I think the bigger topic is whether we should adapt to different styles of play. You can talk about Anglo v Hispanic, boys v. girls, Scottish v English, defending state champions v bottom of the table, etc. There are people who feel that the game is the game, there's one rule book (at least for today's game) and you call it the same, regardless of who's playing. There are others who feel that different teams have different expectations and referees shouldn't try to impose their own concepts of how the game should be played on players who clearly think otherwise. It's like this thing about baseball umpires. First umpire: "Some are balls and some are strikes, and I call them as they are." Second umpire: "Some are balls and some are strikes, and I calls them as I sees them." Third umpire: "Some are balls and some are strikes, but they ain't nothin' 'til I calls them." [credit here to John Shank, my grad school accounting professor, who started a chapter in one of his books with this. RIP, John.] Soccer, with continuous play and varying degrees of physical contact at varying speeds over a large playing field, requires more judgment about what is a foul than just about any other sport. We're not, say, baseball with rules about what happens if a batted ball hits a bird crossing fair territory, but out is out and safe is safe, good eyes required but no judgment about whether this 'should' be safe or out. Some physical contact in soccer is expected, is normal, is trifling. Some is not. Where do we set that dividing line? How do we set that dividing line? Teams tend to have their own ideas about how much contact is trifling. On a good day, both teams have about the same vision. On a bad day, they don't. On a great day, the referee picks up on what each team's vision of the game is and, a result, even the losing team will agree that the referee did a great job today. But, if the teams disagree about what's okay, we know that one team is going to end up complaining, "that referee wouldn't let us play." The other team is going to end up complaining, even if they win, "That referee wasn't calling ANYTHING!" It goes with the territory.
We should always adapt to the play and the players in terms of foul selection and what behavior we tolerate or don't tolerate. You wouldn't call a U10 game the same way you would call a U16 or a pro game. You would adjust your expectations for each of those games. Some of the best advice I was ever given was to remember that the laws of the game are not written by the refs or even the coaches - they are written by the players for the players. As MathRef noted, different soccer cultures like to play certain ways. Understanding how they like to play, what fouls they get most incensed about and why that is helps to manage the players. Recognizing that a Hispanic player is going to get more upset about hacks at his feet as opposed to a boot an inch from his face helps you manage these players. You don't have to call every trifling bit of foot contact, but letting him know you are seeing it and aware of it will let him know that you are attuned to things like that and that you are going to protect him. If you are oblivious to it, you are going to be faced with lots of dissent and eventually a reaction by the player. If you are going to be reffing a team of British Expats, you better not go in and red or yellow card them for every $hit and F*ck that comes out of their mouth. Years ago, I probably had the same bias / attitude as SoccerRef when it came to Hispanic teams. I wanted them to play like the traditional suburban teams I was used to and the dissent would come. It wasn't until I challenged myself and started working Hispanic leagues that I truly developed a better appreciation for how they wanted the game called - what calls or non calls would most draw their ire, dissent, and eventually, loss of control of the match.
If only there were a German loan word, denoting great situational awareness and the ability to respond most appropriately and tactfully to an escalated situation.
Placer County District Attorney's Office ROSEVILLE, Calif. -- On Nov. 22, 2022, the Honorable Judge Howell sentenced Vincente Robles Jr., age 35, to one year of formal probation, with 30 days in jail that can be served on alternative sentencing, ordered him to attend anger management courses and pay restitution for lost wages of the victim. The judge banned Robles from attending youth events during the pendency of this case and ordered the ban to remain in effect for another six months. The court also issued a no contact order for the victim for a year, which directs the defendant to stay at least 120 yards away from the victim – the size of a soccer field. This comes after Robles plead no contest to battery on a sports official in early October 2022. On Oct. 30. 2021, Vicente Robles, of Sacramento, tackled a referee at a Roseville soccer game. The exchange was caught on camera and received a high level of public attention. The Roseville Police Department investigated this incident. The crime report was received by the District Attorney’s Office on Nov. 17, and he was arraigned on Dec. 8, 2021. Justice is found through many avenues in the criminal legal process. Holding people accountable while ensuring they receive the help they need is one of the many paths of justice the Placer County District Attorney’s Office seeks. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of common decency, particularly at youth sporting events.
Messed up a rule last night. Had a delayed UB caution with advantage. I knew I had to come back for the card but I whistled when the attack died out and the other team got the ball. Then restarted with a DFK (basically gave the advantage and a free kick). Law 12 is really clear, should have waited for the next stoppage. Oops. Won't do that again.
