A&H

Lengthy delay

heedmatt

heedmatt

Active Member
Level 7 Referee
Blues v Greens this morning. Match starts well, competitive spirit but nothing dirty. 3 early goals make it 2-1 to blues.

With 13 mins played, free kick awarded to greens close to the edge of blues penalty area. Before it's taken, at the halfway line, green player goes down, obviously struggling to stand, nowhere near anyone. I sprint over, ask what's wrong and he says 'I think i'm having a stroke ref, I can't see', and he then has a fit for about a minute. Ambulance is called etc. After about 35 minutes, the ambulance departs with the green player and one of his team mates in the back.

So now I'm trying to gauge how to players are feeling, whether the match can continue. To be honest I was 50/50 as to whether to abandon or not. I called both skippers and managers over, asked them if they were happy to continue, they said they were and that their players were as well. I got all the players together and checked this, and they were happy to continue, although the spark and competitiveness had clearly gone from the game. Both teams agreed to and the match continued after restarting with the green FK but three quick goals to the blues made it a nothing affair, by half time the greens' heads had totally gone. Nothing nasty, they just didn't want to play anymore as they were now getting battered.

With 2 mins to go, green keeper handles the ball outside of his area (accidentally), stopping a shot that was clearly going in. Clear DOGSO to me, so I produce the red and send him on his way. Then, protests from the greens AND blues, saying that in the context of the game I didn't need to send him off, and that I had ruined the game. Almost had the green team walking off the pitch. After a few minutes, play finally restarts, the blue team knock it to the keeper and I blow up for full time. Then have both teams asking if I'm going to send the card in, I say yes, and it erupts again. Greens all protesting about how i've ruined the game, blue manager saying that I shouldn't send the card in, all in all it seemed a bit ridiculous to me as it was a clear red.

Anyway, I want to know what people's opinions are on restarting that match in the first place. I was 50/50 and in hindsight I probably wouldn't have restarted it with the length of the delay. Thoughts?
 
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Personally I have to say I'd have abandoned, purely due to the fact that with that kind of drama on the pitch to start with its natural that everybody's heads have gone, but it's a difficult call particularly if the players want to continue.

I'd like to hear from the players how a DOGSO with 2 minutes to go and already losing 5-1 'ruined the game' though.
 
Partially in agreement but a lot also depends on how long is left to go and also the level of match your officiating. I.e. A supply league match is more likely to continue in those circumstances than a Sunday league div 7 due to being a little more battle hardened
 
I would have played on,...... as you did...... but maybe in the context of the game I may well have applied the much talked about Law 18 for the keeper
 
Beezer, in hindsight perhaps a caution for the 'keeper would have sufficed despite it clearly being DOGSO. Perhaps my inexperience showing there. I'm chalking today down as a tough game for my 5th ever one!
 
Sometimes applying the laws to the letter ,though it is technically the correct thing to do can make you seem like an over officious Arsehole in the eyes of the players especially in a dead game in the last minute !! but on the flip side of this if you don't send him off what will happen when someone smashes a punch in an opponents face 30 seconds later ?

you just take every call as it comes some will work for you some wont

don't dwell on it mate ,move on to the next one

you learn something new every week in this job :D
 
Id have played on if the players wanted to because if they start the old 'should have abandoned it ref' then i have them in a corner as they would havee agreed, i have to say, i wouldnt have sent him off though, at 7-1 given the context and 'events' of the game, especially if it was *quote* 'accidental' then a talking to would have been in order IMO.
 
Aside from that it sounds like you handled the main drama really well though mate, well done.

That sort of thing is stressful enough on your average day anywhere, but when everybody looks to you as to what to do it must be 10 times worse.
 
Thanks @RegalRef, as it happens I have experienced nasty injuries needing an ambulance as a player and I've done the FA Emergency First Aid course recently as a player so I felt a bit prepared and vaguely knew what to do. Still, very frightening though.

Re: the sending off, I agree with everyone suggesting that it was a bit harsh. I think I just saw it and went 'OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, DOGSO **bang red card**'. Perhaps even a bit keen to get my first red card out of the way.

Oh well, live and learn!
 
You could well be keen to get the first one out of the way, let's face it the next one has now had the edge taken off it. That's natural mate.

I have to say I think the FA need to enforce some tight rules in terms of trained first aiders for each team on every match, clearly identified. Given a bad injury or medical Emergancy like you've had today there should be somebody with basic training to take over as a guarantee until the pros arrive.
 
