A&H

Junior/Youth Robbed

DB

Referee, Observer, Mentor, Player
Level 5 Referee
I was at a youth cup final day not long ago...I had turned up during the second half of a game to get ready for my own that afternoon. I knew the team officiating. I stood behind the barriers and waited for play to be up the other side of the field before asking "Wilfed" the score and time. "It's 1-0 to reds mate, 20 played. They scored in the first few minutes". 20 played, I'm ready to go so I stay and wait for the pitch to become free for my final.

So, I'm watching the game and I'm thinking to myself how dominant the reds are and questioning how it's just the one goal that's been scored. The referee is very experienced and has been reffing since before I was born, level 5. He's a mentor, assessor, tutor etc etc... He does everything down here.

Anyway, I'm watching on, admiring the football that the Reds are playing. I look at my watch and think "crikey, there can't be long left. Hold on here lads". They were always going to hold on. They were dominating.

A few more minutes had passed. I see the referee discreetly signal 2 to the assistant.. A few minutes pass... Nothing... A few more minutes... Nothing... "Wilfred, how long's that mate?" "42 pal".... The bench are shouting, the crowd (approx 80-100) are shouting, they know this game should be finished. Wilfed gives me that look as if to say "I have no idea why he hasnt blown)

As he replies, final touch of the game... Mauve team scores!!!! Queue the uproar!

Anyway, cutting the story short... Mauve team go on to win the penalty shoot out; that's not before the referee makes a howler... He blows for full time.. Only 8 penalties taken... Reds go off celebrating (mauve missed).... I look towards Wilfred (I'm stood wayyyyy behind the goal, gathering any loose balls), I show him 8 fingers with a puzzled look. He attempts to alert the ref but the Mauve manager has done so already... Celebrations are halted by the whistle and the players return to the centre circle. Shootout resumes, red misses and mauve win the cup.

It was really hard for me not to say anything to this referee, Wilfred is a good friend of mine "DB, I have no idea where he got 7 minutes from"... Neither do I!!! I really can't help but feel for the red team, they were robbed of a well deserved victory.
 
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What a mess with the penalties. As for the added time, you never really know what is on the refs watch to be added :) but it does very appear odd and of course sods law an equaliser is scored just before the final whistle. As you know the ref, did you get a chance to ask about the time?
 
No mate, it's not my place to ask him really. He got enough grief from the sidelines.

I just felt really bad for the reds, especially at that age.
 
i worked in an environment where we used to have to use hand signals, and 2 vertical fingers meant (other than the obvious !) the number TWO.
but turn that 90 degrees so that they are now 2 horizontal fingers and that was the number SEVEN. was there any possibility that the ref was using that system?
 
Also to add to the above, potentially held up 5 then 2 and went unnoticed or had 5 on the other hand that was obstructed or not seen
 
i worked in an environment where we used to have to use hand signals, and 2 vertical fingers meant (other than the obvious !) the number TWO.
but turn that 90 degrees so that they are now 2 horizontal fingers and that was the number SEVEN. was there any possibility that the ref was using that system?

Coincidently the same method used by PADI qualified divers.
 
Yeah, I get what you mean. I didn't see it, nor did Wilfred (as senior Asst). I just found it odd that there was that much added time for a game that didn't even warrant half of it. The ball was never out of play for more than a few seconds, there were no injuries, no talking-to etc. I just felt so sorry for the little lads, at that age a cup is a massive thing and you could tell that they were visibly upset :( poor chaps.
 
Forget all the conspiracy theories. If this was an experienced level 5 doing it all type of chap, then he probably does open age men's games where the usual length of a half is 45 minutes... plus 2 equals 47 and not the 42 everyone was expecting? He's a had a blip on his timekeeping. Admittedly a costly one for one of the teams, but understandable if his end of season has been as chaotic as everyone else's?
 
I once worked with a referee who signalled the additional time to his assistant or 4th official by touching his head (1 minute), nose (2), shoulder (3), hip (4), knee (5). We thought he was winding us up in the pre-match instructions so didn't bother to ask what he would have done if it needed more than 5 minutes. He was being deadly serious though ..!
 
I once worked with a referee who signalled the additional time to his assistant or 4th official by touching his head (1 minute), nose (2), shoulder (3), hip (4), knee (5). We thought he was winding us up in the pre-match instructions so didn't bother to ask what he would have done if it needed more than 5 minutes. He was being deadly serious though ..!

At levels without communication aids and/or electronic boards and a 4th official, I see little point in ref letting assistants know how much time is being added on. Everyone knows ARs can't be expected to know how much time is to be added on and not sure what I'm supposed to do with that information if I do know?

Might just be me , but I've done nearly 20 lines this season with levels 3, 4 and 5 refs and none have included timekeeping in their instructions.

Reading this thread has got me wondering if there has been an official change of instructions to Levels 5 & above,because in previous seasons about 50% of referees DID include "how long to go signals" in their pre match, but it seems to have gone out of fashion - at least in Middlesex!

Thoughts?
 
I disagree. It's always a good thing to keep the full team informed of what's happening. It's frustrating being on the line and not having the foggiest idea what's happening. You may not be able to do anything, but it's just keeping the team in the loop. And sometimes the players / bench do ask the AR how long left.
They're nothing major and I don't know that they're really being taught now, but as an AR it tells me that the referee is keeping up the idea of teamwork.
The AR also needs to be able to signal discretely to the referee if it looks like the referee has simply forgotten to stop time. A ref who doesn't use the signals himself would probably miss such a signal.
 
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I disagree. It's always a good thing to keep the full team informed of what's happening. It's frustrating being on the line and not having the foggiest idea what's happening. You may not be able to do anything, but it's just keeping the team in the loop. And sometimes the players / bench do ask the AR how long left.
They're nothing major and I don't know that they're really being taught now, but as an AR it tells me that the referee is keeping up the idea of teamwork.
The AR also needs to be able to signal discretely to the referee if it looks like the referee has simply forgotten to stop time. A ref who doesn't use the signals himself would probably miss such a signal.

All good points, this thread just prompted me to realise that not one ref has signalled time this season.
 
In games with handfuls of punters why not shout the time to be added on, during a lull in the last few minutes of normal time?
 
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