Question Number: 18844

Law 5 - The Referee 4/22/2008

RE: Rec Under 11

pete spitter of campbell, CA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 18818

Thanks for getting back to me Chuck. I appreciate your concise and clear response. I'll keep my thoughts to myself in the future. Please understand that one not need 'rant and rave' to indicate to a ref that he's not doing his job properly. However, if the rules don't allow it... I now understand that there are two people on this earth that enjoy the status of infallibility: The Pope and The Ref.

Here's one of my favorite quotes: Question authority.

All the best,
Pete

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Question authority all you want Pete just don't challenge authority in front of your U-11 players lest you teach them authority means nothing.

There are no rules in this Game Pete, only Laws -- obey them while on the field. If you don't agree with them when you have fifty or so years experience with The Game, and you're really good at what you do, someone will notice and ask for your opinion. Then and only then can you question the Laws and you'll do so in private.

Another little difficulty I have with coaches explaining how referees aren't doing their jobs properly is coaches are biased and their opinions are based on myth and misunderstandings. For example come coaches do not know the referee is there to enforce the Laws of the Game, they think he enforces the rules...

This really is the Beautiful Game, treat it as such Pete.

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Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Referees are not infallible. We do make mistakes. Far less than players do, but we do make them. Most of us are more than happy to discuss things with coaches if approached in a respectful manner at the half or after or before a game. That said, why do you think it's your job to decide whether or not a referee is doing a good job? Referees don't criticize obvious stupid decisions by players or coaches yet you guys seem to think it just fine to criticize every thing we call against you. As Ref Fleischer rightly states, coaches are biased. As are players and parents. Soccer does not tolerate what goes on in baseball, basketball, and football and it's a better sport for it.

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Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

There are ways to "question authority" - some are productive and some are not. On the field, the referee is the final arbiter of the application of the Laws to the game. If you have studied the Laws, and have sufficient experience to know when a referee has made an error in application of the Law, not in judgment, then you can complain to the referee's assignor, to the state youth referee administrator, to your district director of referees. The difference between application and opinion is huge. If a referee awards a penalty kick for the goalkeeper handling the ball inside the keeper's own penalty area, we have an error in application, and it is protestable. If, in the referee's opinion, the keeper handled the ball outside the penalty area, then that is now an incontrovertible fact, and not protestable (to the proper authorities). As my colleagues note, complaining about a referee's decisions during a game is just plain counterproductive. If I told you the decision to put player X in the goal was wrong-headed, what is your reaction? To change player X? To change anything you are doing? Normally, your reaction would be to leave Player X right where he is, human nature being what it is. So, why do you think the referee should pay any attention to whether you think he is doing his job properly? What will the other coach think if the referee listens to you and changes how he is calling the game? Would you like it if the other coach appeared to be getting favored treatment? These are some of the reasons why the Law gives referees the power of enforcement against coaches or other personnel in the technical area who are not behaving responsibly. There aren't any referees who head out onto the field trying to do a bad job - most are doing their best, and coaches, fans and others who yell, scream and fuss are NOT helping in any way, shape, form or fashion. And, I'll wager, the referee knows far more about the game than you do - and if you do know more than he does, you would know to keep your mouth shut.

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Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Question authority? Certainly. I question the coach's authority: "On what basis does the coach decide a referee is not doing his job properly?"

Referees will make mistakes. Players and coaches will make mistakes. Just as there are more team mistakes at U11 due to inexperience, you also will likely get more referee mistakes at U11 where the crews have less experience. If you haven't figured it out by now, I'll let you in on a rude awakening - the U11 game just isn't going to get a FIFA or National Referee.

The point of Law 3 Decision 2 is not to say that the referee is incapable of making an error. Rather it is to define behavior limits for the team officials. If the referee makes a mistake, the coach should not make a mistake of his own by behaving in an irresponsible manner.

