Question Number: 33638

Law 5 - The Referee 9/9/2019

RE: competetive Under 17

Devery A Harper of NAPLES, FL United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 33634

What a great resource this is! I really appreciate your answers. I am just starting my second year as a ref and I am constantly learning. It is situations like these that help me learn the fastest.
After the dust settled and I had time to think on it, I realized I DID NOT do a thorough job of assessing the 4 d's Joe mentioned. My brain was stuck on 'should I have stopped play', 'that was a foul', 'was it in the box?'. The AR pointed out to me it was the last defender and in his opinion was a DOGSO, but the card was up to me. I respect the AR and his knowledge of the game, he is also a defender and has been sent off himself for the same thing.
I learned a few things from this:

1.) I usually stop play in youth games for injuries. This one was different because of the breakaway. It kind of became a flash point though. The tackle from the defender, the way he bull rushed the attacker, was kind of like 'well if you're not gonna blow the whistle for my guy I'll give you a reason to stop play.' Maybe it's better to stop play.

2.) Yes, I need to look over my shoulders more and not always be so transfixed on the ball as Richard mentioned. I find the U-15/16 boys to be the hardest for me to ref. They're just at that age where they go all in, are kind of fearless/reckless, and if they feel slighted....look out. I suppose this will come with time.

3.) If I'm going to give a red card for a DOGSO then I need to be absolutely sure it falls under the criteria of being a DOGSO. If I'm not sure about it, I can always downgrade to a Yellow. This tackle merited a yellow for sure. If DOGSO never became part of the picture I would not have given a red for that tackle.

Live and learn. Thanks.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Hi Devery ,
your response is the heart & soul of the reasoning of those here who continue to volunteer their time, share their experience & understanding of the beautiful game! All here are glad to be a part of your journey, wish you well with hopes to hear from you again!.
from our pitch to your pitch in the spirit of fair play

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Devery,
you are 100% spot on when you point out the testiness of youth play just as they grow from youth to men.. personally find I talk to players MORE at this age than most any other usually trying to find a way to keep them on the FOP as opposed to carding or sending them off for retaliation or perceived slights. Even in moving away from points of conflict I continually monitor those flash points! Again your breakdown of WHY that foul occurs is likely LINKED to the reasoning of the downed player is a very astute observation

ARs could be informed in pregame that no raised wiggle flag, if no stoppage is required. A raised dead flag for attention he points to downed player and drops it once he gets your attention,is ' Are you aware? It is always a bit trickery to ignore raised flags although if you KNOW its incorrect it is the right thing to do. The flag is only a signal for you to consider. The teams playing should NEVER react to it thinking play will be stopped . Only your whistle does that! That said there will be bickering if they are ignored, best wave then down ASAP if not stopping play.

I surmised you would only caution that tackle based on your inferences in your previous correspondence .
DOGSO is a criteria based observation but just want to reiterate some considerations.
SFP or VC take precedence over DOGSO even if DOGSO exists. The red card is shown for the force used not the goal thwarted
DOGSO OUTSIDE the PA is treated different than DOGSO inside the PA.
INSIDE the PA If the foul is a realistic challenge the PK is awarded but the player is only cautioned, shown a yellow card unfortunately if the foul is outside the PA the downgrade is not applicable. The DFK outside is NOT as guaranteed to score as often as the PK inside could!
Cheers
Richard

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Devery
Thanks for your kind words.
Not all decisions are black and white and it is left for the referee to opine based on the circumstances.
I recall being an AR in a game some time ago and a penalty decision by the referee did not result in a DOGSO red card. This was before the law changed. The referee decided that in his opinion he was going with a caution yet in my mind it had to be red. The decision worked out for the referee in the end yet I pointed out to him that it could have caused him problems had the game not finished the way that it did. On reflection he knew it should have been red and I felt he just did not want to send off the goalkeeper for what was a genuine attempt to play the ball that ended as a foul. It was situations like this that the law was amended.
The referee made what he felt was the *best* decision for the game. It worked out okay for him in that instance. Other times it will not.