Question Number: 23735

Other 8/3/2010

RE: Rec Under 13

Leah of Thornton, Ontario Canada asks...

Hi, I recently refereed a game where a player booed the other team at the end of the game. I talked to his coach about it. The coach told me this was not the first time it had happened. I was wondering was this the right way to handle it? Thanks.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Leah
It all depends on the manner of the booing. For a young player that has just got beaten it can be frustration perhaps about some incident that happened in the game. Many times the best way to deal with this is to ignore it. As he gets older he will see the folly of his behaviour and I certainly think that the coach has a responsibily here not to allow this to happen.
However if you feel that it has the ability to escalate into something more serious through the reaction of the opponents then I would certainly step in and either speak to the player or caution him for unsporting behaviour. Certainly nothing wrong with speaking to the coach about it.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

In a younger age game you are probably right to address the issue with the coach. I had a U10 game a while back where one of the players going through the handshake line at the end chanted, 'Piece of crap, piece of crap' - a pretty inflamatory remark at U10. I told the coach about it, but that I couldn't identify which player was saying it. He called the team over, chewed them out, and said something like that took all the joy out of winning. Thanks for backing me up, coach.

When puberty and hormones kick in, you would be better advised to be seen handling it directly. Else you may end up with a fight. You could vehemently express your extreme disappointment at the behavior, or decide that a caution for unsporting behavior is due. If the incident occurred on the field while you and the players were in the process of leaving, the card would be shown. If it happened after leaving the field as the players were retreating to changing rooms or the parking lot, no card would be shown but the incident would be reported the same as if a card were shown on the field.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

This youngster needs a talking to but probably not by you. I would concentrate on the coach and try to persuade him to talk with his player's parents. The soccer game is probably not the only place this child is misbehaving and his parents should be informed of his behavior but, again, not by you.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

If you're in the immediate vicinity then I'd probably step in and tell him to cut it out quick smart (and obviously if he continues decide if you want to have a harsher word with him, and potentially a caution for unsporting behaviour if he refuses to cut it out).

If you're a little more distant then there's probably no need for you to approach the player unless he's causing a problem - say, it's coming close to conflict, or he's shouting at them from some distance away and really drawing attention to himself (the manner in which it happens is an important factor - if we're talking about a quiet boo as he's walking off, or shouting it from some distance).

I tolerate far less unsporting behaviour from young players than I do from adults - there's simply no need for it at this age. Having said that, I'd say you handled it appropriately.