Mistakes can be addressed in a calm manner at the appropriate time - halftime or after the game - provided there has not been an adversarial relationship generated between the coach and referee. If the mistake made by the referee was contrary to Law (as opposed to a difference in judgement) the game can be protested. If you feel the referee is not performing properly, you can report that through the proper channels (website feedback form, assignor, league president, etc.) so the referee can be monitored or get additional training.

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Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Pete,
Questions are a good thing if we write them down and ask the right someone in authority. Michael Moores of the world fail to address the fallout of how questions are raised in as much as the issues require explanation! We often reiterate that a referee is a match condition just like the weather or the pitch surface, sunny or rainy, hard or soft, you adapt, you play.

It is my humble opinion that coaches could refrain from confronting a referee at the field during a match in front of their players. Otherwise more questions regarding dissent and behaviour will arise. Place and time, during a match there is little of either.

A referee can communicate with the players to educate the young in any number of ways. I always tell the captains if they have a reason to ask me something they can approach me IF time and circumstances permit I will try to educate enlighten and resolve with clarity at my discretion based on the reasonableness of the circumstances.

My point while it does not have to be an either or thing the two participants the coach and referee must understand the roles and responsibilities otherwise conflict will arise and despite who might be correct all players lose!

Exchanges between a coach and referee are not usually in the player's interest. Young players emulate those they love or are authorities in their lives. A coach/parent who questions out loud for all to hear the referee's competence or decisions makes for greater tragedy than an inexperienced or experienced referee not having a great day in the opinion of those watching. So we have players who will lose respect for the referee and create more problems or lose their coach to the parking lot and miss the tactical advice he should be giving?

Perception has a version of the truth as measured by the observer based of what the thinks he knows, what he actually knows and what he thinks he saw. To reflect the correct attitude of we can agree to disagree we need to remember that a spectator sees what they think they see, a player sees what he feels. a coach sees what he wants and a referee with integrity sees what he sees. Could he see it incorrectly? Yes it happens and when it does it is fodder for much debate.

Yet I remind you of a friend and fellow referee Esse Baharmast of the United States called a foul on Junior Baiano of Brazil that set up the winning penalty kick in Norway's 2-1 victory.

Initial replays showed contact but no clear foul. ONLY the photos taken from the Norwegian television network NRK shows Baiano CLEARLY grabbing the collar of the jersey of the Norwegian player Flo, in the penalty area and hauling him down ward to te ground as he tried to rise to head crossed ball off a free kick.

Baharmast, the only U.S. referee at the World Cup, was unfairly and severely criticized for awarding the penalty kick to Norway in the 89th minute of a deadlocked game against Brazil on June 23/98 Kjetil Rekdal scored and Norway won 2-1, advancing to the second round and knocking out Morocco.
Television replays initially failed to show the foul, and the media response was brutal.
The 1 billion, pundits, fans ,even many of his peers, newspapers, television -- all of the media -- just went crazy, passing quick judgment even death threats and FIFA themselves talked about sending him home.
In Morocco, there was a headline, "Norway saved by referee." USA Today published a column that asked: "How about sparing us from all inept referees?" The International Herald-Tribune and the London Times suggested an American didn't have the experience for an important game. The French news papers called it the 'Imaginary penalty"' and part of “Conspiracy against the African Nations”, as all African teams never made it out of the first round!
All this BASED on ONE single CALL missed by a billion fans, not caught by one of 16 active cameras filming the match for the world broadcast, ONLY the referee who saw the foul, the player who did the foul and the player who was fouled were in that moment the only three people who KNEW without a doubt the call was spot on 100% correct!
Only when Norwegian television turned up a different angle the next day was Baharmast not ONLY absolved. FIFA rallied as the fair weather political friends they are, while many news outlets acknowledged their mistaken criticism.
"One French paper went on to say said the referee deserves the highest matches because he sees something that 16 cameras can't pick up," while the “The Iran Times from Washington had a headline reading, 'Once toast, now toast of the town."'
His experience gave me my favourite quote. "A referee with integrity sees what he sees!"
Cheers




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