My favorite I've heard came in a tournament today. I'm AR2 for a B14 match which is tied 1-1, and as one team shanks one wide of the goal I hear a dad say, "we need to score, our vicarious lives are in jeopardy here!"
OK, need more hear. As described, that doesn't sound deliberate, and doesn't sound like an offense. What made it more than a happenstance ball-to-arm?
I probably should have elaborated that as he was jumping and his arm was outstretched in front of him. The ball came up off his foot and as his arms were coming back down, hit the ball to his feet.
Not to derail this thread, but it is still a "best" story for me that my son just made a team that will play in region III premier league. His club fee for this season is $1000, and a team fee is $600. It's a new uniform cycle, so another $250. So, without travel expenses, $1850. Not too bad, I think, given his coach is an "a" license and tournament fees are included. The club is not-for-profit and has a parent occupied board of directors. So, Youth soccer has definitely become big business, but not every decent situation is exploitative.
I'm 4th official for a D2 pro game, national broadcast on Fox, I think. With about a minute left in regular time and the game tied, the visiting coach says to me "I think we've got a point here if you guys don't f... us over." Three minutes of added time. At 2:45 into the added time, I've got the spare flags and my clipboard in my hands, ready to jog onto the field at full time. The referee gives the home team a penalty kick for handling by the visitors, in front of the home team's supporters group, roughly 3,000 people, who happens to be behind that goal. The noise was deafening. I hear nothing from the visiting coach, but, apparently, he was swearing up a storm, which was caught by the sideline mic. A USSF mucky-mucky calls the assessor the next day and tells him that I didn't take care of the language.
Unless it's your third game of the day, it's tied, and they will be playing extra time to decide a winner. Then its required.
Which is why tournaments are find of fun when I can work playoff games. After going over the Rules/time with my ARs, I will often without emotion sneak in, "First AR to fabricate a PK, gets $20" then turn my back and run to the center circle.
This reminds me that by the end of the day of a tournament, coaches are telling their players don't mess with the ref because they'll just card you, they're too tired to deal with you.
Should have turned back to the coach and said, "If you don't f**k us over we may pass our assessment."
Most of my coaching was done at the U19 and High School age groups. After many years of this a good friend was volunteered to coach his daughter's U6 team and begged me to help. We made a perfect team: he knew nothing about soccer and I knew nothing about kids that age. League rules had a coach from each team ref the games. I think I went most the season without using the whistle other than to let the kids know they were dribbling 3 yards into touch. Then one game a big little guy lowers him shoulder and runs over one of our kids. I ignore it, figuring it's an accident. 5 minutes later, same kid, same thing. Third time's the charm, it is now clear he is doing it on purpose, I blow loud whistle, call and explain what a DFK is. Woman who is the other coach/ref goes loco: "We don't call fouls in this league, How dare you!!!". My response: "I do" although it was the first. Of course, I later find out it was her kid.....
Sounds like tournament finals games when the score is tied at half - the charge to the Center is that it is his or her job to "bring us home"
Yup. Our standard instruction is that any referee who lets us go to extra time or worse, KFTPM, is buying. Unfortunately, our biggest offender is not yet old enough to buy. I think, on aggregate, she owes us about 6 kegs.
AR1 on a U13 girls game last night. After a "contentious" call last night near the parents side of the field, a bunch of them shout-out the usual crap to the referee and the coach, from across the field, pretty yells at them to shut-up. I had never heard a coach do that before. I liked it, and I wish more did it.
A little late to the party.... I was subbing in for a U9 boys game. Unfortunately, it was not a high level game but a couple of "B" level teams in our area. Game is going fine, a few fouls but generally not comments from the parents or the coaches. About 1/2 way through the second half a kid is fouled and I let advantage play out (his team ended up winning a corner). The kid left the field crying though. Next time a player is bumped (legal challenge) the kid's coach starts screaming "This is why all my kids are leaving the field crying! Start calling some fouls!" I bit my tounge and about thirty seconds later, one of this coach's players trips over the ball and starts crying. I promptly blow the whistle and signal the coach on the field. While he is out there, I ask him: "Coach, I blew the whistle because your player is crying, I am just confused as to what foul you want me to call in this case...." Didn't hear a word the rest of the game.
At u9, I'd be wary of using advantage unless it was truly blatant -- the players don't understand it, the coaches don't understand it, the parents don't understand it . . . the players are still learning what fouls are -- most of the time, IMHO, at that level it is far better to just call the foul, unless there is a high probabiliyt of a goal being scored. At a u9 game, there is no way I'm letting a line by that go from a coach. That is the kind of BS that riles up parents. IMO, you need to nip that right away when it is said -- not by making a smart aleck remark later. You've got coaches who are obviously inexperienced -- educate them, don't set them up to embarass them.
I was doing CR on a U14Coed match a long time ago. Two players were approaching the ball simultaneously at high speeed right in front of the parents. When they arrived at the ball, both missed, but their ankles hooked together. This caused both of them to leave the ground and spin 180 degees in the air. I had never seen anything like it, nor have I since. When the players flopped back down to earth, one of the parents yelled, "Call something!!!!" Without blowing the whistle, I raised both hands in the air pointing in opposite directions. The players never stopped playing, which was my intent, and several of the parents got a real kick out of it.
It would have to be a VERY high level U9 match for me to play the advantage. At most, I would more likely just slow-whistle it if there's a chance of a quick goal. And even then I might take the opportunity to explain to both the coach and player what I had done and why.
One of the leagues I ref in has a hard and fast rule for the u-littles. Whenever a player is down, we blow the whistle. Period. No advantage. And we tell both coaches before the match that is what we are going to do.
That sounds like a better rule. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever done a match below U11 Academy, so I have no idea what I'm talking about. Don't mind me.)
I've never been a fan of hard and fast rules like that. Eventually some coach has the brilliant idea to teach his players to fall down at opportune times. I can't recall ever signalling advantage at that level though. I have used the slow whistle.
I don't do a lot of u little matches, but I have never had a coach do that. I have had a coach come out to a player and tell the player to get up, you're not hurt.