One of the worse I ever had was a mostly latino indoor league that I referee on regular basis. One of the players thought that he was being fouled every time he lost the ball, he was knows for being a diver, and started to complain a lot. One of the unwritten rules is that instead showing a card, you can send the player to the bench to cool off. I did that with him and it worked for a bit. The game was close and with about 5 minutes left on the clock, I called a PK against his team. He started to run at me and shoved me while his teammates and the opposing team were holding him back because he kept coming. I immediately terminated the game and shown him a red card. The league owner came onto the field and backed me up 100%, he asked if I wanted the police to come but I declined. After we left the field we checked the cameras to make sure to get him an appropriate suspension. Originally the owner gave him a year suspension, however a few weeks later he asked me if I would accept an apology from the player and if I would be OK if he came back and to the league after a month suspension. I accepted his apology in person and the terms. Later I found out that he had lost a family member and wasn't quite right at that time. Now every time I see him and its my last game of the day, he and I have a beer. I'm glad that he recognized that he did something wrong and was humble enough to own up to it. I'm also glad that I didn't overreact and be an Ahole that I could justifiably be.
In a strange coincidence in the aftermath of Dak Prescott's comments, there is a video circulating on Facebook where a coach rips a red card out of a young referees hand after being ejected and strikes him in the face in an indoor facility in Texas this week. Not trying to be funny, but the coach resembles a slimmer Mike McCarthy with his white cap and demeanor.
Say no more. Anyone who assaults a referee should have to work those matches solo for free for community service. See what being a referee in a completely hostile environment is like.
I've always said this. Any parent, coach or player thrown out of a game or found "guilty" by a league or organizing committee for conduct toward referees should be required to certify to referee the sport (at their own expense, including the uniform) and then required to work a minimum level of matches. I'd say that the specific number should be whatever is required to meet 20 or 40 hours of community service. So if you are looking at a soccer game, I'd say 10 to 20 matches assuming two hours per match. One of two things will happen. Either we will see these types of incidents go down because people won't want to referee (which, in and of itself, shows the lack of backbone these people have who are berating referees), or we'll see some new referees on the field or court.
I showed up as a standby ref to a tourney this year steps from my house. In my first game, I threw out a parent and probably should have sent off a coach. After the game, I found out that team caused problems last year at that tourney and weren't supposed to be able to play this year, yet there they were. Until there are consequences, this behavior won't stop. Needless to say, if I were to ref in 2022, I won't ref that tourney for sure.
It's a great idea in theory, but not everyone can pass the background check that is now required to officiate.
Whenever I see a drone on one of my games. I watch it closely or tell my AR's (4O) to watch it. The moment it encroaches over the pitch I stop play and do not restart until the drone is on the ground. I only did it once so far.
Bad situation yesterday. Was CR on a JV game. AR1 corner I was looking directly into the setting sun at end of first half. At halftime was going to tell him I needed additional help until sun went down over building. One minute left in half, ball hits a defender on the end line in the box and goes OOP for corner. I couldn't see anything but after a few second delay, AR1 puts his flag up and indicates a handball. I go over to ask him, yes he says handball in box, so I have to give a PK 10 seconds late. This guy is an experienced ref and an assignor, but I have had to wave down handballs from him multiple times. I knew that if I had seen it, I likely never would have given a handball especially a PK, but him waving his flag handcuffed me. Waving down an AR PK flag would be horrible. To add insult to injury, I literally tell them in my pregame that if you 100% have to call a penalty, wave the flag and run down to the end line. He didn't do that. He just waved it and stood there. Because of the delayed PK, I had to go talk to the coach and he said "if he was calling it he should have been running down to the flag", so he knew the mechanic too, yet my AR didn't follow it. Didn't end up affecting the game at all but I looked like a complete fool there.
Our JV/V games are usually double headers. We try to have a 3 person crew for both games. Before covid, that was the 99% of the time. Now probably 80%. I'm glad I no longer have to assign.
Most of what we have our JV-V doubleheaders with the same duo for both. I believe the very most competitive leagues are still getting trios for varsity, but its pretty limited. I believe that is a duo for the JV game, with those two becoming the ARs for the varsity game that follows. It's my first year doing HS, and I gather that last year there were more singleton games--but the assigner told teams that doubleheaders would get priority as he didn't have enough refs to cover as many single games (probably would have meant that JV games that were by themselves wouldn't have had refs). The number of games some refs are doing each week is insane.
We are all over the place. Mostly JV/V back to back or VG/VB back to back for smaller schools but some single V games at smaller schools. Some 3-man, some duals, some dual JV and a V center comes in later, some solo JV and a second comes in for a dual on V. It all depends on how many match sites are on for that day and how may refs can work for that day. Early in the season I had to tell 3 coaches that I could not provide them a crew. We have been telling coaches for a couple of years that the traditional Tuesday/Friday schedule was becoming a problem as we added more schools to service and we didn’t add more referees to cover them. We have told them to think about Wed/Sat but they won’t do it. COVID last year knocked our ref pool back by 1/3. It’s rebounded some but not enough. So I cancelled games. Other area chapters tell schools up front that they must put a certain number of games on alternate dates from Tues/Fri. Or they tell schools that no solo game will get a ref on Tues/Fri. I think we will be doing that next season.
