A week ago I refereed probably the toughest game (refereeing-wise) I've ever had. Burroughs (the local high school) played Granite Hills. I wasn't scheduled to referee that day since Alan and I had refereed in Cal City the previous day. However, one of the scheduled referees couldn't make it so I filled in. That meant running the line for the JV game and doing the center for the varsity game. I remember Granite Hills from last year because their varsity coach is very vocal and seems to think all referees are out to stick it to him or something.
The JV game gave me hope for the evening since the JV coach was well-behaved and respectful throughout the game. It was Josh's first game refereeing a boys JV game and he did very well. Graham and I had only minor comments at half-time and post-game. Graham is a referee from England serving in the RAF and stationed at China Lake for a few years. He was a
Level 3 referee in England. He has great advice and tips for being an assistant and a center. I always enjoy refereeing with him and learn something useful every time.
So, based on the JV coach's attitude, I had high hopes that all of the Granite Hills coaching staff had calmed down since last season. Those hopes were dashed pretty quickly as one of the Burroughs players clattered into a Granite Hills player in the 3rd minute. He essentially did a late shoulder charge into the other player. It wasn't dangerous or malicious, just late. The Granite Hills players and their coach all began telling me the charge was a yellow card. To be fair, I could easily have shown a yellow and I did consider it. To me, the foul was clearly careless (and therefore, a foul), but not necessarily reckless (and therefore, requiring a yellow). For those gray areas, a good idea is for the referee to ask
"Does the player need the card?" and "Does the game need the card?" (see the section entitled "Using the “Big Picture” to Decide the Sanction") for what US Soccer says on this. Since it was the third minute of the game, I concluded the game didn't need the card and thought I could get through to the player with a word with him. So I gave the foul and had a word with the player. At half-time Graham agreed with my assessment that I could have given a card, but it wasn't necessary.
The next minutes of the match went well, but it started getting a little dicey. I called what I saw and, in the 15th minute, ended up giving a yellow card to the same Burroughs player involved in the play earlier. He again came in late and then tripped the Granite Hills player who had just passed the ball off to a teammate. The foul happened at mid-field in front of the Granite Hills bench and so their coach immediately began yelling that it was the same player from before and demanding a card. It was a reckless challenge and therefore worthy of a card, but most people don't understand the idea of a referee wanting to get the call correct instead of quickly. Ideally, you do both, but in that situation, I was reviewing the play in my mind and confirming the identity of the player. I informed the coach that I had indeed seen the foul and that I knew it was the same player. I then calmly called the player over and showed him the yellow card explaining the recklessness of the tackle and advising him to take more care in his challenges the rest of the game.
Aside:
Some fans and coaches seem to want referees to react with the same outrage and vigor that they do. They do not understand that the job of a referee is to ensure the safety of every player and that means controlling the game. When a referee reacts outwardly to a foul, that negative emotion gets transferred to the game. Conversely, If the referee can remain calm, it can help calm the game. Not always, but it *never* helps for a referee to get angry or yell or otherwise act angrily towards players or coaches. Physical presence and a strong whistle can show displeasure well enough.
The next 10-15 minutes went pretty well. In part because high school rules say that a player receiving a caution has to leave the game until the next substitution opportunity (a sub can come on for him at that time though so the team doesn't have to play short). The Burroughs coach left the cautioned player out for (I think) the rest of the half. Another reason the game calmed a bit is that I started calling pretty much every non-trifling foul I saw. I also pushed myself to get closer to play than normal which meant more running on my part. The game didn't flow as well, but it calmed down.
Until a series of three calls went against Granite Hills. They shouted for a penalty on a play which was clearly not a foul. There was a non-foul near Josh. The third incident was when I overruled Josh on a throw-in when I saw the ball ever-so-slightly deflect off a Granite Hills player and noted that from Josh's angle he couldn't have seen the deflection. So I gave the throw to Burroughs when Josh had signaled for a Granite Hills throw. All of these incidents happened on the far side of the field from the Granite Hills bench. That didn't stop their coach from thinking he had a better view from 50-70 yards away than I did from ~10 yards.
And he let everyone know he disagreed with the calls. He even went as far as saying to his players something like "You know where we are, just play" and implied that we were dishonest and favoring Burroughs. Graham, who was the assistant on Granite Hills' side was nearby and heard the comments as well. He had a word with the coach. The rest of the half went fairly well but it was tricky thanks to the coach's comments and their influence on his team.
At half-time, we reviewed the first half. Graham confirmed the yellow card and the non-penalty decision. He mentioned his word with the coach after the coach's comments. I told him I had heard the comments and appreciated his intervention. I had considered sending the coach off immediately since his comments were incredibly insulting (questioning the integrity of a referee is not something taken lightly) and somewhat abusive. I thought that I would be able to control the game better with him on the bench despite his conduct and Graham's words would be enough. I told Graham to let me know if the coach said anything similar in the second half and I would send the coach to the stands. I also told Josh and Graham that I wanted to start the second half off by calling it tight and then we could let up if the game allowed.
They both helped me a lot in that regard. Josh had a call or two and Graham had several being that his side saw much of the opening action. We all called every non-trifling foul we saw and the game was much better for it. The teams settled down after the opening minutes and we really didn't have much to call. I think it helped that the Granite Hills coach knew he was on thin ice so he was more restrained. Not that he was really all that restrained, but he was more restrained than he had been in the first half.
The game ended a 0-0 draw despite Granite Hills clearly being the better side. It was a fun game to referee, but it was also tough. Graham complimented me on my handling of the second half and that meant a lot to me (I think the first thing he said to me was "Brilliant mate"). He mentioned how much he enjoyed the second half. I thanked him and told him and Josh that I simultaneously love and hate those types of games. I love them because they are usually enjoyable and they force you to become a better referee. I hate them because they are mostly played on a knife's edge. Botch a big call or even a few minor calls or give a card when you don't have to or neglect to give a needed card and you lose control of the game.
It wasn't a MLS game or anything, but it felt good to have passed a tough test and become a better referee. Refereeing really is a team effort and I absolutely couldn't have done it without Graham and Josh doing their jobs so excellently.
