What to do when a player tries to punch you?

[Ref Flunkie]

I guess you could do this :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNBIRWOXuB0

[campton]

Not that.

[Quaresma]

Call Scolari.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SANlJnTwLic

[blech]

I was going to say, "Duck!" as my answer.

But I guess this is a different approach - absorb the first blow with your face and then respond an eye-for-an-eye.....

Wow.

[Ref Flunkie]

Call Scolari.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SANlJnTwLic

Ahhh great Final Fantasy reference there!!

[Tarheel Ref]

I was going to say, "Duck!" as my answer.

Yeah...duck AND COVER was the first thing that ran through my mind. It's not happened to me (yet?) but I'd look to hide behind the other team...I mean reposition myself with the other team blocking my view of the attackers.:cool:

Notice in the 1st video how the opposing team (from the one doing the beatin' on the ref) comes in...a little late...to help our guy.

I know...hiding behind the other team's not going to win any testosterone points but it will definitely be a positive factor in the lawsuit.

[hefftheref]

LEAVE THE FIELD. at any cost.

or if you have size advantage (with adults, never on a youth game), i know a referee who laid him flat. didn't get in trouble at all, in fact it became more of a joke between referees.

[Kebbie Gazauzkas]

I wonder whether the referee in the first video got in trouble for his actions, perhaps they exceeded the bounds of self-defence, though it's understandable that a ref could lose his temper.
I would assume that if a referee is punched and the angry player's teammates do not intervene quickly enough, the referee has the option to call the stadium security guards and (in an extreme case) they may have to handcuff the footballer.

Most of you are probably aware of the Ganea incident in Romania, perhaps security personnel should have intervened earlier in that case.

[campton]

I wonder whether the referee in the first video got in trouble for his actions, perhaps they exceeded the bounds of self-defence, though it's understandable that a ref could lose his temper.
I would assume that if a referee is punched and the angry player's teammates do not intervene quickly enough, the referee has the option to call the stadium security guards and (in an extreme case) they may have to handcuff the footballer.

Most of you are probably aware of the Ganea incident in Romania, perhaps security personnel should have intervened earlier in that case.

Vid?

[refereejoe]

I've actually been punched a couple of times: once for sending off a player for a vicious tackle, another for calling an attacker offside who took offense. The first time it happened it really made me realize that you can call an absolutely perfect game and still not maintain control. Sometimes there is nothing the referee can do to prevent a bad situation, and we are never far from having our safety seriously threatened.

To answer the question, rhetorical as it may be, is to do whatever you need to do to ensure your safety. In the first of my instances the player's team jumped on him right away. In the second, the rest of the players were not really nearby, it being a situation where the attacker sprinted down the wing but jumped the gun too quickly. I could tell his first punch would not be his only, so I did duck and went under his next punch to take him to the ground. I've done a bit of mixed martial arts style sparring at a gym in the past and so I utilized some of the jiu-jitsu techniques learned to keep the guy from doing anything further. Within a few seconds after that the other players had converged on us, I was pulled off the guy, and we were seperated.

In the first instance, I, as the referee, did not see a need to abandon the match as it was a fairly isolated incident specific to the one player. The rest of the game really had no major problems. In the second case we did have to abandon the match because of the self-defense measures I took, and the competition authorities ruled that I was within my right to neutralize the player using the techniques I did. I'll also note that the second match was not sanctioned under USSF though, so I have no idea if the end judgment would be the same if it was.

Regardless, it's a tough way to learn that we always need to be on our toes and prepared to defend ourselves in every match, even when everything appears to be going great.

[Kebbie Gazauzkas]

Vid?


Ganea receives a second yellow card after the assistant referee signals that a an infraction has been committed and the enraged player violently attacks the referee, one of the more shocking incidents I have seen:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ62kiYsZiI&feature=related

[campton]

What the hell was the other referee doing! he was watching his AR get manhandled!

[mkoenig_1]

What the hell was the other referee doing! he was watching his AR get manhandled!

That was one of my first thoughts too when I viewed this clip. But after a second viewing it is clear that he intervenes, but as soon as the player's teammates arrive to intervene, he withdraws to a position where he can view the goings-on.

From what I have read (not experienced thankfully) I believe this to be proper procedure for such a situation.

That then led me to wonder...... where the hell were the stadium security personnel? I would have thought that someone from security would have been there in 5-10 seconds to help protect the referees.

[campton]

That was one of my first thoughts too when I viewed this clip. But after a second viewing it is clear that he intervenes, but as soon as the player's teammates arrive to intervene, he withdraws to a position where he can view the goings-on.

From what I have read (not experienced thankfully) I believe this to be proper procedure for such a situation.

That then led me to wonder...... where the hell were the stadium security personnel? I would have thought that someone from security would have been there in 5-10 seconds to help protect the referees.

I dont care about procedure, if stadium doesnt step in, you have to about the referee. Let your fourth and AR1 deal with the numbers.
Im just shocked .

[spectre013]

Had this happen last season in an adult game. The 2 AR's and I ran and stayed behind the net the team that threw the punch was on the other side of the net.

Really scary when it happened, but funny as hell now.

[jkc313]

Give this referee a medal! Love that he has to be pulled off of player. ALthough I doubt I'd respond in this manner and never with a youth I can't blame this guy

[Alberto]

Must say the player truly deserved to get clocked by the referee.

Having been punched once in the stomach and spat on by a player I know that if the player had continued his assault I would have grabbed his wrists and restrained him and if he still persisted I would have wrestled him to the ground and called the police and had him arrested.

[Kebbie Gazauzkas]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G6UIIH7rF-s&feature=related

Here's a better clip, the ref actually tries to help out his colleague, but realizes that the player's teammates have a better chance of restraining the psychotic footballer.
I think that the AR would have been within his rights to pursue criminal charges, the actions of Ganea are arguably worse than a simple punch.

Ganea in an interview after the game: "Why should I be punished? It's not like I killed him!"

[uniteo]

Ganea in an interview after the game: "Why should I be punished? It's not like I killed him!"

Did the league agree?

[Kebbie Gazauzkas]

I guess not, 22-game suspension:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-romaniaviolence&prov=reuters&type=lgns