On the subject of abandoning the game lads .....!

Since when did we ask the players if they want to continue ?

So long as the game can still be completed due to light we surely continue ?

Players get hurt every week !

We play on in my opinion
 
Players don't 'fit' for about a minute on the pitch every week tho, beezer

Good job you didn't get the spurs v bolton match a few seasons back
 
The point I was attempting to make ..is

If you start asking the players if they want to play on and one team is losing 3 0 your gonna get a mixed response !

The decision to Abandon should not be up for player debate .

Not knowing the entire situation of the above event the guy was hopefully stable after his fit , and off to Hospital if the players were happy to carry on ?

Linking it to the Spurs game ,though I see your point, is a bit extreme

as soon as the ambulance goes its got to be referees call to abandon not the players
 
Beezer said:
The point I was attempting to make ..is

If you start asking the players if they want to play on and one team is losing 3 0 your gonna get a mixed response !

The decision to Abandon should not be up for player debate .

Not knowing the entire situation of the above event the guy was hopefully stable after his fit , and off to Hospital if the players were happy to carry on ?

Linking it to the Spurs game ,though I see your point, is a bit extreme

as soon as the ambulance goes its got to be referees call to abandon not the players
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I agree. I had this about a month back. ambulance took an age, players were clearly not in the right mind. Decided to call the game off. No complaints. Never leave it down to the players, they will most likely want to continue.
 
I'd have probably gone for the caution for the handball - not due to the context of the game or how long was left but because I don't think that you can say a shot was clearly going to go in when it is handled outside the box. Although obviously I wasn't there, there's too many variables there for me that far out such as spin of the ball, flight of the ball, weather conditions, pitch conditions etc.. to say that it would definitely have gone in

On the re-starting the game - I'd take a few things into account including whether (if its a busy park pitch) its going to have a knock on effect on games due to be played there later in the day. I've had 2 injury delays in the time I've been reffing - the first was an U17's game where a keeper landed on his head about 20 mins in& was complaining of numbness & pins & needles in his legs. Ambulance took ages to arrive, some of his team mates were visibly upset and I consulted with both managers before calling the game off. The 2nd was an open age 6pm kick off & a player had a compound fracture of his leg with about 10 minutes to go. Called it off before the ambulance arrived as there was no way the light would have been sufficient to have safely finished the game.

I don't see any problem consulting the managers & players before making the decision although ultimately the decision would be ours
 
Bongsmon said:
I'd have probably gone for the caution for the handball - not due to the context of the game or how long was left but because I don't think that you can say a shot was clearly going to go in when it is handled outside the box. Although obviously I wasn't there, there's too many variables there for me that far out such as spin of the ball, flight of the ball, weather conditions, pitch conditions etc.. to say that it would definitely have gone in
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A good point. This one was as 'definitely' in as can be, if you draw a line from the centre of the goal through the penalty spot and to the centre circle you could have put myself and the 'keeper on it with the ball travelling almost parallel to it. Perfect view to judge really. Goalkeeper caught it slightly above head height as the ball was just reaching the top of it's flight path.

I've replayed this over in my head all week, can't seem to get away from it! Need another match to get back on the horse, so to speak, but sadly I'm away this weekend and don't have a fixture.
 
heedmatt said:
A good point. This one was as 'definitely' in as can be, if you draw a line from the centre of the goal through the penalty spot and to the centre circle you could have put myself and the 'keeper on it with the ball travelling almost parallel to it. Perfect view to judge really. Goalkeeper caught it slightly above head height as the ball was just reaching the top of it's flight path.

I've replayed this over in my head all week, can't seem to get away from it! Need another match to get back on the horse, so to speak, but sadly I'm away this weekend and don't have a fixture.
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Its difficult for me to really say anything having not been there just more a case that I think being 18-20 yards from the goal itself & in the context of the game you've described that you could have sold a caution and been correct in application of law - there are times when you think you really don't want to give a red but you don't have a choice. Being there, you saw this as one of them but from the way you describe it you may have had a get out clause that would have allowed you to have been correct in law & prevented the flashpoint you describe.
Don't take this as me saying that your decisions should be the ones that give you the least grief though!! ;)

And we've all played incidents over in our head from games over & over in our heads for days afterwards but just take whatever lessons you've learnt from mulling it over & speaking on here, then put it to the back of your mind, move on & look forward to the next game (no matter how far off it might be) rather than looking backwards to the last one
 
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