In our neck of the woods, referees sometimes work non-league scrimmage games, which is what that would have amounted to. I think the home team realized they were stuck with paying the refs even if the game was a forfeit and wanted to get some value for their expense.
And that's understandable but the refs wouldn't be covered. Friendlies are friendly, right up until they aren't.
It's one thing to disagree. But that's a threat, even if it's not a threat of violence, and it's "irresponsible." He's dismissed. I've seen a MLS general manager dismissed for less.
It's essentially blackmail and coercion. Something FIFA would never approve of... right? Kidding of course.
During a U16B game this weekend, I heard the infamous, "They have to ask for ten" line. Same game at the very end. The score is 1-5 and the away team had a corner kick. We were already one minute into stoppage time, so when the player retrieving the ball was almost to it, I blew full time. A player turns and says, "You can't end the game on a corner." It was a player from the losing team so I replied, "Do you really want me to give them another chance to score?" The thing that puzzled me was, when I told him that he said that had come from a referee in their last game.
As a young (slightly inexperienced) referee was backing up the wall 10 for a direct free kick. A parent for the defending team yells "this referee doesn't know what he's doing! He's back 'em too much! thats like 20 feet!" *face palm* In my head I am thinking "well he's close, its closer to 30 feet though!"
That's when you hold up your hands and start counting fingers until someone either realizes how dumb they are or asks you and opens the door for you to inform them.
Aw jeez, you just reminded me of the guy I AR'd for last year who very carefully stepped off a fairly accurate ten yards – but starting from where the kicker was standing, not where the ball was spotted, which was about a five-yard difference. He actually moved the wall forward a yard or two. And when I brought it up after the match, he argued with me about it. Sigh.
I was very tempted to help educate this parent... but had some restraint! I was AR2 and a couple of very educated parents I think quietly told him. I didn't hear anything the rest of the game. I like to think it was lack of general soccer knowledge, and not (I hope) lack of ability to do math and conversions.
I am only 3 matches into my year due to some ungodly weather in our neck of the woods. (2 shirts a jacket then my shirt yesterday!). Anyway, my new vow is no education for the huddled masses on the parental touchline. No hellos, no nothing this year. I'll keep you posted. However, they did correctly call handling from 70 yards away that the CR tried to explain away to the aggrieved coach at halftime. I left him on his own!
Sometimes, if you are on the parent's touchline, you are the only person you can have an intelligent conversation with....
VB match last night, attacker is close to the goal line outside of the penalty area when the defender cleans him out with the most obvious hip check I've seen outside of a girls' game. I whistle the foul and the stunned defender yells "but I used my hip!" Yes, yes you did. Very effective and equally illegal. The attacking team scored on a nice header off the free kick, so while the clock was stopped prior to the kick off I took the opportunity to briefly chat with the defender about legal charges. He maybe learned something.
This weekend, U11 Girls semi-competitive game, the keeper collects the ball and runs out to to top of the penalty arc to punt. Tweet! Signal for the free kick with my arm pointing up at the 45 degree angle. As I am setting up the ceremonial restart, the coach is yelling that it should be indirect. "No coach, it is direct. We can talk about it at half time if you would like." At half he comes out, politely, and again insists that all handballs on the keeper should be indirect. I explain that the handball calls inside the box are indirect...pass back, double possession....but once she is outside the box she is like any other field player and it is a direct free kick. He is still convinced that it should be indirect because that is what the last ref called...
