Question Number: 15495

Character, Attitude and Control 5/16/2007

RE: Professional

Jon of London, UK asks...

This question is a follow up to question 15482

Our club linos wear normal clothes too, they are just parents. I think it is a cultural thing as most football fans understand the offside rule and know what that job is. When i was younger and refing at that level my pre match was, " Call the ball in and out of play as you see it. Signal the way you think the throw should be and if it goes over the goal line signal a corner or goal kick as you see it. As for offside, again signal as you see it, if i see something differently or want to see where the advantage falls i will raise my hand and shout thank you, at that point please lower your flag and re align yourself with the second to last defender. Please do NOT flag for something you see as a foul. I can not tolorate a waving flag. Please don't take it personally if I over rule anything, remember its my neck on the line not yours. Do your best and have a good game". They tend to walk away from that thinking they have a lot of responsiblity and u sound like a nice guy who knows what they are doing.

I had to change countless club assisstants when i was growing up and learning. One threw his flag at me when i asked for it back after he had flagged a foul for about the 5th time. Eventhough he knew he was in the wrong, he was reported. Im sorry but i couldn;t have been more explicit to his roles at the start. I actually replaced him with my Dad who has never taken a course and being a semi pro footballer at 16 before breaking his leg at 19 and having to give up, new the rules as a footballer....however, thats all u need from a club lino. as long as they are honest there is nothing else i could have asked for.

I did have one interesting incident that I wouldn't neccassarily recommend following but it was the right call at the time. I had booked a player in about the 65th minute for dissent, this player had been chatting all game and i'd got to the end of the line with him!! blew a free kick in about 75th minute and turned to answer a question of how long left from another player. When i turned back the ball was nowhere to be seen and my club lino looked at me, i looked at him, and he raised his flag. Yes something i had told him not to do but it was obvious to him that i needed to know something. I wandered across with a smile, stood by his side looking onto the pitch and said with my hand over my mouth "Where's me ball gone then?!!" "Number 8 booted it into the trees when u were talking to the other player"
"Hmmmm" was my response. Number 8 was a player for the team that this assisstant was representing. I said to him, "You understand that technically i can't do anything as you have reported it to me and you aren't neutral" He knew this, "However, I am going to act on this so long as you are prepared to write up a report at the end of the game for me with your details on so i can send it to the County FA with my report. He agreed, second yellow was issued followed by my trusty red!! What im saying is, we don't always have to go exactly by the book to do what is right for the game. I had had this lino before and he was top notch. fair and a good fella. so i went with him. Refing has a lot to do with gut feelings and sometimes u really should listen to them.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Good comments here. The most important part of refereeing is player safety followed by maintaining the spirit of the game. Sometimes we need to listen to out gut feeling to do this, but we also must do what is right within the Laws of the Game. Breaking laws in not acceptable and we must stay within our powers and duties as referees. The best referees listen to their hearts and know what to do in special circumstances. Good luck!