Come to think of it, due to the shortage, we probably lost any chance we had in Pennsylvania to go from a double dual to a regular three men.. their argument against pilot program in the west (WPIAL I think tried the pilot, Pittsburgh Ref can correct if wrong) always was that it if we do that, then teams in play-offs will have a different system than in the leagues so there is no consistency. Now, there is probably even less of a chance that we could staff 3 men on many games outside of play-offs, so there is going to be even less consistency, meaning PIAA will definitely not allow that... Oh well. Double dual forever.
Yeah, it would be so shocking for the players to see the system used in every game they have ever played out side of high school!!
There was almost a pilot. The PIAA Officials' Committee endorsed it but the full PIAA Board did not, for reasons including the (in-)consistency Barciur mentions. Little light reading: https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/201...posal-deters-momentum-for-one-whistle-system/
From Abq https://www.abqjournal.com/2466932/...rney-davis-69-dies-unexpectedly-ex-serve.html : Outside of the legal world, Davis enjoyed cooking, fly fishing and downhill skiing, according to his website. He took up refereeing soccer matches after watching his children play the sport. Nick said his father ultimately became an experienced ref who called local high school tournaments and college matches around the region, including for the UNM Lobos. Nick said his father approached soccer matches in a similar fashion to litigation, more specifically mediation, when he strived to call a match as fairly as possible. “It was a hobby on the side,” Nick said. “But it really balanced with his legal work.” Cheers, Mi3ke
B JV. Mediocre teams on lousy grass (last time I was on grass that bad I ended up on crutches. . . ) and 50x100 field squeezed between the softball field and baseball field, with the infield dirt going to die of the GA. No, that wasn’t a mistake for PA, the GA. But that’s not the bad story. Goal kick by red. White has been lazy getting back all game. GK intercepted and sent back to two attackers. *tweet*. OS. Outrage. I loom back. The GK hadn’t taken the GK. The attackers were on side by 20 yards. Sigh. Apologize. DB. At least it wasn’t a close game where it mattered. (And the V game after was better…)
BV game this evening. CR waved down my flag twice. Once was for an offside I called because I didn't realize a player's existence until it was too late (dark jersey against night) so he properly waved me down. Another was for a handball along the sideline I felt was deliberate and that he couldn't see but he felt differently, ok no problem. The home team coach starts screaming at me up the field both times YOU DON'T PUT THE FLAG DOWN YOU KEEP THE FLAG UP. He also openly and loudly complained about the CR frequently, saying "I guess they got the replacement refs for us" (the CR is a regional). This coach is also a referee I have worked with once, a fat tub of lard who never left the center circle (and told me what a great AR I was). After the game, I told him that after this experience of how he treated me, if we work together in a crew in the future, he can expect similar treatment from me where I will criticize everything he does as a CR/AR. Referees who act the way he did towards fellow refs (whether as a player, coach, or fan), very little pisses me off more.
Probably better just to report him to your assignor and state referee committee. What you are describing is a possible ethics violation.
Just start carding coaches in HS (I know you were the AR here). They are school employees who are supposed to be leading student athletes and helping to provide an extension of the classroom. NC makes it easy for us. They have a separate red card offense for "disrespectfully addressing an official". I've used it on head coaches more than once who seem to respond with "I didn't curse at you".
This is not much different than battered spouse syndrome. We (referees) are our worst enemies based on our inaction. It does not sound like he stopped the game at any point, otherwise you would have mentioned it. First, the referee threw you under the bus by not acting on it. If you're not going to caution, at the bear minimum, stop the game and tell him to refrain and indicate what the consequences would be if he repeated it. Secondly, by allowing the "Replacement Refs" comment, his inaction speaks for itself. This is more common than you think. I had a club league game last year where the "trainer" is also a Grassroots Referee (does very few games nowadays) and had immature remarks about the Referee in the 2nd half. As an AR, I took a different tact that you did. I reminded the trainer he was getting blown out and might be better suited to sticking to coaching. In addition, I directed my ire at the Referee post game who allowed this behavior and not the trainer. I am not going to waste my time with him since nothing positive will come about it. EDIT- Your situation obviously was an ethics violation. I respectfully disagree about reporting since my experience (and those that others have shared with me) is that you unfairly become the focus of attention instead. The assignor will quickly point out that no cautions were even issued to this guy (rightfully so). Can anyone here site one example here where someone was reported and was sanctioned in any way for ethics violations?
This. We've had the online presentations from the state discipline committee. They get report after report about poor behavior from coaches or parents and then they go to the match report and nothing was reported.