You are in the middle of a match when something happens, maybe out of the ordinary, and then you think, "Darn, I wish I had talked to the ARs about this."
So think back about one of those situations. What was it you should have covered, but didn't?
Reply to this post in a comment and I'll compile your answers into a comprehensive list.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Deliberate Kick to GK from teammate
CLARIFYING THE LAWS OF THE GAME FOR COACHES AND REFEREES
LAW 12 --- Laws of the Game
LAW 12 --- Laws of the Game
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, commits any of the following four offenses:
• touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate
I wanted to clarify the application of this part of Law 12 for everyone.........
The word here that is commonly misunderstood and mis-applied is deliberate.
Deliberate refers to the fact that the player kicking the ball ACTED (deliberately) kicked the ball, as opposed to the ball merely glancing off the player's leg caused by some other player's action.
Deliberate does NOT refer to whether the player who kicked the ball meant to or intended to kick the ball TO THE GOALKEEPER.
Consider these two scenarios:
1. RED attacking BLUE. RED kicks the ball toward BLUE's goal, but the ball glances off BLUE defender's foot, and goes to BLUE's goalkeeper. The goalkeeper picks up the ball within his own penalty area.
2. RED attacking BLUE. RED kicks the ball toward BLUE's goal. BLUE defender intercepts the ball but is confronted quickly by RED. BLUE turns with the ball, facing his own goal, and kicks the ball toward three teammates, two fullbacks and his own goalkeeper. The fullbacks let the ball pass them and it rolls to the goalkeeper, who picks it up in his own penalty area.
In scenario #1, there is NO offense by the goalkeeper as the defender did NOT deliberately kick the ball. The ball merely glanced off his foot, directed from another player's action.
In scenario #2, the referee should stop play with the whistle and award an IFK to the RED team at the point the goalkeeper picked up the ball with his hands in his own penalty area.
Explanation. There is no way the referee could read the intent of the kicker, whether he meant to kick the ball to the goalkeeper or another teammate, and the referee does not need to read such intent. The violation is on the part of the goalkeeper. Since the goalkeeper's teammate purposely, intentionally, deliberately KICKED the ball (struck it with his foot), then the prohibition is on the goalkeeper to refrain from handling the ball directly from this kick. The goalkeeper has the ability to play the ball in any manner at this point, other than using his hands.
Similarly, if the ball came from his teammate in any other way other than kicked (struck with the foot), the goalkeeper could handle the ball in his own penalty area without infringing the law, e.g. from the knee, head, thigh, chest, etc.
Here's an explanation from Advice to Referees
12.20 BALL KICKED TO THE GOALKEEPER
A goalkeeper infringes Law 12 if he or she touches the ball with the hands directly after it has been deliberately kicked to him or her by a teammate. The requirement that the ball be kicked means only that it has been played with the foot. The requirement that the ball be "kicked to" the goalkeeper means only that the play is to or toward a place where the ‘keeper can legally handle the ball. The requirement that the ball be "deliberately kicked" means that the play on the ball is deliberate and does not include situations in which the ball has been, in the opinion of the referee, accidentally deflected or misdirected.
One caveat, the player who sends the ball to the goalkeeper canNOT circumvent the Law by juggling the ball from his foot to some other part of his body and touch it to the goalkeeper. In doing so, the player passing the ball has committed misconduct for unsporting behavior, and play should be stopped to caution the player, regardless of whether the goalkeeper handles the ball. Again, the caution would go to the player passing the ball, not to the goalkeeper. The restart would be an IFK from the place where the passing player circumvented the law.
Here's the reference from Advice to Referees --- 12.28.1 12th bullet
• Engages in trickery to circumvent the goalkeeper's limitation on handling the ball played from a teammate's foot (the defender who initiates the "trickery" is cautioned, the decision does not require that the goalkeeper actually handles the ball, and the misconduct can occur during dynamic play or at a restart).I hope this explanation clarifies things for coaches, referees, and players
Self Assessments from Week 3
Here are some self-assessments and situations returned to me from your fellow referees. Some very good analyses and lessons learned. These summaries show how good all of you really are, especially when you work as a team. My comments follow in blue type.
Parents who coach. I was an AR on the RED sideline which had some vociferous parents. The CR asked the coach to talk to one particular parent who was consistently 'coaching' the players from the sidelines. When the coach asked the parent to quiet down, the parent in a low voice used some profanity and whined that 'it's absurd for the refs to expect the parents to not say anything from the sideline'. I was tempted to turn around and say something to this parent but resisted since I have been trained to work through the coach. Of course, this parent continued his 'coaching' from the sidelines.
