Have been a grade 7 for three years but never attended the RTS until this year. Glad I did, because I was just assigned my first "pro" game as AR2 on the first ever EPL WA game this Saturday.
What's worse? The raising of the hand, or the chasing of the ball even if it is obvious it isn't yours? I have seen both coached. I strongly dislike the chase. The hand motion doesn't bother me at all.
I had actually just looked at the keeper to see he was in position and ready. Once I had done that, I blew the whistle almost simultaneously with the kick. No, I did not give a retake after the save.
This is probably a battle to fight with personality, not cards. I simply ask if they have a question. They then look at you with a "WTF?" look. And I say, well you guys keep putting your hands up like you want to ask a question, so what is it? Because if you don't have a question then it sort of looks like you are trying to influence the referees and we all know that can lead to other things."
The water main had broke, so the nearest restrooms were a 10 minute walk away on the other side of the complex!
Hey guys - was talking to a ref friend of mine yesterday. Here are 3 items he told me about that I had questioned. If you can answer any of them, I'd appreciate it (though, keep in mind this is second hand, so I don't know many more details). 1. Boys U-17 game. He is AR, trailing play after corner kick cleared. Ball is approximately 30-40 yards away. Red defender runs up to White forward and knees him in lower back (in the PA). He is waving flag (no direct communication/4th). CR doesn't hear it, but finally other AR sees him and signals. CR turns and sees him, whistles, and comes over. After talking, YC to defender and PK. After game, CR tells my friend he needs to 'snap' flag and then put it across his waist to signal PK. My question - shouldn't a foul this far away from the ball be considered VC and send off? Also, do any of you tell ARs to call out to you to get your attention if they need to? 2. Next game, he's CR. GU-15. CK comes in, goalie catches it, and two players collide (one from each team), and stay down. Asks GK to kick ball out of play and stops game. Re-start, he drops to attacking team, asking them to kick ball back to GK (they do). After game, AR (who was CR from previous game) tells him he shouldn't drop to other team, but give to GK. My question - are refs allowed to drop the ball in PA (I thought this was a NO-NO)? 3. Same game, couple of minutes after half-time. He notices several (at least 4) water bottles in pile on field. He stops game, has them removed, restart with drop ball (no direct possession at time of whistle). After game, same guy says to NOT stop play and kids need to play w/stuff on field. For me - I can understand at very high level game (Pro, College), that maybe you let play go on. In this game (and most that any of you normally ref), player safety takes precedence and it is OK to temporarily stop game. Note: Neither coach or team complained. Would you stop game in this instance? Thanks for any info.
Wow, a wealth of discussion items here. Most are laced with a healthy dose of YHTBT, but here are a few top of the head thoughts... The way it's described, it might very likely be a VC red, but more because of the nature of the contact than necessarily distance from the ball. In other words, away from the ball is away from the ball, regardless of whether it's ten yards or sixty. And yes, I always tell my ARs to holler my name if they need to, especially for something like VC behind my back. Also, we're actually taught not to "snap" the flag. Yes, you can have a DB in the penalty area (although not in the goal area), but in this case if the keeper kicked it out to stop play, the restart should have been either a throw-in or a corner kick. But - the ref should not ask a player to kick the ball out. If the ref wants to stop play to check on an injury, he should simply blow to stop play - in which case (in USSF as opposed to NFHS play) the restart would indeed be a DB. Probably. Yes, safety comes first. (But depending on where the offending bottles are relative to play, you would probably wait for a non-critical moment to stop play.)
