Question Number: 13529

Character, Attitude and Control 8/21/2006

RE: Comp Under 16

Sam of Louisville, KY USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 13515

Well I cant say Im surprised at the responses, Ive not met too many refs (especially boomer generation refs) who own up to their mistakes. But I didnt contact you guys here to start a flame war, but to honestly try to see your viewpoint and how you think.

The prevailing attitude displayed by most responding to my comments is 'Well the players cheated, the broke the rules, they should have been punished, etc'. Youre looking at the rules as if they are easily distinguished and theyre not. The key here is interpretation and thats where most refs screw up.

The other problem I have is that none of the respondents seemed to have any appreciation for what all these calls and cards do to the quality of the game itself, which I have great respect for. The ref isnt the star of the show - The players are. Thats who everyone is there to see and at the end of the day, football is about skill, passion, teamwork and enjoyment in reverse order.

Football rules arent 'cut and dried' right or wrong, black or white. There's alot of grey area. Was their contact or not? Did he embellish? A tug on the jersey, a handful of shorts or a physical tackle is part of the game. Players expect it and much of it is gamesmanship, not necessarily 'cheating'.

Determining whether there has been a foul or not is very tough and thats why I believe communication between the ref and players is so crucial to keeping a game in flow. Saying 'sorry guys, I didnt see it, etc - always was enough to make me think (as a player) 'well he's doing the best he can' and play on. By contrast, when a ref immediately cautions someone for dissent after he just blew a call and someone challenges him on it, he often looks like he's in over his head and players sense this and try to take advantage.

Diving has become the problem it is because for years football's 'hard men' (Nobby Stiles, Tommy Smyth, etc) would hammer skillful players (Think Eusebio, Pele, Bestie).. So it created a new generation of players who learned to embellish contact to discourage those kinds of tackles (Maradona, Baggio, Romario, etc) which have in turn inspired a newer, younger group of player-actors like Totti, Figo, C. Ronaldo, Robben, who dive like crazy. It is a problem. Now FIFA have seen it for the problem it is and have punished it harshly. But FIFA are not consistent. Last world cup, Italy is punished for a Totti dive and they lose, this WC they win on a dive (vs. Aus).
Players will always adapt and FIFA will always be a step behind the game.

Yet, still Italy beat Austrailia on weak penalty. Yes, Aus should have won in regulation, but still it took a penalty for them to lose. France beat Portugal on a soft penalty and both attackers in question embellished greatly and suffered minimal contact. Let me tell you, it sucks as a player to know youve got this striker locked down and then he falls over and gets a penalty in the 90th.

If Henry stayed on his feet in the box against Portugal maybe he doesnt get the foul. So he exaggerates the contact, falls and gets the foul. Did he cheat? - hard to say. Did he embellish? - For sure. Should the ref have given a penalty? For me, no way unless its an absolute mugging and if there is any doubt.. At the same time, if a defender is constantly whacking a skillful player, you allow advantage and come back to caution after the play. Its only going to happen once or twice or the defender's out. A verbal warning to the defender is key here and a word with the skillful player that you are watching will help diffuse situations.

I see many of you telling me that "I should go get my ref badge" and that Im misguided, another 'loose cannon', whatever. However, Id be willing to bet Ive taught more kids to love and play the game than most refs. So I feel like Im giving back to the game that was so good to me. My first coach was a former Penarol player from Uruguay and I feel that Im honoring him (by coaching kids) and his generosity in teaching me the beatiful game as a youth. True passion for the game is going out and juggling in the cold or hitting 200 shots before you go to class; mastering control of the ball and always trying to improve yourself.

USA - Italy my biggest gripe was Pope's second yellow. It wasnt much of a foul, there was limited contact and Larrionda made a hasty decision. It really was the call that ruined the game. Made it a handicap match.

Here's what's really funny: You guys blame the Dutch-Portuguese players for the type of game it was. When Khalid Bouhlarouz put his studs on C. Ronaldo's thigh and stayed on the pitch, it sent the game into a fervor. It was an awful tackle and the players knew they had to defend themselves, as it was clear Ivanov was not going to protect them. Ivanov should be proud, his contribution to the World Cup was something like 4 reds and 16 yellows, a great effort if youre getting paid by the call. (heh)


I value protection of the players highly. Ive got 7 state ODP players and I dont want them whacked. But getting into a slight verbal thing with an opponent of jostling an tugging a bit for position isnt 'breaking the rules' or deserving of a red card like some refs think. When you are under the kind of pressure kids U13-U19 are playing high level club soccer and youre in the heat of battle, a word from the ref carries much more weight than a card with no explanation and can easily be the difference between an ugly match and a great match.

What I really do not care for are the refs who dont want to talk to the coaches or players and explain any of their decisions but yet expect players and coaches to show them proper 'respect'. (but the rules say I dont have to show respect or explain anything!) Respect is earned and it goes both ways. But many refs dont worry about that or what effect it can have on the match. The point is, if theyd spend just a minute or two talking to the kids during the match, they would establish a repoire with the players and would likely not have to do much.

