i've been thinking that some times we have situations that don't fit into the 'best story of the week' thread, because they aren't good. To kick it off, we had a referee assaulted last night. A player, celebrating what proved to be the winning goal, began taunting the opponents. The referee on the team benches side issued him a red card. The player went berserk. He pushed the referee, twice, before his teammates and coach were able to physically control him. He wanted to continue attacking the referee. When he got to the bench, he still didn't calm down and had to be removed from the bench by his coach. I did one of this team's games back in early September and I can't say I'm surprised. His team made the playoffs. The state high school association takes assaults and abuse of game officials very seriously. The player will be suspended from all high school sports and activities until he and his principal or athletic director appear, in person, at the next meeting of their executive board. The board will then determine the size of the fine to the school. I believe the range is $500 to $1,000. About five or six years ago, we had a soccer player who assaulted an official. He skipped the meeting with the executive board, leaving the humiliated AD to attend by himself. Not surprisingly, the fine was $1,000 and the suspension was continued indefinitely. And also last night we had the goalkeeper of a small, very elite private school (not a parochial school) red carded for abusive language directed to the referee. This was a fairly meaningless last game of the regular season, playing a much larger school's team, more or less as a tune up before the playoffs begin. This team is ranked #1 in the state in their size of schools and has won many, many state championships. You can pretty much pencil them in to play in the championship game every year. The goalkeeper is a very large person POC, much larger than any other player on the team. I know because I had them in a game the day before. The language continued even after the keeper reached the bench. "I don't care. You're still the worst referee ever!" They will now miss their first playoff game. Oh, did I mention that this was a girls' game? Last games of the high school regular season can be a real challenge and, IMHO, most referees are caught by surprise.
@Law5 gets the "Bad Stories" thread off to an appropriate start. Hope there aren't too many more out there but I'm afraid there will be.
Just curious why the POC information was relevant to your story? Your stories had multiple referees, multiple players and an AD and you only gave a physical description of one.
Mine had to be last month. My son's club is hosting a tournament. I've done three games during the day, and I'm packing up ready to head home after my son's last game. The referee coordinator on site comes flying up in his cart and needs two referees on the adjacent field right away for the next game. I relunctantly volunteer, and my son grabs his referee shirt out of my bag and a flag to run a line. U14 boys game. Five minutes in, Maroon's keeper "shoulder charges" Blue's attacker when he's caught outside of the box. It was the "Tyler Adams play" from the US-Canada game. I immediately come in with a caution. A few minutes later, Blue has a late tackle. Another caution. Not three minutes later, a third caution. I realize that this game may not end 11 v 11 as they aren't adjusting their behavior. Early second half, Blue thinks Maroon has fouled near the top of the area. It's a clean shoulder to shoulder challenge, but Blue disagrees and comes right at me arguing. First yellow card. He then decides to escalate his criticism. Second yellow card, followed by a red. All that did was unleash him. "You're a f***ing joke." I tell him that will be in my game report as additional misconduct. "I don't care, you're still a f***ing joke." Two more cautions later (one for dissent even after I had sent the player off for two dissents), things are still not good. With about three minutes left, Maroon 8 pulls another Adams play right in front of Blue's bench, and he's already on a caution. Blue's coaches are approaching the kids, so I'm right there as well to make sure the coaches don't say anything to the player while calling out "8's done". Red and yellow are already in my hand as I come in. We mercifully ended a few minutes later 10 v 10. I told my son on the drive home that sometimes, it really doesn't matter what you do. When players don't want to play soccer, they won't play soccer no matter what you do. What was funny was that because of a ref shortage, I had to run the line for my son's game against Maroon the next day. One of the kids on Maroon who I cautioned the night before was whining to the center as he ran to join a counterattack. I'm the trail AR, and I call out loudly enough for his teammates to hear, "You play, we'll ref!" That got a really good laugh out of the parents behind me.
Not just high school. On a U18B game at the end of the soccer year, a kid on my son's team was absolutely leveled and sent flying out of bounds. The referee was there in a flash with the red but the offending player yelled "I don't care, I'm never playing again!" As an amusing aside, the victim of the SFP bounced up with fire in his eyes and was about to take the head off the perpetrator when his mom who was sitting next to me, with a voice like a whiplash, yelled out FIRSTNAME LASTNAME! The voice of his mom cut through the anger and he stopped dead in his tracks. No retaliatory red.
