Kes
I'll Decide ...
20 mins in on Saturday and the away keeper has just pounced down onto a through ball and scooped it up in his arms. As I begin to back pedal towards the middle of the field, waiting for him to boot it downfield or bowl it out, I look to my left, slightly behind me and am astonished to see away No 6 stood topless with his shirt in his hands. At this point I'm unsure if he's simply removed it for some reason or if he's even been over to the sideline to get a clean shirt on or something, unnoticed by me. Anyway, it took a couple of seconds for me to take the situation in and formulate the correct action in my head. As my cogs are whirring round, his GK only goes and bowls the ball out to him, whereby he proceeds to control the ball, bare-chested, and with his shirt still in his hand, plays the ball inside to a team mate, amid howls of protest from the home team!! Quite comical really but it wasn't viewed with humour by anybody at the time. As he's busy now trying to separate the folds of his shirt (presumably to pull it over his head), I blow my whistle to stop play. I decide on a caution (USB/shows a lack of respect for the game) and restart the match with an IDFK.
Cue the moaning from his coach on the touchline: "How the hell is that a foul ref?" !!
I often wonder if these coaches actually do have any knowledge of the LOTG they are coaching people to play.
Cue the moaning from his coach on the touchline: "How the hell is that a foul ref?" !!
I often wonder if these coaches actually do have any knowledge of the LOTG they are coaching people to play.