Boys JV game: White has the ball at midfield and is heading toward the blue team goal. Blue player fouls the white player with the ball. White player stumbles but maintains control of the ball and continues toward the blue goal. It's a classic, basic example of advantage so I signal and yell, "Play on!" In the stands, I hear a spectator say, "He got fouled and all the ref is gonna do is say 'Play on.' That's ridiculous." Sigh.
On moments like that, I feel like its necessary to break the soccer 4th wall and actually tell the spectator what 'play on' signifies. They will feel a whole new world opening to them.
I've had a particularly educational week. GV game two nights ago, had to explain to carded player and coach [sigh] that no, they don't have to ask for 10. Last night, BV, visiting coach behind me loses his mind because a home player's toes were on the field at the taking of a throw-in. On the line is fine, he just can't go beyond it coach, complete with pantomime of the options. He said "Okay, fair enough." Same game last night, I got hit by a shanked home CK standing in the top corner of the PA (whoops). Everybody in red flummoxed because I dropped the ball to the keeper. Responses ranged from "but it was our ball," to "is that really the rule," to "so if it's the state final and we're down one goal in the last 5 minutes you'd drop to their keeper?" I told the last guy, "Yeah, it's a real simple rule."
And then explain as well; to not listen to the soccer match commentators, as they get this, and many other things incorrect as well.
I was tempted to blow the whistle, bring the ball back to midfield, and say, "I'm sorry your fans didn't want advantage. They would prefer that you have a free kick at midfield with the defense able to set up instead of an attack moving towards the goal." But that was only a fleeting thought in my head.
Yeah. So in PA they want us there as the CR, and then the trail comes infield to about the center circle. Like I said, whoops.
HS BV game - I'm AR2. At halftime, as I'm heading over to the center, the coach on my side pulls me aside before I leave the sideline and asks me if I can talk to the center and point out that "#10 has like 5 or 6 fouls already - that's consistent infringement"
My apologies if I've told this story before -- I was AR for a medium-high level game, U-13 or U-14. The center played advantage at midfield -- textbook, correct decision. Attacking player made it another 30 yards before he was fouled again. Center blows the whistle. Free kick from about 25 yards away. Attacking team's coach: "What about the FIRST foul?" If I'd been center, I would've been so tempted to march the ball back to midfield. Well, no, but I probably would've said something.
Tossed a kid the other night, after I gave a nothing mid-field foul he said rather conversationally "You called it so f*cking late." Kid was left back, so like within10-15 feet of me. Back in my day, etc. ... So many HS players today have this idea that profanity is like oxygen, and especially if they've got a coach similarly inclined, it's hard to know if I'm crazy or the world is. Couple years ago I was moving down in front of a visitors' bench before kickoff, and heard some colorful language I elected not to *really* hear, but said to the coach "please remind your players about language." He looked shocked and said "Guys, the ref doesn't want you to swear today."
I get a TON of mileage on NFHS games by asking the coach to remind their players about incidental foul language after the coach and I both obviously hear it. There are enough refs in our high school chapter who go looking for foul language yellow and red cards to give that you can instantly build credibility by showing that you "get it" and are looking to manage the game, not just spray cards around.
I wouldn’t consider what was quoted, in a conversational tone, to be “at” an official. (And, wow, if that was a send off in England, they’d never finish a game . . .)
True about England; as Law5 says, though, this is a HS event which resembles soccer. He spoke, to me, with an F-bomb. Club is one thing but for HS around here that's no bueno. Extension of the classroom, and all that. @Barciur how would you handle in eastern PA? Maybe I'm just being cranky and priggish after the grind of HS all week for two months.
In Ohio, an F-bomb said loud enough for others nearby to hear is supposed to be a straight red every time. I know this now, because I was scolded by a senior ref when I once told them that I gave a yellow to a kid who yelled an F bomb (towards himself) when he sailed a shot over the crossbar.
Sucks cuz in football or basketball for example that would be a regular flag or technical foul, not an ejection.
NFHS makes a difference between incidental foul language and offinabus. The example you gave is, IMHO, incidental foul language, which may also be considered dissent, but that referee gave a red for offinabus. The problem is have seen several times this year is that referees do not consider exaqmples like this as anything other than a red.
Girls NFHS match yesterday...woman Coach goes beserk over a throw-in awarded at midfield. She starts screaming and I went over to try and calm her down and she continued to loudly dissent and was essentially hysterical. So I ask her to relax for a moment while I attempted to explain the decision to her and she says...you as a Male can never ask a Woman to relax as it is triggering. I've been a referee since 1984 and you see/hear something new every game...lol