Well handled by the referee team here. Let's put a couple things in perspective: First, you will never completely eliminate parents, or wannabe coaches, from coaching unaccountably from the comfort of their beach chairs. Second, referees need to pick our fights. The AR was right not to "add to" this situation after the Referee addressed it. Here's a guide to gauge "coaching by parents." Is it affecting the game? Are players frustrated by it? Is it interfering with the game? Is the parent apparently usurping the coach's position? Is the parent in the technical area or running up and down touchline in front of the spectator line? Are parent's remarks negative or demeaning? Is parent trying to coach whole team rather than just his own kid? If answer to these questions is NO, then probably better to let the "coaching" go. But if answer to any questions is YES, probably good idea to address the situation, first through the coach. Of course, the farther away those "parents coaching" are from the touchline, the less a problem they are, so all the more reason to enforce that 3 yard spectator line. Well done!
Managing substitution period. I had to ask the coach to not allow his players to come off the field during the water breaks but he did not seem able to enforce this with his players. It was a U12 game so I did not get too excited about it. Also, when I asked this coach about his subs in the last 'quarter' of the game, he sat out 3 of the girls who had already sat out in the first half of the game while he had players on the field who had not sat out at all. I reminded him that each girl is supposed to play 3/4 of the game, he said he would be better prepared for his next game.
The referee is correct here: it's nearly impossible to get the coaches to enforce this. It really should not happen at all though. In a perfect world, the players coming off should step off the field and their sub replacements should step on. Again, this is an example of picking your battles. Best thing to do is quickly count the players on the field immediately after the substitution is complete AND before play restarts. Requiring the subs to sit in the technical area can make your count quicker and more accurate when you already know the team as 3 subs and you see all three sitting down.
On the matter of the coach not playing his players all three quarters. You handled it properly, but make sure you make a note on back of the game card indicating he was informed but chose NOT to play them anyway. The coach needs to be talked to by the Coach Administrator. Those kids paid for a whole season, and they are guaranteed to play at least 3/4's' of it.
Ball in and out of play. WHITE had the ball and were dribbling up the touchline. RED player was trying to attack to take the ball away; WHITE maintained control very close to the touchline. The ball actually rolled on the touchline but never went outside the plane of the field; the RED coach and parents thought it had gone out of play and were yelling that it had, I just shook my head that it did not go out of play, the CR called out "play on" and the girls never stopped playing. Of course, the vociferous parents made their comments but I did not respond; it was the right call.
Another well handled situation by the referee team!!! You are the only neutral team out there. Expect teams and supporters to act in their own interest, just don't let them influence your decision. Common error by new referees is to anticipate the ball going out of player before it actually does. You and your ref team did a great job!!! Only use "play on" to acknowledge that you've seen a foul but you are giving advantage. In this situation, say, "keep playing girls" or "still in."
Player management. A rather large kid in a U10 Boys match seemed to be getting a bit too aggressive (kinda pushing) and to make sure no accidents would occur later in the game, I took the player aside and told him to watch the pushing. A bit later in the game, I saw the same player blatantly push another player with one of this hands, I instantly blew my whistle and awarded a direct kick for the other team. I warned the player once again and thankfully, there were no more fouls committed by that player for the rest of the match. I should have corrected the player by awarding the other team a kick when he first started pushing, then he would've most likely not fouled for the rest of the match. Main lesson of the summary: Correct a problem before it gets worst.
Wow, can you believe this summary came from one of our youth referees? Beautiful!!! Eamon, you underestimate yourself. I think you handled this exactly right. I'm so impressed with your level of refereeing. "Player management" is a part of refereeing that only comes with experience and a higher level of understanding. Your first word to the player, just a friendly, private word, let him know about your concern. Such early intervention is important. When he fouled again, you called the foul and spoke to him with a public word (taking him aside as everyone saw you speak to him). Clearly, that had an effect, too. And notice, all done withOUT a card. As referees, we can never prevent all fouls, but we do want to prevent misconduct, and we can, through early intervention like what Eamon used. A great example of how "Refereeing is Thinking."
You are all doing a great job. These summaries show that. Thanks for the self assessments. I look forward to sharing more with you. Keep them coming.
Parents who coach. I was an AR on the RED sideline which had some vociferous parents. The CR asked the coach to talk to one particular parent who was consistently 'coaching' the players from the sidelines. When the coach asked the parent to quiet down, the parent in a low voice used some profanity and whined that 'it's absurd for the refs to expect the parents to not say anything from the sideline'. I was tempted to turn around and say something to this parent but resisted since I have been trained to work through the coach. Of course, this parent continued his 'coaching' from the sidelines.
