In an adult game, player A went in for a tackle studs up. Player B goes down. No call. After complaints from the bench about the studs up tackle, the ref says, "Show me where it says that in the book" and continued with something about a "studs up tackle" being myth that goes back 30 years. While, "studs up" is never mentioned in LOTG, is there anything in the ATRs about it? Minimally, I think the ref should have told player A to be more careful in the interest of safety. Of note, the league is not associated with USSF, so the refs don't wear badges. Several of them are old - gotta be pensioners. They also run a 2 man system which I think is odd since they don't even use that for HS games anymore.
You could argue as the player/referee that it is stated in the laws of the game. I would consider a stud up tackle playing in a "dangerous" manner. They still run dual men in H.S. games too.
Studs Up is in the rule book...right under reckless and excessive in my translation. And we still have the horrors of a dual system in Central Va.
I did a duel today in club ball l My assignor wanted us to becuase our 3rd hadn't shown up. IT was one of the worst experiences in my life. I feel bad for every H.S. ref i have verbally harassed during my matches. Never again will i call him "an idiot". For whoever has done it, youi know how bad it is. I"ve only done it once and i will NEVER do it again.
"Studs up" is not always a foul, caution or sendoff. Sometimes the location of the ball and the players will have the studs visible during a fair challenge. But, getting raked by studs is very painful, and the studs up tackle can be used as a threat (usually early in the match) and a weapon to injure an opponent. Players know this, and expect that the referee will intervene. The referee has lots of tools "in the book" to deal with the problem from verbal warnings to calling a foul (dangerous play, attempt to kick, kicking) to caution (unsporting behavior) to sendoff (violent conduct or serious foul play). The referee who deals with the problem without calling the foul may be a very good one. The referee thinks it is "just part of the game" ought to find a new profession.
USSF forbids the Dual System in sanctioned matched. Your assignor effectively should have told you to use a club line. If anything had happened, you probably would not have been covered or backed by the federation. NFHS is something entirely different.
Last year, they started using a 3-man system for varsity - at least in the Friends' School League in the Philly area. I would hate to be this particular ref's wife. I swear he wakes up cranky. In 3+ years, I have never seen him smile or have a single nice thing to say other than commenting that my Toyota Echo must get great gas mileage. He starts yelling at guys about their jewelry and shin guards during warm ups and can be confrontational during the match. I forgot to mention that during the exchange after the play, he said the guy going in for the tackle would risk breaking his ankle if he did not go in with his studs up. Thanks for the interpretations. You've helped build my argument for finding better refs.
From the '06 ATR: Part C: Serious Foul Play and Violent Conduct Referees must be particularly vigilant regarding offenses which are too severe for a caution and which include one or more of the following elements: --One or both feet, with cleats showing, above the ground... and 12.33 Serious Foul Play It is also serious foul play if a player commits any tackle which endangers the safety of an opponent. (emphasis in ATR)
Oh god, thank jesus nothing happened. . I thought it seemed fishy. When did the USSF officially distance themselves from that system.
The day after HS invented it. Seriously, you may as well ask when USSF decided handling was a foul. The only referee method ever in the Laws of the Game is the diagonal, 1 center and 2 AR's. They realize that club lines may have to substitute for AR's when there are not enough refs to go around.
The thread has split into a discussion of the dual. First, the history. There have been been several methods of control. The two referee system was used before 1891. In the late 1920's, Stanley Rous developed the diagonal system system of control, based on the single referee's diagonal used in Britain since the late 1890s. It was adopted at the International Conference of Referees in 1948. In the United States before the late 1940's, the DSC was really one referee with two untrained club lines. The dual system was adopted and developed by college coaches who liked it much better than using student linesmen. High school followed collegiate practice. The strength in refereeing in amateur adult soccer, however, came predominantly from foreign born referees who were far more confortable alone in the center. FIFA permitted some tests of the dual in the late 1900's, concluding that it was inferior to the DSC. In the past few years, however, there have been proposals in FIFA and UEFA to add an additional referee to call fouls in the opposing penalty areas (a form of double dual), and to add additional assistant referees to monitor the goal lines. There is no reason to believe that a system designed in the 1920's is the best method for the modern game. While I've taught and run the dual, I believe that its weakness (offside calls) outweigh its strengths (off the ball fouls). It requires IMO a greater level of fitness and feel for the game than the DSC.
Actually, that history is not quite correct. Before 1891, each team had a person on the field who called infractions. If there was disagreement, then the question was "refered" to an impartial "referee" off field who determined who was at fault. Later, the impartial DSC was created when too many infractions were being refereed. Just thought it was important to explain where "referee" came from, and that the dual system wasn't really the first form of refereeing... ANR
More extensive history: On October 26, 1863, representatives from 11 schools and clubs met at the Freemasons Tavern to hash out official rules of the game. One club, Blackheath, eventually withdrew from the debates after the group voted not to allow running with the ball or hacking an opponent. When that decision was made, the break between the games that would become soccer and rugby became official. The remaining 10 representatives formed the Football Association and published the original 14 Laws of the Game in December 1863. Remarkably, these first laws contained no mention of fouls, penalties or referees. Despite its violent heritage, soccer at this time was considered a gentlemen’s sport. No gentlemen, it was thought, would attempt to foul to gain an advantage. Early matches were officiated by two umpires, one provided by each team. In the 1880s, a referee was added to keep time and settle disputes. When a disagreement arose, umpires would refer to this official—hence the name “referee.” By 1891, the referee had been moved on to the field of play and the umpires had become linesmen. Today, linesmen are called assistant referees.