No. See Law 12 under Disciplinary Action--a caution is to be given at the next stoppage. (For a send off, if the player to be sent off interferes in play, then play is stopped and an IFK is given.)
yep you did it wrong. Just prepare for the next time you have to go back to give a reckless challenge YC when the next stoppage isn’t for two minutes and no one knows what the hell you’re giving a YC for and you have to point and explain
I'm sure you remember the policy from long, long ago, AtR or Jim's site, that if the ref blows the whistle, it is a stoppage. It doesn't have to be a natural stoppage for showing the card. And since the ref stopped play for a reason not specified in the Laws, the restart is a dropped ball. I have no way of knowing if this policy still holds.
Sure, but the R is only supposed to stop play for a reason. To give a delayed caution is not a proper reason to stop play under the LOTG, so the R shouldn't stop play for that reason. (Law 12 goes on to explain when play should be stopped to give misconduct after advantage, which is when a player to be sent off interferes.) Of course, if the R does mistakenly stop play for that reason, once play is stopped the caution can be given, and of course the restart for the mistaken whistle would be a DB.
After I yell out for the advantage, I will yell out, "Number 19, I'm coming back for your yellow". That seems to help people remember, especially me. I had one where I did that and the ball was in play for 5 or 6 minutes. An eternity. At the next stoppage, I held up play and went looking for him. He was hiding in the back. The only reason I remembered is because I reffed with him when he was younger. He had a big smile on his face and said, "I was wondering if you were going to remember". Some of his teammate had still already forgotten about the play though.
Yesterday was one of the worst refereeing days I can ever remember having. I was doing 5 U11 state cup games on turf. A light showering with temps in the low 50s-high 40s all day. Was out in those elements for 8 hours with only a light running jacket under my uniform. And because of how cold I was, I could barely get above a walk all day because my hip flexors were completely stiff. Luckily since it was U11 we were on the small fields. I was extremely cold and completely miserable for the entire day. And because of the rain my regular Sunday morning 2 adult games were cancelled since they play on grass. I would take doing games in 100 degree weather on artificial turf over games in rain. Making your shirt and shorts heavy. Soaked heavy shoes causing wet cold feet. Gloves being unable to keep your hands dry and relatively warm. Wallet gets soaked and can't even record a score card without having some special expensive waterproof card vs. your personally made paper ones. Doing games in the rain is truly abominable.
On games where it rains and we need to rescore stuff... I use RefSix on my Garmin Forerunner. It's nice and works well. I also wouldn't do 5 games at any age. Not worth it for the body. 3 is my limit and that's pushing it.
I had one of those days—coldest I’d ever been in my life. And parents from the losing team complaining it took too long to record goals with frozen hands in pouring rain. Two ideas. First, get one of those actual rain proof jackets that are about as heavy as a windbreaker, which you can wear under your ref shirt. Second, go on Amazon—a space pen and a waterproof notebook aren’t expensive. With them, you can literally write under water.
The sad thing is that I regularly would do 4 games a day with zero issues. When I'm AR, I run with great speed even by the end of the day. Same as a center. I have no issues when the weather is good. Thanks for the advice I will look into that stuff. I only have one LS jersey, yellow, that I got a size up specifically to be able to wear stuff under. But in the rain it's difficult. Didn't want a hooded sweatshirt since it would get soaked, and didn't want too heavy of a jacket because I get hot easily under material. It's really a catch 22.
And yet another bad story for me. I had to leave a high school BV game tonight at halftime as AR due to Achilles soreness. I could barely move. It started late last week, subsided, came back during the above rainy day, was off for Sun-Mon and it subsided, now it's back again, even speding my evenings and even some work hours with it iced and wrapped. I have never missed a game due to injury and definitely never left in the middle of one. Even when I pulled this same calf near end game 3 years ago, I wrapped it extremely tight and got through the next day of games with no issues, but the actual achilles is another story. I think this may actually an unexpected side effect from having covid for the week before and through Thanksgiving. My activity went way down. Hell, even walking all day like my normal working days was good. I spend most of the time sitting on my ass. What a complete lazy idiot I was.
I’d strongly encourage seeing a doctor and physical therapist about the Achilles. I was pplaying basketball with a guy who had one snap, and it it’s not much fun. I had an Achilles issue years ago, and the PT helped a lot.
Did you stretch your Achilles before the game? It seems like I am the only referee in our association who actually stretches before the game. I learned this lesson quite a few years ago. I was going to be playing that day. I was a little late and subbed in a few minutes into the game, with no warm up, no stretching. Once play restarted, my first step pulled my left Achilles at the bottom of my calf muscle. I could barely limp off, having been on the field about 15 seconds.