Well handled by the referee team here. Let's put a couple things in perspective: First, you will never completely eliminate parents, or wannabe coaches, from coaching unaccountably from the comfort of their beach chairs. Second, referees need to pick our fights. The AR was right not to "add to" this situation after the Referee addressed it. Here's a guide to gauge "coaching by parents." Is it affecting the game? Are players frustrated by it? Is it interfering with the game? Is the parent apparently usurping the coach's position? Is the parent in the technical area or running up and down touchline in front of the spectator line? Are parent's remarks negative or demeaning? Is parent trying to coach whole team rather than just his own kid? If answer to these questions is NO, then probably better to let the "coaching" go. But if answer to any questions is YES, probably good idea to address the situation, first through the coach. Of course, the farther away those "parents coaching" are from the touchline, the less a problem they are, so all the more reason to enforce that 3 yard spectator line. Well done!
Managing substitution period. I had to ask the coach to not allow his players to come off the field during the water breaks but he did not seem able to enforce this with his players. It was a U12 game so I did not get too excited about it. Also, when I asked this coach about his subs in the last 'quarter' of the game, he sat out 3 of the girls who had already sat out in the first half of the game while he had players on the field who had not sat out at all. I reminded him that each girl is supposed to play 3/4 of the game, he said he would be better prepared for his next game.
The referee is correct here: it's nearly impossible to get the coaches to enforce this. It really should not happen at all though. In a perfect world, the players coming off should step off the field and their sub replacements should step on. Again, this is an example of picking your battles. Best thing to do is quickly count the players on the field immediately after the substitution is complete AND before play restarts. Requiring the subs to sit in the technical area can make your count quicker and more accurate when you already know the team as 3 subs and you see all three sitting down.
On the matter of the coach not playing his players all three quarters. You handled it properly, but make sure you make a note on back of the game card indicating he was informed but chose NOT to play them anyway. The coach needs to be talked to by the Coach Administrator. Those kids paid for a whole season, and they are guaranteed to play at least 3/4's' of it.
Ball in and out of play. WHITE had the ball and were dribbling up the touchline. RED player was trying to attack to take the ball away; WHITE maintained control very close to the touchline. The ball actually rolled on the touchline but never went outside the plane of the field; the RED coach and parents thought it had gone out of play and were yelling that it had, I just shook my head that it did not go out of play, the CR called out "play on" and the girls never stopped playing. Of course, the vociferous parents made their comments but I did not respond; it was the right call.
Another well handled situation by the referee team!!! You are the only neutral team out there. Expect teams and supporters to act in their own interest, just don't let them influence your decision. Common error by new referees is to anticipate the ball going out of player before it actually does. You and your ref team did a great job!!! Only use "play on" to acknowledge that you've seen a foul but you are giving advantage. In this situation, say, "keep playing girls" or "still in."
Player management. A rather large kid in a U10 Boys match seemed to be getting a bit too aggressive (kinda pushing) and to make sure no accidents would occur later in the game, I took the player aside and told him to watch the pushing. A bit later in the game, I saw the same player blatantly push another player with one of this hands, I instantly blew my whistle and awarded a direct kick for the other team. I warned the player once again and thankfully, there were no more fouls committed by that player for the rest of the match. I should have corrected the player by awarding the other team a kick when he first started pushing, then he would've most likely not fouled for the rest of the match. Main lesson of the summary: Correct a problem before it gets worst.
Wow, can you believe this summary came from one of our youth referees? Beautiful!!! Eamon, you underestimate yourself. I think you handled this exactly right. I'm so impressed with your level of refereeing. "Player management" is a part of refereeing that only comes with experience and a higher level of understanding. Your first word to the player, just a friendly, private word, let him know about your concern. Such early intervention is important. When he fouled again, you called the foul and spoke to him with a public word (taking him aside as everyone saw you speak to him). Clearly, that had an effect, too. And notice, all done withOUT a card. As referees, we can never prevent all fouls, but we do want to prevent misconduct, and we can, through early intervention like what Eamon used. A great example of how "Refereeing is Thinking."
You are all doing a great job. These summaries show that. Thanks for the self assessments. I look forward to sharing more with you. Keep them coming.
Week 3 - September 27, 2008
Saw more great refereeing this week. Many of our new referees have used the last three weeks to hone their training and put it to good use. Many of our more senior referees have mentored these new referees to help them along . . . thank you.
