A&H

Junior/Youth What do they teach?

Phonesurgeon

Phonesurgeon

Cook, Cleaner and Bottle Washer
Level 7 Referee
Had one of those games this morning, where I am left baffled, as to what the devil coaches teach the kids these days?
Ok so... blue vs red, U11 7v7 match, 30 minutes match(2x15). First half ended 3-1 for blue team, with #8 red now constantly on my radar, shoulder barges, mistimed kicks, and push and shove. He tries to come across like the next Ronaldo with a load of tricks, and blue defenders duly dispossed him.
KMI: 10th minute of 2nd half (score 4-2 blue), blue attacker slips on ball in PA, and while trying to pass it to next attacker catches 8 red who duly clears for a corner.
He comes to me, saying: are you blind? he kicked me, use your brain. and he goes to take his position. Blow whistle, a telling off was coming, he ignored me. grab my sonik blast from pocket, whistle on full lungs, calling 8red, audible from next postcode, still ignores me. instead he walks to coach, saying to me im off do what you want. by this time, i am not best pleased, so i call him to me again, and coach saying go and talk to ref.
Coming back on the pitch, i call him once more(7th time) he tells me to go away. had enough, grab my book(coach now shouting to put book away... as if...) call him once more and as he looks at me, produced a red card. never finished to write his name down, his dad is in my face, on pitch. a stern away of the pitch on top of my voice, dispatches him back, turn my attention to coach(saying i was a disgrace between other thing) dispatch him to car park as well.
in all this 8red is still on pitch, to which i firmly remind him he has been sent off. he turns on the waterwork. dad again on the pitch, i said to him escort him to changing rooms please.
both on sidelines, and dad spewing abuse... my patience gone by now i called the game off.
i informed red manager that misconduct report will be sent in, as well as the red card.

Im not surprised grass root football is in decline... absolutely miffed off at all of this.
Sorry for long post, i just needed to vent...

EDIT: i had in the afternoon, red team OA, local saturday league, and even their manager encouraged me to send the report in, as the junior division is getting out of hands, according to him.
 
The Referee Store
first remark implying i was blind, second remark to go away, as well as not acknowleding the fact that i wanted to alk to him.... i had to call him 7 times, and still never got to talk to him.
 
Ok....can totally understand the abandonment....you're not there to put up with that level of abuse.

I think you could make S6 fit this scenario, but given the age group, I might have been tempted to persevere a little longer with the caution attempt.

Considering the age I would have thought about going over to the coach, explaining that unless the player met me and spoke with me, I would have little option but to consider dismissing him, either as a 3 card trick, or S6.....then approach the player with the coach and try to explain the situation. If he still persisted in his behaviour then do what needs to be done.
 
I'm really not sure what to make of this!

you say the red 8 is caught by the attacker, so was it a foul?

After this the player was obviously in the wrong but was what he said/did deserving of a straight red? Two yellows might have been more appropriate for dissent and delaying the restart?

Did you give any warning that you'd abandon if the dad didn't leave the pitch?

Just curious with all my questions!
 
No it wasn't a foul, as 8red cleared the ball for a corner. There were very little contact with the attacker on floor. Straight red maybe debatable, I just didn't appreciate his attitude and the fact that he implied I was blind. I have given him numerous warning during the first half.
No warning about abandonment, just the dad coming to pitch twice an try to square off. Called the managers and just gone ahead.
Perhaps I be been a tad hasty with that.

EDIT: now the hard task of what to report to CFA...
 
I'm perfectly happy with a double caution, straight red is stretching it a bit.
In fact my notebook would have been out after the first comment.
I'm amazed an 11 year old would speak that way to an adult. Top parents!!

Just report an S7 to county.
I highly recommend you post the abandonment report on here (or perhaps PM one of the senior posters) as it strikes as one that has potential to be appealed if it's not solid.
 
