Sure you can bash them, but even the worst refs have a sense of humor. Let's hear them. People at my school tend to think I play too rough and if they could, they would give me a straight red the moment I steped on the pitch. I was in a 3v3 tourny set up by the Burn and I must say the refs that were out there for the men's rec were great. Never really did anything that warn us if we were being to rough, whose ball it was if it went out, etc... Any how at the end of the last game, I'm sitting in the refs chair in the shade(hey I didn't know it was his.) He sat down on the ground and I asked if I could be show a yellow. He asked me why and I told him. He gave me a yellow, a red, and then the one where you do the yellow on top of the red. Oh and the ref never got his chair back.
I had a teammate growing up who was this hotheaded Serbian kid (strange, eh?), and when he got redcarded for some thing that was not really deserved, he grabbed the card out of the refs hand, shoved it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. After the game, we were a little worried Dragan may have internal damage or something, but it's then that he explained that the card was just red construction paper, not an actual offical plastic red card. He said thats why he ate it. For effect though, I ve never seen that topped. It ended up being a rather light-hearted incident, as everyone on both teams started laughing, shortly followed by Dragan, and then the ref.
During a youth match, I noticed that one of the parents had brought their small dog with them on a leash. As the game progress, the dog managed to get away from the parent and the dog ran out onto the field of play. The ball was at the other end of the field, but everyone noticed the parent running onto the field several yards before recovering the dog's leash and the dog. While we waited for the ball to be collected for a goal kick, I approached the area where the parent with the dog was standing and showed the parent a yellow card. The other parents and the kids loved it.
Adult women's summer league match on a field with a huge pile of loam nearby. Can you say "kid magnet"? One of the moms was getting very frustrated with her little darling that wouldn't stay away from the dirt pile when she went in to play. Both teams gave me a round of applause when I showed the kid a yellow card. Amazingly, he behaved after that. ----- And one story from when I was playing. First, it must be said that I retired the MVP trophy on my team - Most Vocal Player. A ref had had enough and tossed his whistle to me suggesting that since I wanted to call the game, I may as well have the tools to do it. My teammates say that is the only time I was speechless on the pitch. (I was weighing the consequences of returning the whistle vs. throwing the whistle deep into the woods. )
In my HS physics class, there was one particular girl in the class who was a goalkeeper on the girls' team. She also very often talked in class and drew the ire of the teacher. So, one day, I told the teacher about how yellow and red cards worked in football and lent him my cards at the beginning of class. During class, instead of telling her to quiet down, he simply called her name and showed her the yellow card. She didn't talk in class again.
In a related story, the headmaster of the school where I work was very big into soccer and had refereed. Before I got there, I heard that she tried a discipline system where kids recieved yellow and red cards for misbehaving.
The team I coach (then U-12B)was playing a scrimmage, and we were getting hammered... not much fun. Worse, I was pressed into service as the ref (I was the only one qualified) -- I like to ref, and I like to coach, but I don't like doing both at the same time. Anyway, one of my guys was goofing off late in the second half, running around making dog noises on the field, so I told him to knock it off, wasn't it bad enough already? He said OK, then switched to cat noises, so I sent him off at the next stoppage in play. Should have seen the look on his face.
Last Saturday I attended the San Diego State vs. University of San Diego men's match. During halftime of the men's game the women's game (SDSU vs. Long Beach State) was starting up on a field down below so I decided to watch for a bit. From a distance I watched as the game started and about a minute or two into the game the center referee blows the whistle and starts to have a rather animated discussion with the linesman. I figured they were discussing a call or a player but all of the sudden the linesman throws his flag down and grabs his bag and walks off!! The other linesman and the center ref then went to the 2 ref system for the remainder of the game. After the game I talked to the ref who had been originally working the center and he explained to me what had happened. Apparently the ref who left was originally assinged to work the center but showed up late and the agreement between the refs is that the first to show up is the one who works the center. This dork felt it was beneath him to work the line and refused so he left!!!! Imagine doing something like that in a NCAA Div 1 game!! Apparently he'll be hearing from a disciplinary board.
Lesse.. Was working the line on a U12B game here.. and chased the ball down to the end line where a player centered it forward. The defender coming back blocked it into the net just as the coach for the other team screamed "OFFSIDE!" The CR looked at me as I reran the play in my head, and then started the run back towards the center. Own Goal. As I'm nearing the reset position, I hear a parent say, "That was a pretty goal by Ronnie. Too bad it was against his team." I about died trying to hold in the laughter. The next game I worked was also on the lines, with a CR who was calling a lot of throw in violations. Not mild things like, oh, the foot's almost off the ground, but things like "The player jumped a foot into the air" things. The throw ins bounced back and forth two times each once, and one of the players right behind me screamed "C'mon REF, let them play!" Another parent almost immediately screamed. "Who cares about the Ref? Cmon Coach, TEACH THEM THE RULES OF THE GAME!" Gold star for that parent First game I worked that day, there was a parent behind me on the eighteen box. I had chased the ball back just as her daughter picked off a pass and was breaking in. She , as I manuevered right in front of her, screamed out "GO CHRISTY!" It scared the hell out of me Jarrod
Saturday, I was called to hit up a U-14 game before my other games because no referees show up. I arrive 10 minutes later to one coach thankful I could get here and another who was irrate that I was late. (Strike 1) In my pregame I ask him to move his bench to the side opposite the parents while I talk to the other coach. He says no. (Strike 2, plus I am no longer asking. I am now telling him to move over.) The game finally begins. Team Q charges down to Team U's goal area and rockets a shot into this poor kids hand. (I think he sprained his wrist.) I hear from the sidelines "Dammit Ref! Call it both ways!" Hmm. 20 seconds into the match and I get a "both ways" comment. Without making a single call no less. I had to laugh. Halftime arrives in a scoreless match. "Both ways" parent comes over to me and says "You missed the *#*#*#*#ing hand ball there." My response. "What kind of car do you have?" Him - BMW whatever.. Me - Leather interior? Him - Yep Me - Good. At least you will be comfortable waiting for your son's match to finish. Him - Many many foul words. He storms off to the coach to tell him of the cruel thing I did. Coach - What the *#*#*#*# do you think you are doing kicking out one of my parents?? (Strike 3) Me - Coach, I am dismissing you for the exact same thing your parent has done. Good day. I then walk over to the parents and ask for a volunteer to coach the rest of the match. I found one and then the match proceeded splendidly.