Yes and ... you can go too far in that regard. Some of us have to (or should but don't) moderate those officious tendencies. I think my refereeing has improved over the years as I've gotten less dictatorial. I think.
What I heard this weekend was an earful, actually both earfuls! I was doing center on a womens league game and I had a play where an older lady (mother of the team captain) made a play that I saw as attempting to head a ball at knee height that another player was kicking. I blew whistle and called PIADM and IDK for the other team. Now what I had not noticed is that rather than attempting to head the ball, she had tripped. I was immediately informed of this by both the daughter and mother. As I tried to explain it is still a dangerous play, regardless of intention, the mom starts tearing into me about how as much as she dislikes AR2 (who is the league assignor), she would rather have him do the center. When I tried to calm her down, she drops an f-bomb and then just screams "YOU SUCK!". So I gave my 1st RC to a female player. She continued to rant as she left the field and final comment I heard, was "I can't believe I paid $70 for this sh...." PS - despite being down 2-0 at the time in the 2nd half and now playing short handed with no subs, the daughter then scored a hat trick and they won 3-2. The winning team did not thank the refs. The losing team made a point to tell us they thought we did a good job and that it was such a shame I had to take such abuse........
Some years ago now, we had a women's league game where the players asked the referee to stop the game. There was a fight between two players on the adjoining field and they wanted to watch. The players involved in the fight got a five game suspension from the league. The team manager/captain then got a five game suspension because she, somehow, let the suspended player from their team play in the next game. I think she let the player use someone else's player card. The player got a six month suspension. It doesn't happen very often, but when women lose it, you'd better be wearing asbestos shorts.
And always always always check for player/coach cards, don't take their word for it. You never know when someone is going to try to pull something.
Last night's adult co-ed game. Late arriving player for the yellow team comes on. I guess she had been asking her teammates where they are playing. I hear her ask "Wait. Is everybody playing midfield?" No one answered. I had a strong hunch that the goalkeeper was not playing midfield.
First of all I'm assuming this is a troll posting and should ignore it. On the small chance that it's not: Given your self description of psychological pathology and your admitted assault on a player after verbal dissent, I would (with love and kindness) suggest you do not (at this time) have the mental fortitude or judgement to be a referee and should look to other activities in your life. There is absolutely no excuse for physically assaulting a player no matter what he has said to you. Period. The grey line comes if someone is physically aggressive, how much do you retreat vs. defend yourself, but to choke someone out, are you freaking kidding me? I'm judo trained, and based on your training you should know you could seriously harm or kill someone. I'm sure we all have WANTED to rear naked choke a few players or coaches (or fans) during our time, but NOBODY does that.
One of the local community colleges runs a summer recreational high school league. Last week, I was officiating a boys game and the ball was kicked out by the attacking team over the center of the goal. The goalkeeper asked me which side of the goal area he should place the ball for the goal kick. I replied, "It doesn't matter." Then I realized that he thought that the goal kick always had to be taken on the corner closet to where the ball went out. Then I told him, "On any goal kick, you can play the goal anywhere in the area that you want." His response was "Really? You learn something new every day."
Used to be that the GK had to be taken from the proper half of the GA. So very possibly he was taught that by a coach who had no idea the Law changed many, many years ago. (I think in the first great re-write, but not positive.)
I do remember it being that way. As youth we were all told to put it on the corner of the side that it went out. Blew my mind when I finally read the law that stated it can be anywhere. AR for a U10 Girls game. One team is dominating play, goalkeepers are being properly swapped out every quarter during heat breaks (good coaching). Second half comes around and game is about to begin I hear "Ref, can we bring our daughter a bottle of water" when walking behind the goal line and pointing to the goalkeeper of the losing side. I said "Sure, real quick, just stay off the pitch". Then as game is continuing I look over and see dad standing to the side, but behind the goal giving a constant stream of instructions to his daughter in goal. Oh brother. I saw the writing on the wall, ran up and told him it's best if the parents are on the touchline. "Oh I was just giving her water.". I gave a thumbs up.. Sure thing! (internally shaking my head). My fault for not anticipating what was about to happen.
I had a similar thing happen once, a young kid got hurt and his mom went to check on him in the technical area (which I allowed contrary to the rules, because U10 and even I'm not that much of a PITA), but about 10 minutes later I realized she was still there just watching as the kid was fine. I asked her to move back to the proper touch line and she flipped out at me (she went back quickly enough but was shouting at me the whole time for being an insensitive jerk). Kid subbed back in a few minutes later and played fine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Since then, I always ask the coach to deal with their team's spectators. Luckily your guy was more friendly about it.
A high school referee told me that in NFHS it used to be that the goal kick had to be taken on the goal area line parallel to where it went out if it went out over the goal. I don't remember that one. But with some of NFHS crazy rules, it won't surprise me that used to exist.
By the way, it was 1992 when goal kicks were allowed to be taken from any point in the goal area. https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/who-we-are/the-laws/1990-2000.html
Ha...it was around that time I was dinged by our Ref Asso. "Laws Interpreter" for allowing that in a HS match. I received an apologetic phone call that nite.
What I find interesting (and not a little ironic) is that when that change was made, it was explained that it was being done because: Now the IFAB is considering changing it back for the exact same reason. According to their Play Fair! website, there is a proposal is that:
Maybe we refs could tell the GK to hurry up and then caution on the next slow goal kick. Nah, let's just change the law when it doesn't need changed.
Once had a women's league game in which one goalkeeper is walking to retrieve a ball that had gone maybe 40 meters out for a goal kick. This was only about 10 or 15 minutes into the game and it was still 0-0. I'm thinking, "I'm not going to put up with this the whole game." I called out to her, "Take your time, keep. I've got the watch stopped." Her sweeper says, "Just get the ball, Julie. He's on to us." The keeper started jogging and we didn't have a problem the rest of the game. Yeah, the keeper's team lost, about 6-0, if memory serves. They just wanted to keep the score down.
I never kid about the laws of the game. Now, it's not at the stage of something that will be discussed at the next IFAB AGM for example but it is there on this IFAB web page as an item "for discussion." https://www.play-fair.com/#chapter-2
Interesting (the whole page). For league games where there are standings, I already stop my watch for PKs, injuries, and cards. I also stop it for subs if the winning team is taking them a bit too slowly, and for goals scored if it is scored on the winning team and they are, again, taking too much time getting to kickoff. Interesting take on the ‘Self-passing’ at a free kick. "Sometimes the referee blows the whistle for the end of the 1st or 2nd half just as a shot is going into the goal or a team has a promising attack/scoring opportunity." Is this really an issue? Five years officiating (non-high school) and I have never done it nor ever seen it happen.
I've never seen it live, but I know that around these parts, there are a couple of people who believe in following Clive's Law to the letter. No matter how much you try to beat it out of them.
Many years ago, I did blow for full time as the ball was in the air, headed towards goal, from, maybe 20 yards out. The attacking team's coach yells, "Hey!" I turned and gave him "the look." He said, "Oh, I get it." The score was 8-0, and the attacking team didn't need another goal. Haven't done it since. More often, the (adult) players are worn out and can't wait for the game to be over.
That stuff is almost two years old now, and several of the items were in the law changes that took effect this summer (goal kicks not having to leave the area, subs leaving at the nearest line, etc.) Here's hoping that most of the rest will never get implemented