Question Number: 21480

Character, Attitude and Control 6/5/2009

RE: Select Under 15

Todd of Houston, TX USA asks...

This is about match control, so I'll try to describe game conditions well enough here.

I was recently a spectator at a group play State Cup match for U14 Boys. The match was fairly rough early on, with, in my opinion, plenty of near-cautionable fouls. Players and spectators were becoming fairly vocal about the calls or lack of calls, and, while not handing out cards, the referee was in regular communication with the players about their behavior.

The game was a little more out of hand than I would let a game get.

At one point, still early in the match, there were three or four cases where spectators near me were yelling for deliberate handling calls. Then, after one such instance, a player yells, loud enough for everyone on both side of the field to hear, 'Sir, are you watching for handballs?'

With what I've described, here, would you say this comment was grounds for a caution for dissent?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

It has been my experience that a referee who can ignore multiple near-cautionable offenses, choose to decide the offenses he is seeing are trifling or doubtful in spite of the opinion of the players in the game, will definitely hear any and every comment which can vaguely be termed dissent and deal with that alone.

Hmm. Needs more experience, it seems.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Depending on the referee this would be dealt with 1. Verbally 'of course I am. You worry about play.' 2. Being ignored, 3. A caution for dissent, or 4. A send off for insulting language. If this referee was truly letting play get out of control and ignoring obvious fouls or cautions, I would guess he would handle the player with number 3 or 4.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

It is always a disservice to the game for players to be thought rather dense as to their ignorance then for them to speak and remove all doubt.

Watching for handballs? Given there is no offence for such a thing it hardly seems worthwhile now does it? Perhaps if we ask him, 'What does grabbing your testicles have to do with the match anyway?'

No one referees effectively without a backbone and some thick skin. The three Ps of personal, persistent and public are the basis for considering to sanction DISSENT with a caution and show a yellow card.
A referee who permits it then must deal with the match conditions that follow. A referee who does not permit it must also deal with the match conditions he sets as well.
If the referee was communicating with the players then at what stage of control he was in this exchange of repartee will serve him to decide when to much is too much!
Cheers