I have some very good friends who are refs and we have lots of these discussions. Its not personal. Just free flow of ideas. You can bet I take the game very seriously. And Im sure reffing is as much your passion as playing/coaching is mine.

Cheers and good luck on the pitch.

Sam

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Well Coach, when you contact a referee site and start off with comments like you did, what do you expect? You now exonerate coaches from any responsibility whatsoever when it comes to diving instead viewing it as an evolutionary process brought about by players. What nonsense! I know for a fact that coaches are teaching their kids how to dive as early as U10 and I find that abhorrent. I love your comment that boomer referees won't own up to their mistakes. Where that comes from I have no idea. There's not a member on this panel that wouldn't own up to a mistake he or she made and I find this to be so with the vast majority of referees. You seem to think it's referees that are harming the game when in reality it's foul play and those that teach and practice it. Yes, the game is about the players. No, they cannot play without referees and none of us want to be the center of attention. You complain that France got a soft penalty. Maybe they did but the Portugal team I saw should be banned from competition. If there was a team that better exemplified what's wrong with soccer than these guys, I've yet to see it. Some rules are easy to distinguish. Some are not as you say. These WC referees were given a mandate to punish cheating which they did. Sorry you don't see this and we'll just have to agree to disagree

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Sam, you say a lot and a lot of it is good. Thanks. For me, the reason we find The Game is where it is lies at the feet of referees who, for whatever reason, choose not to enforce the Laws of the Game.

Example. The throw-in, used to be if a player interfered with a throw it was a mandatory caution, referees didn't and now we have a cautionable offense of being nearer the thrower than two meters. Wait, isn't that the same as failing to respect the required distance at the taking of a corner kick or a free kick, a cautionable offense? Well, yes it is, but referees don't issue that caution either. So coaches will continue to train their players to stand on the ball at a free kick and delay things so the others can get ready!!? Where in the Laws does it say when you commit a foul, and are pulled up for it, you are afforded time to get players back behind the ball. Why not forgo the foul play and just defend???

Example. Holding, isn't that foul play? Pulling the jersey is holding and for the most referees do not adequately deal with this. So the powers that be have asked it be dealt with, read the International FA Board here. It is still a problem and will be until it is dealt with on each occasion down to the U-6 level. You train them to hold, they see it done in the professional leagues and they expect us to look the other way, most do.

Example. Substitutions. Hey Ref Sub, in he comes off the player goes. Done all the time in this country, referees think following Law 3 is too cumbersome. Now all coaches lambaste referees who do as Law 3 requires. When was the last time you required your substitutes, after the interval between the two halves of play, to stand at the halfway line and wait the referees permission to enter? It is so ignored that US Soccer has found it necessary to establish policy that starting the second period of play is tacit approval permission has been granted to enter. When was the only time you saw a referee give permission for substitutes to enter after the interval? And Sam, when was the last time you sent a substitute to the assistant referee and demanded he tell the AR he was a substitute for player #6. The Law states the referee is notified BEFORE the substitution is made, it does not say when the substitution is made.

I can go on and on but I'll just say this: until coaches give me a list of the Laws they want ignored I will continue doing my primary job, "enforces the Laws of the Game". I will do so using a quiet word, a stern look, a whistle, a whistle and a caution or a whistle and a sending-off. That, sir, is how I will teach referees as well. I will keep getting referee assignments in my area and in Europe, as well, because I am rather good at what I do. I am a boomer referee and this boomer resents your continual castigations regarding us. If you use those terms in a match it would be considered by me an insult and that, sir, is not conducting yourself responsibly.

Oh yeah, is your constant undermining of the referee's authority in writing indicative of how you conduct yourself in a match? If so, is that what you want to teach your players? I, for one, abhor that.

Now Sam that's what I think, take it or leave it. And thanks for your help in answering questions the panel has not, yet, had time to formulate answers to. I'm sure each and every one appreciates you saving their valuable time.

From time to time we do offer appointments to the panel for those individuals who demonstrate their knowledge and ability regarding Football in the questions they pose. Sometimes we accept referees who ask if they can be a panelist. Each panelist accepted must know the Laws of the Game COLD. He is permitted to offer opinions and when doing so must state it is an opinion, but only after answering under the Law. Sadly, starting from a position of disagreement with the world's referee program does not put you into a position of being considered.

I'm sure you are probably a valuable coach. We are valuable referees, referee instructors, referee assessors and are some of the ones who have great respect for what The Game was and can be, again. We try to influence referees by explaining the Laws as written and used during a match. We can do nothing else. When someone, such as yourself, writes in and seems diametrically opposed to all we stand for we take offense. That is why we said what we said. In the world of Football the word is "Fair Play" get on that bandwagon, join us in promoting and teaching "Fair Play" and we'll get along. Oppose that and find yourself on the other side of what we and, fancy that, the International FA Board desire...

Regards,