A&H

Open Age Bittersweet Match - One Incident

MattyontheWhistle

MattyontheWhistle

RefChat Addict
So, I have no ARs, it's Blue vs Black, we're in the 87th minute, and black are leading 3-2.

Blue on the attack down the left channel, player has ball about 10yds outside pen area. I am about level with the ball, about 10 yds inside. Black defender coming in fast, as Blue plays the ball diagonally into box, black fouls him.

Instinctively, I move the whistle towards the mouth, but looking at direction of ball, Blue attacker has chance to get there ahead of two Black defenders.

"ADVANTAGE!!!!"

Blue scores!

3-3

Blue #12 still down, Black defenders start at me saying he attacker was off-side.

trying to manage the injury (he ends up being 'fireman lifted' off the field). Two defenders still arguing over the offside.
"Ref, you saw it I know you saw he was off, you were going to blow"
"I was going to blow for the foul, but played advantage. I didn't think he was off."
"He was five or six feet ahead of us and you know it. I don't cheat ref!"
"Neither do I fella, and the Laws tell me to give benefit of the doubt to the attacker"


He starts to remove his shirt, "B333cks, I don't wanna play this anymore!"
"OK, are you subbing yourself?"
"Whatever, you f###ing cheat!"

Not subbing himself then, out comes the red.

Real shame. It had been a superb game up till then, good relationships with the players, only one yellow earlier to a Blue.

At final whistle, more than one player from both sides shook my hand and said 'Thanks Ref, best we've had all season" and two Blacks apologised for their team mate.

Trouble is, I suspect the Blue attacker was offside.

So, while I played a 'good' advantage, I'm not sure the goal should have been allowed, and a player ended up getting sent off, a hefty fine and a lengthy ban.

Oh to be given decent ARs once in a while!
 
The Referee Store
Although you feel you made a mistake with the goal/offside you did not make a mistake with the sending off. Being called a cheat is beyond redemption no matter what the circumstances.
 
Nobody had an issue with the red card, although a couple of people who didn't hear him thought I'd sent him for taking off his shirt. "Ref, I thought it was a yellow for removing your shirt?" "It is, that's not what the card was for though".

It's just that I think I got the call wrong, which cost his team the win and two points, and it was my call that led to the red, with a hefty ban and fine for the player.
 
Whether the attacker was offside or not, you can't blame yourself for the behaviour of the player. We all make mistakes, even more so without AR's. That player is totally responsible for the red card, along with the subsequent ban he'll receive. He has every right to ask you why you didn't give it, but he crossed a line by calling you a cheat.
 
Hindsight is 20/20, but you might have just called the foul -- especially if you were going to send the guy off for his foul. In the case where you're issuing a card to a player, your standard for advantage should go almost to obvious goal scoring opportunity. But as others have said: the behavior of players cannot be helped sometimes.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like you played an excellent advantage which lead to a goal and you should be proud of it. It is difficult to be too critical when you have no ARs, especially when you have simultaneously been distracted by another incident (the foul). The player's behaviour is clearly unacceptable. It is important to distance yourself from the consequences of the decisions you have to make in a game. Your decisions have effects on teams and players regardless of their correctness, which will always be called into question by contrasting opinions, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Chin up and be strong and confident in your next game.
 
Matty, as the others have said you were absolutely right with regard to the OFFINABUS. Whether you got it right or not, no one forced the player to react and speak in the way that he did. You said that you suspected that the attacker was offside. But you cannot be sure. What if you decided to call it back for the foul and had in fact got it wrong and the player wasn't actually offside? Would you not have cost them the opportunity of scoring? Decisions made by the ref are judgement calls (excepting the application of the laws) and when you make a call based on your judgement one side or the other will be disadvantaged by that call. I certainly wouldn't beat myself up over it. I remember someone previously saying about blowing the final whistle when a team is in the other half with a promising attack on. Would it be fair on the attackers to blow the whistle when they have a chance of scoring. Many would say it wouldn't. But, equally, would it be fair on the defence if you allow this attack to continue beyond the end of full-time? You can only call what you can call and the players just have to accept it. The team that lost, lost because they just didn't score enough goals. Their goalie had enough opportunity to save them, they just didn't. Its not your fault that the goalie isn't good enough!
 
Ryan Owens said:
Hindsight is 20/20, but you might have just called the foul -- especially if you were going to send the guy off for his foul. In the case where you're issuing a card to a player, your standard for advantage should go almost to obvious goal scoring opportunity. But as others have said: the behavior of players cannot be helped sometimes.
Click to expand...

Hindsight is the seed from which experience grows - not sure who said that, but it has rung true for me on many occasions.

Ryan, the foul tackle was a reckless one and I had every intention of cautioning the player after advantage had gone, and yes, for the attacker, it would have been easier to score than miss so I don't have any issues with my advantage, nor the red card, it is just whether the scorer was offside or not.
 
Mick. said:
The team that lost, lost because they just didn't score enough goals. Their goalie had enough opportunity to save them, they just didn't. Its not your fault that the goalie isn't good enough!
Click to expand...

That is a fantastic post Mick, thank you!

Going from a bad call from a referee to the keeper wasn't good enough in an incredibly logical way - loving it.
 
Matty, when you are on your own and doing the offsides on your own it is very hard ton get every decision correct. I pride myself on trying to be in the best position to do so but you can't always be there. Go with instincts
 
Never easy without any AR's, so you have to do the best you can. As has been said above, not your fault that the player decides to do that and earn himself a red.
 
Like your post said, you thought he was onside and now there has been an incident, which was not your fault and the player deserves all he gets, your mind is possibly playing tricks on you.

Like all refs, we dont want to make a call which results in cards and sending offs - it is possible your now replaying the event in your head wrongly. It is entirely possible to "rewrite" memories by ruminating on them and subconsciously and subtlety changing them to fit our mind state. If that mind state is doubt or guilt, its possible to bend the memory to fit. I use this sort of thinking skill regularly in work but in a more positive way. It's far easier to turn a memory negatively than positively!

end of the day, you will never really know. Regardless, there was no need for the players reaction and he will hopefully learn how to behave before he gets back on the FOP.
 
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