1. I think this will be my first protest situation. 6v6, U11 game, not in the town I live in. Red player passes the ball back to her goalkeeper, who picks it up. I blow my whistle, say IFK for pass-back, and place the ball about 6-10 feet from the line. I make sure all red players are now on the line or way away from the ball. Red's coaches are yelling to me from the sidelines, "what's the call?" I have to explain it to them, cause they're staring at me like I'm from Mars. I allow Blue to take the kick, and they score. 1-1. The momentum shifts, and at half, it's 3-2 Blue. (Blue would win 6-3.) During the remainder of the 1st half, I can see the red coach and the blue asst. coach scouring the league rulebook for the pass-back rule, clearly to no avail. At half, the red coach comes up to me and says it's not in the book, what was the call? I explain the pass-back call a few times, seeing as she wants to be thick-skulled. I eventually decide it's not worth it, and tell her I'll look into it. She says you better, and I'm going to have to contest it. I roll my eyes (not literally), knowing she's wrong. At this point, the Blue head coach returns from the spectator sideline, having conferred with a spectator. The coach says that she checked with another coach who's been coaching for 20 years, and I'm right. The red coach sighs loudly, walks away and says, "I'm still gonna bring it up." I'm thinking, ok, you're a sore loser, you're wrong, and you're stubborn. The perfect trifecta. What should I do if the protest is followed up on? 2. Same game, same exact time. Red's asst. coach asks me for a timeout. 'Nuff said. 3. Is it unethical to referee a sibling's game? That situation just came up, and I managed to pass it off and run line instead, but something doesn't feel right about reffing a brother. Advice?
#1, you don't have to worry about the protest at all, the league will deal with it. If they need more information they might give you a call or ask for a supplemental report. Just tell them the 100% truth in simple terms and let them deal with it. #2, that's just weird. #3, Here is the guidelines from the Administrative Handbook: So to answer your question: no you should not officiate a match your brother is in, or even other matches that affect the team your brother is on.
A clarification: this means the bracket that your sibling is playing in. example: sibling plays BU15, District Gold---do no games for this age and this division. One step further: when competitions come around for state-cup: no games in this age for any bracker. You never which team will meet which team in eliminations, quarters, semi and finals.
Thanks, both of you. My brother's team is in a really low division, so it doesn't really matter. The second point, I said to the guy "Since when are there timeouts in soccer?" and moved on. Bonehead. The first point, I think they're protesting it's applicability in a 6v6 game. At least that's the impression they gave me. Vested interest is gonna be tougher for me to define. I know almost all of the refs in the town, and many of them coach. Just out of the ref camaraderie, I want to see their teams succeed. Should I try to avoid their games, or just do my best to be unbiased if I get their games?
That's just an accepted part of the game, Prof. If referees can only do games where they don't know a single person involved with the team, assignors would have an impossible job. MLS and FIFA refs like to see certain coaches succeed based on their rapport with them, but they don't let it influence their decisions on the field. Heck, I ref Brian Hall's team a few times during the year and I always like to see them win. But if I slanted the game Brian would have a fit! Most coaches would rather have the game called fair and square and win, especially if they are referees, because then that is a true test of their team. Winning a biased game accomplishes nothing at all (unless money is on the line).
A legitimate protest would be with regards to the placement of the ball. An IFK for an offense inside the goal area is taken from outside the goal area. That's 6 yards, not 6-10 feet.
A soccer field never has a goal box. It may have a goal area. This is not a matter for judgement. Please read your local rules. http://bays.org/Spring2003/Playing_Rules_2003.pdf Under the Rules Modifications for 6v6 it states that any IFK must be taken "no closer than six yards from the goal/goal line."
Six yards from the goal line is pretty close to the penalty line. And I guessed on the distance. I have no idea how far I actually was.