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Abandonment is being worked on at minute. Misconducts?
Player not leaving the fop and even then only as far as touchline, his dad coming twice on fop, as well as the spiel... Manager shouting I am a disgrace and I should not referee anymore....
 
He has to put it down as s6 your county might down grade it to an automatic second caution red but apart from that well done on a silly boy who thought he could get away with it
 
Just bear in mind that abandonment is normally used when you feel your safety, or the safety of other participants, is at continued risk.
 
Kids imitate their parents in a situation like this, no surprise the father was the same breed.

Sounds like you handled it as well as you could.

Surely everybody involved; CFA, League, officials, club, manager, players and speccys should be deeply ashamed that an U11 game should be abandoned due to poor behaviour.
 
What it was is couple seasons back I did the exact same thing one for kicking ball away then same player said to me well it's not my fault I don't know the laws of the game so instead of doing him on a second caution red I did him on a straight red it got downgraded to 2 yellows red
 
Phonesurgeon said:
No it wasn't a foul, as 8red cleared the ball for a corner. There were very little contact with the attacker on floor. Straight red maybe debatable, I just didn't appreciate his attitude and the fact that he implied I was blind. I have given him numerous warning during the first half.
No warning about abandonment, just the dad coming to pitch twice an try to square off. Called the managers and just gone ahead.
Perhaps I be been a tad hasty with that.

EDIT: now the hard task of what to report to CFA...
Click to expand...

OFFINABUS, offensive insulting or abusive language/gestures. That does not fit 'attitude'. Kids tend to show a bit of attitude, if you're refereeing kids then you need to be able to handle that appropriately. Disrespectful attitude is at most dissent. Calling you blind? For me you could just about make that stretch to OFFINABUS but I think for me, and for most referees that is also dissent.

Don't go chasing players with your cards. Stand your ground and if he's insistent on running away from you to his coach, just stop your watch and wait. Eventually the coach will send him to you. Issue the caution and crack back on with it.

I apologise if this sounds harsh, but from the original post it really does sound to me like it could have been better managed and one caution issued for dissent. It also sounds to me like you got quite irritated at the idea of a young kid speaking to you like that and issue the red.

Obviously I'm going of my interpretation of what you have written in the OP, it may have been different in your shoes. Obviously the way the parent acted is not acceptable and that is the hand you were dealt. The situation with the parent obviously needs to be reported to CFA. If you've issued a red card for OFFINABUS then you need to report that to CFA and let them handle the details. If somebody of authority happened to be watching your match and noted you issued a straight red but reported two cautions then you could be in trouble.
 
Firstly, I'm a little baffled that this U11 game is 7v7?? Normally that age group is 9v9 with offside. Secondly, U11's is 30 minutes each half not in total. The point I'm trying to make is that the team sizes and match time describes a U8 game.
Are you sure you've got the correct age group? Only reason why I ask is that no matter how this player behaved, the ideal way to deal with him is through his coach.

In advance guys this is advice not a criticism. Most my games are junior footy and it's like Arnie trying to deal with the little blighters in Kindergarten Cop.
 
I am 190% sure it was an U11 game 7v7, and 2x15 minutes halfs.
It should have been 9v9 but many clubs whinged at the league AGM that they have too many kids...so this season is a transition for the bigger clubs.
His coach was... Let's just say soft in front of this kid dad, but after game suddenly found his voice.
 
Phonesurgeon said:
I am 190% sure it was an U11 game 7v7, and 2x15 minutes halfs.
It should have been 9v9 but many clubs whinged at the league AGM that they have too many kids...so this season is a transition for the bigger clubs.
His coach was... Let's just say soft in front of this kid dad, but after game suddenly found his voice.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure it's down to the FA not the leagues what age groups play what. A few years ago the FA introduced an initiative that reduced U11's from 11 v 11 to 9 v 9.
 
That maybe, but in this case, this current season should have been 9v9, but the bigger club whinged at the league that they have too many kids, so they left it at 7v7, as a result of that few team have folded, because not enough players.
 
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