Just moments ago the FSC announcers commented on how much having a Spanish-speaking coach has helped Torres' game improve.
Not to digress but some of the comments on the bottom of the article's page just make me shake my head.....
Ya know, not to let the coordinators off the hook, but, the refs accepted the assignment knowing darn well that this could happen. Sure they were enforcing the rules of the competition which is what they must do, but if they were in disagreement with this rule they could have all sent a message and refuse to accept the games.
Yes, again not to regress but I couldn't help chuckle about the rather historically challenged commenter who contends that "you (Mexico) have invaded our country". OK moving on...
This brings up an incident in an adult league game in which I was actually playing that has always left me thinking... A Hispanic referee was explaining something in Spanish to a player on the other team. A teammate of mine complained animatedly that he should not do that, that he must speak in English so that everyone must understand. Was my teammate correct? Did he have a legit argument? (acknowledging of course that players don't really have any right to animatedly challenge the authority of the ref.)
It also sounds like a HUGE disconnect between the league, coaches and referees - never a good combination. We had that this year over much less significant matters in a league I referee in occasionally and things worked out but it was a pain. Seems something this major the league commissioner (or whatever title) or ref assignor should've made darn sure this was communicated to the four winds. A missed opportunity, and now it's a news story.
Depending on what "it" is, I could see a player reasonably requesting an English explanation - as a player I could see myself asking for that. Insisting everything be communicated in English-only is IMO a different, less valid argument.
How did Bill Clinton become involved in this? Seriously though I understand what you are saying. Most times when I'm conversing with a player it is a bit of a "show", to let everyone know that I am having a discussion with that player, but there are times when I wish to speak to a player in a much more "private" fashion, and if another player were to ask me what I said to him/her, I would be inclined to politely instruct them to mind their own beeswax. But when I communicate to a player in this more private fashion, it is done nonchalantly...I don't go and whisper in the players ear for example. That would raise the tension level. Perhaps if it were meant to be private, it should have been more out of earshot, not openly across the field as was in the incident I referenced, so as to lessen the potential tension. No easy answers here.
So... if a deaf player plays for this team, they are prevented from using ASL sign language to communicate?... even if they cannot read lips? ASL is not English, it is a different language. What about when a coach yells out "Peanut butter and Jelly" when he is calling for the mid fielders to drop back. Is this "code" a different language? Last year, my daughter played on an AYSO U10 team that made it to the Section tournament. This is third level tournament where a team needs to win both the Regional and Area tournaments to be invited. One of the player's parents did not speak any English, Spanish only. During the season, we used the 8 year old girl and her older brother to communicate when the games were and the practices. For the out-of-town tournament (near San Fransciso, CA) I had to create a written letter, that I had translated by my native-Spanish speaking co-workers describing the 150 mile drive, hotel plans, costs, and game requirements. The Punjabi speaking families, both spoke English well enough to not need the help but were impressed by my level of the commitment to the Spanish speaking family. If you were really worried about language, I could MAYBE see requiring a coach to say it in English and Spanish (... or Hebrew). In the schools by my house, it is more likely Ukrainian being yelled out on my suburban soccer fields. Soccer is the way these kids assimilate into the American culture and some of the parents learn English.
Funny how you go a few miles south across the county line and even many of the referees barely speak English. Seeing as I hear players/coaches communicating in languages other than English in almost every game I do, I always wondered how a report would go should I have to toss someone for saying nasty things in Spanish. Would I have to translate it for the benefit of the state official reading it?
Break their legs?? In Hebrew? Really? Has anyone ever heard anything like this from a coach in any language? I find that very hard to believe. Perhaps the person translating had been watching too many Karate Kid reruns. We sure don't hear too much of that up here in Ioway anyways!
FLRef, Ive had to do just that unfortunately. Assistant Coach got tossed for calling me "son of a B#!ch" in Spanish. Typed up my report with the Spanish quotation and English translation.
I know some might disagree, but for me, this game has always been a working-class game, and as such it was ALWAYS filled with a lot of cursing. I would never* send off a player for a non-directed swear word. *Unless it is specifically and clearly stated in the ROC.
N O T H I N G! That's what I heard today in 4 indoor games. No complaints, no nasty comments, not even an outburst when I rolled my ankle back peddling away from play and went down. Outside of the sprain, a pretty good way to start a Saturday I think.
Somehow I doubt back in the 1800's there was a lot of swearing and certainly not to the degree we accept it today if it was happening at all. Also are you saying that if a player went on a swearing tirade directed at no one right in front of a bunch of kids watching the game you wouldn't sent them off?
I'd imagine that on the football pitch there was Eh, I should have expected this, but it's my fault since I did say "never." By "never" I meant that I wouldn't in the circumstances described in this thread. A swearing tirade is probably a bit on the extreme side of things.
I don't think I would. If it was the first time I would most likely give him a warning of some sort. For me "insulting" and "abusive" are the key words in the description of that infringement.
Personally then, I think you are doping a disservice to that game and the overall degradation of the respect for common decency as it applies to the sport as a whole. Just my opinion.
Not in Hebrew, but similar in English. I was doing some boys' 14 indoor a couple years ago, and one team was winning by a lot. At half I hear the losing coach telling his players to hurt the other guys so they couldn't play, and he didn't care if they had to forfeit because of too many red cards! In outdoor, I'd have sent him packing then. Indoor is a business, and if nothing was going to come of it, I could find myself in trouble. So the second half starts, and I pull blue cards (2 minute time penalty and a scoring chance for the other team) on the first 4 fouls that team and make it very clear that the coach's idea was not a good one (I gave him the Collina stare with each card), and the kids got the message and decided to play safe.
I would definitely agree with the red card in nearly all circumstances, but... Once, In the 2nd half of an emotionally charged and volatile tournament game where match control was extremely difficult, one team scored , and the keeper indeed went off in a "swearing tirade", or perhaps more accurately what I described in the match report, as a "bit of a breakdown." I simply went over and talked to him as I walked him over to his technical area and asked the coach if he thought he may need a break. He agreed and thanked me, and must have gotten the hint as he was out the rest of the match. Not orthodox, but the game was easy after that.
What about one of the most common phrases we hear when one player applies a perfectly legal shoulder charge to an opponent and we hear a parent yell something along the lines of, "push em' back if they're not going to call anything." IMO that is pretty much inciting fouling behavior, since the original action was not a foul and the fans are now calling for the other player to engage in illegal activity. Does anyone ever confront the person saying this? Or is it so common that it is just part of the game?