She is the only POC on that team. Her color, per se, is not relevant, which is why I left it at POC, but her outsider position, not only on the team, and the only one wearing a completely different uniform and is completely ignored by her teammates most of the time, but also socially in the school, makes it not surprising that she was feeling frustration, which boiled over in this case. A player who is bringing feelings of frustration onto the field is a likely candidate for behavioral problems that we have to manage and deal with, ideally before things get to the card level. The referee who gave the red is also a POC. And before you start making assumptions, most of my family are POC.
My worst game ever was the final weekend of Fall 2019 in November. U16B comp, teams had played back in September, home team player broke his wrist during the match, they claim it was dirty. Home coach tells me that before the match. I had to be solo because no one else signed up as my ARs. Gave out 6-8 cautions in the match. The home player wearing a wrist splint commits a YC reckless foul right between the two benches. Visiting bench up in arms. As I run over to give him a YC I hear from their bench "LET'S BREAK HIS OTHER ARM NOW!" Before I even have a chance to address the bench (I was going to OFFINABUS RC whoever said that, or the coach if they refused to admit who it was), the coach from the home team (mid 20s guy) comes storming into their technical area screaming about that comment and trying to get in their faces. Full scale baseball-style benches clearing with field players as well and I'm stuck in the middle because I had been there to initially give the YC. Then just as I start calming it down, parents start running over from across the field. Some get in the face of the home coach to goad into a fight. Immediately end the match and start yelling that I'm calling the cops as I run over to my bag. People start dispersing. Unfortunately I didn't even give out any RCs to the visiting team or home coach, I just completely panicked and melted down and ended the game. Ended up being on a disciplinary call with all the people and since I was stuck in the middle of it alone, I couldn't give much help
The other day after I sent off a youth coach for the first time in many years, my assignor shared with me this little gem… https://www.al.com/news/2021/09/fat...-at-alabama-soccer-tournament-police-say.html Looks like it was a two day tournament and a player who had been sent off the day before and therefore a spectator for his team’s next game runs onto the field during play and starts attacking an opponent. The father of the boy getting attacked, who has a concealed carry permit, runs out on the field and shoots his gun in the air to get them to stop fighting. Yikes.
Yet another example of why we Georgians are not infrequently heard to mutter, "Thank God for Alabama."
It was because of my father that from the ages of seven to fifteen, I thought that my name was Jesus Christ and my brother, Russell, thought that his name was Dammit. "Dammit, will you stop all that noise?" And, "Jesus Christ, sit down!" One day, I'm out playing in the rain, and my father yelled, "Dammit will you get back in here!" I said, "Dad, I'm Jesus Christ!"
The benefit of refereeing in both Alabama and Georgia. I tell folks in Georgia "Could be worse, I could be from Alabama." I tell folks in Alabama "Could be worse, I could be from Georgia." I don't let either know I am actually from Wisconsin.
If it's not relevant, why say it? She's wearing a different uniform, because she's the keeper. You know how a kid on a soccer team you ref is treated by her classmates during school? Why is she a likely candidate for behavioral problems? You are ether related to this player or are making some stupid f 'ing assumptions.
Come to think of it the two worst incidents I've seen were both teams playing their final game of the season. First was AR2 for a U18 boys state championship game blowout that ended in an all out brawl. Center was being assessed. Second was earlier this month - my next to last game. Solo on a boys HS 9th grade game. Home team down a goal with a minute to go, a home side player goes down. After waiting a few seconds to see if he pops back up I blow the whistle to stop play and look for the coach to signal for him to come on to the field. Then I see the coach is already on the field but instead of heading towards the player he's coming towards me yelling about something, I don't even rememebr what. Red card, signal game over. Now two *parents* run on to the field and are getting in my face. I ignore them and walk over and grab my bag. Unfortunately I had to go back across the field and endure a flurry of stupid insults to get to my car. Decided the next morning that was enough for me, time to retire from this stupidity. Did one more game that afternoon because I didn't want to finish up on that one. Last game went just fine.
