All my difficulties so far this season seem to be deriving from contentious offside calls. I trust the CAR where I have not see anything contrary to his decision, but the current bugbear is players who demand that you 'make your own decision'. They don't appear to understand the concept of consensual decision-making with the referee as the ultimate arbiter. Unfortunately there is a culture of dissent concerning this law in particular. I had to reprimand a 13-year-old--as sternly as I could without producing a card--for petulantly shouting 'go away' at the CAR.
In that match, late on, I whistled after seeing the flag go up, and this corresponded with where I was as well. A parent then complained that a defender had touched the ball, but if there was any contact it was trifling, so it did not reset offside as a deliberate play.
In the second match, however, there was a trickier call, which in retrospect I might have got wrong.
A ball was played over the top, and a busy striker came back from a visibly offside position without touching the ball (thus not interfering with play). The nearside CAR's flag went up for offside, a split second after which a defender made a mess of a header, and the said striker instep volleyed it into the net from 20 yards out, lobbing the keeper. I then blew, much to the consternation of the home side, because I was of the opinion that the striker had interfered with the opponent. The defender would not have headed the ball backwards if the striker hadn't been present. I consulted the CAR, and we agreed on interference with opponent, so IFK was awarded and the goal disallowed. The striker didn't challenge for the ball per se, but he did compromise the defender's vision by his proximity and may also have done a small jump, so I felt justified in giving it. For a couple of minutes that increased the intensity, and I had to have a public word with a couple of players from either side to stave off cautions. To be honest, it was a bit of a 50/50 call, but that's football. I will go back to revise the nuances of the offside law and perhaps try to improve my positioning.
Apart from that, I wasn't dissatisfied with my performance. The ball unfortunately hit me once--tired positioning after a long morning!
I made a goal-line call in the first half in favour of the away team (header from a corner), blowing and pointing as soon as I saw it creep over. The CAR and players ('honest keeper' wouldn't lie!) protested that not all of the ball had gone over the line, but I wasn't going to disbelieve my eyes with an instant call like that. Moreover, I was 90% in the perfect position to make such a decision, whereas the CAR arguably had his view blocked.
There were handshakes at full time (the away team, who lost 4-3 following a late goal, could feel aggrieved after dominating the second half entirely), and a few comments about the deliberate play/offside. We respectfully disagreed about the application, so at least it was civil.
In that match, late on, I whistled after seeing the flag go up, and this corresponded with where I was as well. A parent then complained that a defender had touched the ball, but if there was any contact it was trifling, so it did not reset offside as a deliberate play.
In the second match, however, there was a trickier call, which in retrospect I might have got wrong.
A ball was played over the top, and a busy striker came back from a visibly offside position without touching the ball (thus not interfering with play). The nearside CAR's flag went up for offside, a split second after which a defender made a mess of a header, and the said striker instep volleyed it into the net from 20 yards out, lobbing the keeper. I then blew, much to the consternation of the home side, because I was of the opinion that the striker had interfered with the opponent. The defender would not have headed the ball backwards if the striker hadn't been present. I consulted the CAR, and we agreed on interference with opponent, so IFK was awarded and the goal disallowed. The striker didn't challenge for the ball per se, but he did compromise the defender's vision by his proximity and may also have done a small jump, so I felt justified in giving it. For a couple of minutes that increased the intensity, and I had to have a public word with a couple of players from either side to stave off cautions. To be honest, it was a bit of a 50/50 call, but that's football. I will go back to revise the nuances of the offside law and perhaps try to improve my positioning.
Apart from that, I wasn't dissatisfied with my performance. The ball unfortunately hit me once--tired positioning after a long morning!
I made a goal-line call in the first half in favour of the away team (header from a corner), blowing and pointing as soon as I saw it creep over. The CAR and players ('honest keeper' wouldn't lie!) protested that not all of the ball had gone over the line, but I wasn't going to disbelieve my eyes with an instant call like that. Moreover, I was 90% in the perfect position to make such a decision, whereas the CAR arguably had his view blocked.
There were handshakes at full time (the away team, who lost 4-3 following a late goal, could feel aggrieved after dominating the second half entirely), and a few comments about the deliberate play/offside. We respectfully disagreed about the application, so at least it was civil.
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