You might be confusing this with a dropped ball in the goal area. If "play was stopped inside the goal area ... the referee drops the ball on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was located when play was stopped." (Law 8)
Regarding #1: You don't mention anything about the situation esccalating. If that's the case, it sounds like something that could possibly wait until the next natural stoppage. I'm not saying this is prefered, but if you're finding it impossible to get the CR's attention. It sounds like the AR mechanics by both of them were correct. If it does escalate and I'm the only one seeing it, I would go to the scene and use my voice to try to gain control. The CR will eventually see what's going on and stop play if necessary. If it was just a malicious knee in the back, it does sound like VC to me. Snapping the flag is something I've been told not to do, but I have also been told by CRs, that if I need to get his/her attention to use any means necessary. If the referee is coming over to talk anyway, the "skirt" signal would be somwhat moot for me. #2: If he suggested the GK to kick the ball out to stop play and she complied, what is the need for a dropped ball? Where the ball went out of play will determine the restart. Dropping the ball in the PA is allowed. We just don't drop the ball in the goal area, but on the six yard (GA) line. There is no requirement as to the number of players or which players must be present at a dropped ball. Theoretically, it could be anywhere from zero to 22. The referee cannot, however, dictate who will or will not be present. He can "suggest" how it might be taken, but it can be risky. With the new ruling that a goal cannot be scored directly from a dropped ball, that could be a relatively safe suggestion. It's one I have used on a couple of occasions and it worked. #3. I don't know where this guy comes from, but if you have foreign objects on the field they need to be removed no matter what level it is. A piece of paper of a styrofoam cup is one thing, but anything that could affect the path of the ball or cause a player to trip needs to go. From your description, it sounds like they were in the vicinity of active play. If so, stop play, remove the debris, and restart with a dropped ball. If away from play, wait until a natural stoppage and have the stuff removed.
Sorry, I didn't make clear the jest I intended. You tell players not to raise their hands or else, and then you raise you hand because you are signaling an indirect free kick. You are going to get a bit of stick from players about why you can raise your hand but they can't. I know. Not a big belly laugh. Just a snicker.
Remember that the result in this case is going to be a PK. Not a good idea to wait for a natural stoppage if the ball is at the other end. (...a goal---Yikes!)
If the flag has been up for a considerable time before the goal, can't the referee just disallow it and come back to the offense at the other end? A missed offside flag that results in goal disallows the goal. Why not this?
Not to mention that this should be a red for VC . . . I'm bewildered, as described, that this didn't immediately become a fist fight . . . waiting on for a natural stoppage on this is is a very bad idea IMHO. I tell my ARs to use my name if they realy need me -- this would be a perfect example. On the DB, I'm in the camp of never tell a player to kick the ball out. If needed, stop the game and manage the DB. But I would also never do a DB in the attacking area and hope the attacker would pass it to the GK -- if he shoots instead, I have no legitimate authority to do something. Manage (you can't force) the attackers away and drop it to the GK in the PA (but not within the GA).) I'm not going to stop for water bottles on the field unless play is moving toward them so that they might interfere. If play allows, I may yell at the coach to take care of it; otherwise it is a next stoppage -- with a stern word to the coach about not letting it happen. (Note, that we don't have the full story here. If the team had already been warned and that team had the ball, the stoppage to address might be a way of driving the message home -- and is perfectly within the LOTG.)
Mistake by the CR. As noted, if the keeper kicked/threw it out, it should be a corner or throw in for the opposition, not a drop ball. At a higher level, what the ref did is grounds for a protest (incorrect restart). Ugh. The best thing to do would have been to simply blow the whistle with the ball in the keeper's hands, and then manage the drop ball so it went to the keeper (who could pick it up), and we're right back where we were when play was stopped. So the AR had the right idea. While you can't necessarily control who is present at a restart, I've never had a problem with dropping the ball right to a goalkeeper who had possession when I stopped play.
I always know the FIRST name of the referee crew. I right them down especially if they are guys I don't normally work with. If I'm the referee, I tell them to yell my first name. Not ref. My first name. Always gets my attention.
Spoke to my friend last night. He told me I didn't listen to him w/regards to this play. He in fact blew his whistle right away to stop play and the GK then kicked the ball out (he said nothing to her). Apologize to TS for this misunderstanding.
And the league would have been wrong. Unless you support the soccer playing parent of a player having the right to interfere with the refs from the stands as a "playing mentor?"