I'm not sure she had time to include it. Five syllables were enough. Whiplash might not have been the best way to describe her voice. Machine gun is probably better.
I wasn't assigned ANY HS playoff matches this year. I was really bummed, because this past spring I officiated probably my best match ever in a Sectional Final for the eventual state champions. I WAS asked by my assignor if I could work a couple of matches they were short on (state does the assigning for the most part). The first match is with this younger dude (early -mid 20s) who come with his Dad, who's a retired ref. I get weird energy from the kid, he knows the other AR, who's on the verge of retirement, and is saying things like "well, when you ref as much as me and (other ref) do... that don't fit into our conversation whatsoever. And makes sure I know he's got way more experience than I could imagine having, which is super, super weird. I'm no uniform fascist, but he starts the match with some really weird shorts and this purple windbreaker under his SS shirt, and more red flags pop up. We're using comms, and all I ever hear from him in response to players and coaches is indecision, lack of any confidence and a complete lack of an understanding of the basics of play. No mechanics of which to speak, coaches are going nuts trying to figure out what he's calling and who he's calling it against. There were several points where he'd call a foul, not indicate direction, then, after a LOT of time wasted in mumbling to himself, would let everyone set up as though a DFK for white, but then would change his mind and everyone would switch fields entirely. Foul selection was confusing, too. I don't usually comment of fouls selections, just ask what they saw if I didn't understand, but it was nonstop weirdness. White player, feet set to head a flighted ball, blue jumps over the top and on top of him and blue gets the foul for his team. I'm on top of the corner with two players fighting for the ball, I'm talking to them, keeping them from fouling each other, ball goes out while I'm literally saying "no, no, nothing....corner kick" and he blows his whistle from the center of the pitch, about 45 yards away and awards a foul to the defender's team. I'm usually a really chill ref. I do my best to adjust and not show any nonverbal signs that I'm unhappy with the CR, but damn if this guy didn't push me to my absolute limit. I don't write this lightly, I don't enjoy talking crap about other refs, but he was just officiating a completely different sport. It looked like he'd never seen the sport before, got certified and was doing his first middle in his first match. I had coaches all over me the whole time, and I'm giving the usually responses; "I didn't see what he saw", "I can ask him what he saw, there, coach.", "I believe it was for handling, but I'll wait for him to tell me." It was brutal. Then, at halftime, both coaches ask the older guy with us, who was AR2, if tey could ask him something. He walked over and said "sure, what's up?" (he's super chill, as well, very well known). I'm walking by, so stop to listen and learn something. CR hears them from our area and walks over and says "what's up?" Coaches say "we have a question for -ref's name-." CR: "If you have a question, you can ask me." Coaches exchange a look, shrug shoulders and one says "AR2, can we switch the Center Referee at halftime?" AR2: "No." and walks away. I'd never heard of anything like that before, especially at H.S. playoffs. 2nd half got worse, luckily, the home team won handily, and were the better team over the year and in the match, so it went as it likely should have, anyway, but I've never felt so uncomfortable in my own skin before. Came to find out that the dude's dad is the assignor for a nearby region and is a bit of a loose cannon. Every year both of his sons get regional and higher matches. I've also learned that the other son is worse, because he officiates the same exact way, but with far more confidence; waves off ARs to the point where guys just quit assisting, goes off on players and coaches, all kinds of unprofessional behavior. Just a bad, overall no-good, terrible day. P.S. Am I salty because people like this get playoff matches when I don't? Yes. Would I AR for this match again regardless? Yes. My second AR1 match for Regional final was with a guy I LOVE working with, done State finals regularly, really calm, great with the players. Went OT and game was won in final 5 seconds off a corner that one MIGHT feel is controversial, he handled it like a pro. HUGE difference. Thanks you for reading this, it is my therapy
I HATE officiating with arrogant guys like this. I used to umpire baseball as well as soccer. I worked a game with a guy close to my age, and he thought he was God's gift to officiating. He wasn't bad, but his opinion of himself was a LOT higher than his actual ability. We're working a varsity/JV doubleheader. I had the plate for the varsity game. During the JV game, we had a situation where the runner from third scored on a tag-up before the defense forced the runner from first who didn't tag up. The run counted. The defensive coach came out to discuss the call, as he wasn't sure about the rule. I always carried my rule book in my back pocket as an umpire. I was about ready to bring it out to show the coach, and he was good with it. Here comes the other umpire, blasting both the coach and me for this. I just shrugged and told the coach I'll discuss it with him later. Following the game, the coach and I went over the rule. He thanked me for showing him the rule and for being very professional dealing with him. He said the other umpire was a real jerk. I didn't say anything, but my lack of answer was all that was needed.