I'm a new ref, about 20 matches in. I vowed right form the start, no chatting with people as CR, as AR, I don't mind, usually just questions etc... I have a good laugh with people over stuff, it keeps them at ease and the aggro behavior is almost non-existent so far. However, I'm really, really good with people, so it's easier for ma than for others. I'm also 43, so less likely to hear abuse than a 14-year-old kid. Consolation match 13U. Blue team has been coached to stand two yards from the ball on every free kick. I'm not terribly annoyed because it's a really, really busy match, UNTIL the 2nd OT. #7 on blue has been warned about trucking players from behind, so she's on thin ice already. FK just outside the PA, blue players are back about 8, one decided to stand on the ball. I move them back, and loudly announce that they "WILL respect the distance on FKs and the next person to stand on, or run up to the ball will get yellow, no exceptions!" Blue team all look properly scolded and move back. Less than a minute later, another FK to white, and blue is back a perfect 10, as white takes a look, the Blue coach starts yelling "move forward", I say "don't", nobody moves but #7. I stop play and caution her. ME: You know what this is for? 7: No ME: I warned you all about moving closer than 10, you took two big steps forward. Don't do it again. It's a firm warning, but you need to be careful from now on, I don't want to give you a second yellow. Don't be too upset with yourself, if you want to be upset, be upset with your coach for telling you to break the rules. The blue team had a good laugh at this, as did the parents (coach was super aggro). At the end of time, a Dad yells "Hey, ref, what was the yellow for on 7?" ME: Failure to respect the distance on a FK, they were warned. Dad: Thank God, I thought she called you a name. ME: Call ME a name? Her? She'd never do that! Dad: She's done it before, she's my little kncuklehead. Thanks for clarifying. Nice to have a laugh with people even after scoreless OT high energy game where white were decidedly the best team but blue just would NOT give up the goal. Could have been really ugly. My last game of the day, alter afternoon on Sunday. I'm Parent-side AR, and am really tired, hoping it's not going to be a grump-fest. I get to my spot and ask some parents "Is this a final or for consolation? The card didn't say." A Mom responds "It's a .....a...consolation...no....it's just the last game for two shitty teams." I knew it would be ok at that point.
Oh, I would put that more to being new.. It is coming, just don't be too surprised when it does. Had a GJV match on Thursday, I am familiar with one of the girls from the home team, she is a cross over from her main sport. Hockey. She hasn't quite adjusted to the nuances between the two sports. I have talked to her coach about some of her physical play before and he is aware and the girl really just doesn't understand a lot of it. She of course is their CB. Early in the first half, she comes in about 3 steps after the other player passed the ball on and takes her out. I raise my flag right away and her coach yells at her. "You cannot finish your checks in soccer!" I got a good chuckle..
I'm AR2 Parent 1 yells: "THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S A FOUL! TERRIBLE!" Parent 1 then turns to parent 2 (who apparently actually knows about soccer): "Was that a foul?"
Maybe I'm misunderstanding here, but are you saying that you didn't start enforcing the 10 yards on free kicks until the second OT? I understand wanting to give the white team the opportunity to restart quickly, but I think you might consider addressing this tactic earlier in the match rather than at the end.
Yeah, second OT is pretty much too late to start enforcing anything that's been going on all match. If you don't want something to happen in your match, whether it's FRD, player dissent, coach dissent, whatever -- ADDRESS IT EARLY. Preferably that means the very first time it happens. Heading off undesirable stuff early and firmly will also (usually) make for a less "busy match." Yikes ... thanks Mom.
Long days, poor writing. To clarify what I meant, not wrote... White was quite happy to take quick free kicks, blue was setting up further away throughout the match (in the 5-6 yard "stand here, maybe they won't notice area") white was all over Blue the whole time. UNTIL OT, when they started moving closer and closer to obviously slow the match down. There were a TON of free kicks to white, who took them quickly, with blue scrambling to set up a "close, but not too close" wall. I let it slide because white was taking full advantage of the tacticl, leaving blue completely exposed because of their stupidity. As OT went on, players started getting closer and closer trying to stand right on top of the ball, a yard away or so, preventing white from taking their quick kicks and gaining advantage from blue trying to organize slowly. Once it became obvious that white couldn't do what they wanted, I stepped in. If white hadn't been smart and taking really quick kicks and getting rapid shots off, I would have stopped it earlier, but in my opinion at the time everything blue was doing worked to white's advantage and white was happy with it, so I didn't want to take advantage away. Is that the wrong approach? I have a mentor who was AR on that end of the field and he said I did well in allowing white to smartly abuse Blue's tactic against them in a "well, if you want to be stupid and they're happy to punish you for that, it's cool with me." Maybe could have verbally warned blue against it at a stoppage. I re-read it and it sounded much better in my head yesterday.