O-30 second division men yesterday. My second encounter this season with the blue team. The first wasn't much fun, but this time their manager, a fellow referee was there and a guy who'd been an instigator the first time wasn't there. Late in the game, after yet another request for "time, ref?", one of their players says "Every time we ask you, the number gets smaller. Kind of suspicious, isn't it?" And, not exactly something we 'hear', but..... One of their team suddenly exclaims in pain. (So I guess that's something I heard.) He'd gotten his foot stepped on. By his other foot. Nobody else within five yards of him. And, as we had a ball going, in the air, towards the corner flag, the ball went barely around the flag for a corner. A defender, who was ahead of me, calls out "throw-in." I called out "Corner! It went AROUND the flag." The defender turns to me, rather shame facedly embarassed, and says, "I didn't know you were in position." I just smiled. Yes, the same blue team.
“How old are you!?!?” “He’s just a kid!!” (referring to me) “Know the rules!!” Gotta love U15B parents.
Boys Varsity Tournament Game. Visitors are being outclassed. As the 6th of 7 goes in, the defender turns to ask for the offside call, indignantly. Defender: “Who kept him on?” Me: “All of you.”
Center for BV. Cool and drizzle for most of the match. A couple of times as the ball was sent overhead I kept hearing some high pitched, different kind of noise. After 2 or 3 long balls overhead, I realized I was hearing the ball hitting the raindrops. ... Now, back to the game!!
Boys14s. Substitute seated just back from the touchline: "I can't believe he didn't call that!!. Didn't he SEE that?" Parent standing behind him: What happened?" Subst: "He passed it back to the keeper...VERY deliberate" Parent: "Are you KIDDING me?...Hey ref what about that passback?" AR: "He headed it...it was off his head!" Subst: "Yeah..I KNOW...I can't believe he didn't call it" Parent: "Man this is so unfair" At least we know they don't watch TV either.
Two sides of the coin from one game. I'm AR in a G16 girl's game, with teams on opposite touchlines. From the far touchline after a pushing foul called against his team: "But we had possession." And he kept repeating it. After a non call where a girl from the team on my touchline fell, the girls were asking how that could not be a foul--play stopped, and while the ball was being chased, I explained why it wasn't a foul. From the girls: "Thanks--it would sure be nice if more refs would explain things."
Couple years ago a very good team repeatedly beat on offside trap near midfield by sending up an attacker from his own half. "Who kept him on this time?!" yelled the captain of the inept side, after yet another goal was scored this way. My kindly response: "FIFA." (Yes, I know I should have said "the IFAB," but we'd be the only ones who got it.)
Ah, the high line or offside trap defensive tactic. Have no idea why any poor passing team or lower skill team ever attempts to play that way. When I see it happening I know I’m usually in for a “pass it around” second half where Inlook at my watch every 20 seconds hoping more time has gone off.
I get why they might want to try it once per game. What I don't understand is why, once they've been burned by it, they just keep doing it. Cf. definition of crazy.
I had a game like this during the recent HS season. The poor team playing the high line gave up 8 goals in 24 minutes.The next 36 minutes (before the mercy rule kicked in) was spent trying to keep the frustrated losing team from losing their cool and doing anything dangerous.
Had a women's college game this year with the home team playing a flat back four with a very high line and defenders who were, over 20 yards, a step and a half slower than the other team. The other team, however, took half the game to figure out that they only had to pop the ball into all that space behind the defenders and run onto it. So bad coaching by both coaches? At least the visitors figured it out for the second half.
Had two good ones this weekend: Both G U11 - Center. Cross comes into the box, gets kicked right into an attacker and brushes her arm which is stuck to her chest, then play stops for injury to defender. Defending coach runs out - "that's a handball in the box, right?" AR1. Coach and sub standing right near me. Their attacker inside the penalty area blasts a ball into her teammate's chest from about 2 yards. Coach next to me - "hand ball!, hand ball!" Kid next to him - "you're calling for a handball on us?!?"
Its kinda hard to figure what you are going to hear from the perp's bench sometimes. I had a BJV game this season, spirited but not really savvy play. I am doing alot of managing just by being close to things. Red forward on a YC, loses the ball and steps on Black defender's foot. Nothing deliberate, just stretched too far trying to tip away the ball. Whistle. Foul coming out, of course. Some Black players are asking for a YC, I give them a "No way" look with a wave, and try to get things going again. As I pass by the Red bench, I hear someone loudly proclaim, "That's a stone cold Red Card." I look over, and its just some random guy on the bench. maybe a player's older brother -- who knows. He wasn't there 10 minutes ago. I don't know if he said it loudly for me, or just to seem important. In my head, I am thinking: You know you are calling for a RC on YOUR player...!?" Had it been it been an authorized person on the opponent's bench, I would have given YC for dissent. In this case, I am just ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Couldn't believe it...
Halftime of a U10B game, rec state tournament. At half, a parent comes onto the field, and hands me the game ball. He said “do you know the game you are officiating?“ I said “soccer.” He said “you let everyone else kick the ball, but you do not let my son kick the ball.“ I should have shut him down right there, but I asked which one was his son. He said he is the keeper. That keeper punted the ball twice and I blew the whistle both times calling for the indirect kick. I explained to both teams, no heading, no punting. Thankfully, the coach stepped in and he guided the parent away. As the parent was walking away he yelled “But he is making up his own rules.” Later the coach said they have not played with a build out line, no punting, no heading all season long.
AYSO discovered that issue last year. A couple of Regions (Areas?) refused to use the BOL. So when their teams made it to the “play-through” competitions where the rules were applied, neither the coaches nor players knew what to do.
This could be a top 5 all time line from the parents sideline. I am AR1 on the opposite side. I make one of those throw in, touch back to the thrower, who is OS. Parent: This is a showcase for the players, not a referee showcase!
Funny story I heard from a colleague. College showcase, showcase’s assignor is in the middle for a game and tells his AR’s to not call ANY offside, because it’s a showcase and he wants the scouts to get a good look. On one particularly obvious offside call, assignor stops, plants his feet and points right at the AR, who laughs and raises the flag for offside. Big thumbs up from assignor!
Wouldn't someone doing evaluations at a showcase also want to evaluate the players' tendencies to commit infractions? Seems to me they'd want to know good and bad about players.
At showcase yesterday, a coach comes out to the field at halftime to discuss the yellow, then STRAIGHT Red, to his player in the 17th minute of their first game. I was NOT the referee, but AR2. The player received the yellow card for abusive language to an opponent. And then, called the referee even more vile things. Coach: You realize this is a showcase. Referee: does your player?
Second game of today's showcase tournament: U17 girls. AR1 that I didn't have time to pregame ties my hands by raising flag on a foul that I had no interest in calling, oh well, tweet. Everyone's up in arms and I can't help but agree with them. The girl taking the fk places it with hands, rolls it forward with her sole like an IDFK and then kicks it again, tweet, double touch. At least 4 girls on her team appealed that it should be a ''redo," all I said was "not at this level," but what I wanted to ask sarcastically was "are we back in U10?"