What are you trying to accomplish with these posts? From a third-party it looks like you were trying to trap a different poster into a "gotcha" moment and accuse them of some kind of intolerance/insensitivity. And because your first post didn't work as intended you then resort to telling a consistent poster on this forum that they are making "stupid f'ing assumptions" while misrepresenting their prior post. What are you trying to accomplish? This is of course my opinion, but it seems like the point of Law 5's story to kick this thread off was to post a story about bad situations where not only there was egregious misconduct, but there was also significant negative emotion. In his story, it was awkwardness a la those Southwest Airlines "Want to get away?" commercials. He's talking about a girl's soccer team at an elite private high school that routinely dominates in the smaller school state tournament. We likely all can picture that demographic. Further, this is a girl's game. You hardly see abusive language directed at a referee in a girl's game. You really hardly see abusive language directed at a referee in a controlled environment like a high school game. With that scene set, he tells a story about a high school girl who completely loses the plot and gets sent off for terrible behavior directed toward a referee. That's already very rare, very strange. You add in the fact that she's the goalkeeper, that's she a POC, that her outburst now causes the team postseason punishment, and you're left with an extremely awkward, tension-filled picture. His POS comment helps paint the picture of how awkward the scenario all was. That's the point. Come on now that's not what Law 5 said. Read his posts again.
Glad you got a couple, including a good one, at the end of the day. I don't know much about high school soccer playoffs around here, but I was gobsmacked by some of the refs that got playoff slots in basketball. OK, my son's team was spoiled, as I think his league, which was one of the toughest, had some of the best refs around (and the league paid for three refs for every game). But come playoff time, even though they were in the top tier (well, aside from the small special playoff division, but that's a separate issue), they had refs that wouldn't have gotten JV games in my son's league--I'm not even sure they would have got Freshman games! But seemed like there was some sort of share-the-wealth model as we always went into those first 2 or 3 rounds holding our breath. I'd see more "look at me" calls in those first couple of games than the whole rest of the season (in soccer terms, imagine things like calling 6 seconds on a keeper after 7 seconds). It's really tough when refs are completely out of their depth. (And I honestly felt bad for the ones who realized they were out of their depth, but not many seemed to . . . .)
If you guys think the refs for your kids youth soccer games are bad, imagine how coaches/players/fans of professional leagues feel when they claim that literally every referee/official/umpire in every single professional sport on the planet is horrible at their job and they all need to be replaced and not understanding how they got to the Super Bowl/World Series/Stanley Cup/NBA Finals/Champions League/all other sports. But I've had similar experiences being on a crew with refs who have no business being on the level of game they are on. It is one of the most infuriating things I experience as a referee. I usually barely manage to hold myself together not having a meltdown on the field if my ARs are incompetent, or if I'm the AR1 and some CR is barely leaving the center circle, terrible foul recognition, etc., and I get complaints in my ear from the coaches, I have to do my best to maintain professionalism and just mutter out "I can't explain what he's calling, he has the view and the final call" and ask them to please stop talking to me because if they keep pushing me, knowing my luck I'll call him incompetent and then they will report that to the league and it comes back to me and I get in trouble. But at least give me an incompetent ref who is at least close to play and makes an effort rather than the ones who never leave the center circle and don't care. All I can do is report to the assignor and move on. In my opinion, if you're on a decent level game like you said you were, being a uniform fascist is a completely valid thing. Having proper attire is the bare minimum easiest thing you can do that requires the least amount of effort and thinking while giving off your initial aura to the players and your fellow ref crew, and being on a good level game it should be expected. A ref could show up to my game and even if he's very experienced, if he has colorful shoes, crappy shorts/socks, a bad looking third party uniform, non-solid black cap or jacket they plan to wear during the game, sunglasses, any combo of these things, I immediately expect the worst to come.