calm manner at an appropriate time perhaps a query through the captain depending on the referee temperament. Be sure you have a competent medical staff be it a fully trained ER or IFA or a Mom Doctor or Nurse to assist you with such injures as befall a competitive soccer match. Use your influence to keep the retaliation and collective tempers in check.
For a referee to abandon the match for safety concerns, be they his own or the players, it is going to be a big deal. The chances are the disciplinary committee will come down hard on the coach but they will look at the peripheral as to cause and effect
Usually there are bylaws in place to deal with these ugly incidents but as to awarding victory the referee has no jurisdiction to do so! The ROC (rules of the competition) dictate such solutions
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Most likely the injury was caused by your team. But that doesn't mean it was a deliberately blatant attempt to cause harm. Sometimes things happen - players collide and someone is hurt.

Still, there is no justification for assaulting a referee. It was correct for him to stop the game. Hopefully the person that did it will be swiftly and justly dealt with. Several states have made laws that specifically address abuse and assault of a sports official.

The Laws of the Game state, ' An abandoned match is replayed unless the competition rules or organisers determine otherwise.' Some leagues will have a policy in place that a team that causes an abandonment will be declared the loser by forfeit. Other leagues may have provision that a panel will hear an automatic appeal and decide on the outcome. I've heard of some rules that will have the teams come back at a later date and play out the remaining time of the game. It all comes down to what your local rules of competition say.