You all have homework this week. Keep reading to the end…
THE TECHNICAL AREA AND SIDELINE BEHAVIOR
Consistent use of the technical area and spectator lines has been a positive influence on the games so far this season. Continue to establish “boundaries,” literally and figuratively, BEFORE each game starts by asking coaches to have spectators behind the MARKED spectator lines (3 yards off the touchlines). When such lines are marked before the game, spectators tend to set up behind the lines without any prompting. Also remind coaches to remain inside their MARKED technical area. Kimberly King and I recently sent out diagrams of the technical area and spectator lines.
Substitutes should also be sitting down in the technical area so if a player is injured and needs to be subbed out, the subs are right there to get it done. Remember too, when subs are sitting among the spectators it’s hard to know if they belong to your game or if they are athletes for another team, just in the same uniform. If you know a team has a squad of 14 players, you can get a quick assessment of how many are on the field by seeing the three substitutes in the technical area, 14 – 3 = 11. If you don’t see the three, then you should quickly count to make sure you don’t have more than 11 on the field.
CAUTIONING PLAYERS – Here are a few tips on how to know if you should caution a player.
Does the player need it? Does the game need it? A referee should ask herself these two questions anytime she contemplates the need to caution a player. If a friendly or public word, even a stern-talking-to will work just as well, then that’s what we should do, especially with youth matches.
What to caution for… There are 7, and only 7, caution-able offenses, and only two of them deal with fouling: Unsporting Behavior and Persistent Infringement. Let’s talk about those.
To caution for fouling that is unsporting, the foul should be considered by the Referee as reckless, which means it was more than just careless, and done to gain a tactical advantage or to intimidate the opponent.
Persistent infringement can be cautioned when the referee notices a pattern of fouling, whether by a single player against several opponents, or by several players against one opponent. Usually PI is cautioned when the pattern is seen in a short amount of time. The pattern of fouls do not have to be reckless and some might even be trifling or not called due to advantage. Few players below the age of 14 commit such fouls and cautions for UB and PI should be infrequent in U14 and below. Remember, Does the player need it; Does the game need it? If not, keep the card in your pocket and use your player-management skills.
HOMEWORK. I have an assignment for everyone:
I’d like you to summarize a situation you experienced as a referee or assistant referee this week and post it here. Your summary should be a short self assessment. Take a situation that you either handled well or one you maybe did not handle as well as you like, but you learned something from it.
Here’s an example of one.
PAUL VERNON
Dir. of Referee Instruction and Assessment
Region 112
You all have homework this week. Keep reading to the end…
THE TECHNICAL AREA AND SIDELINE BEHAVIOR
Consistent use of the technical area and spectator lines has been a positive influence on the games so far this season. Continue to establish “boundaries,” literally and figuratively, BEFORE each game starts by asking coaches to have spectators behind the MARKED spectator lines (3 yards off the touchlines). When such lines are marked before the game, spectators tend to set up behind the lines without any prompting. Also remind coaches to remain inside their MARKED technical area. Kimberly King and I recently sent out diagrams of the technical area and spectator lines.
Substitutes should also be sitting down in the technical area so if a player is injured and needs to be subbed out, the subs are right there to get it done. Remember too, when subs are sitting among the spectators it’s hard to know if they belong to your game or if they are athletes for another team, just in the same uniform. If you know a team has a squad of 14 players, you can get a quick assessment of how many are on the field by seeing the three substitutes in the technical area, 14 – 3 = 11. If you don’t see the three, then you should quickly count to make sure you don’t have more than 11 on the field.
CAUTIONING PLAYERS – Here are a few tips on how to know if you should caution a player.
Does the player need it? Does the game need it? A referee should ask herself these two questions anytime she contemplates the need to caution a player. If a friendly or public word, even a stern-talking-to will work just as well, then that’s what we should do, especially with youth matches.
What to caution for… There are 7, and only 7, caution-able offenses, and only two of them deal with fouling: Unsporting Behavior and Persistent Infringement. Let’s talk about those.
To caution for fouling that is unsporting, the foul should be considered by the Referee as reckless, which means it was more than just careless, and done to gain a tactical advantage or to intimidate the opponent.
Persistent infringement can be cautioned when the referee notices a pattern of fouling, whether by a single player against several opponents, or by several players against one opponent. Usually PI is cautioned when the pattern is seen in a short amount of time. The pattern of fouls do not have to be reckless and some might even be trifling or not called due to advantage. Few players below the age of 14 commit such fouls and cautions for UB and PI should be infrequent in U14 and below. Remember, Does the player need it; Does the game need it? If not, keep the card in your pocket and use your player-management skills.
HOMEWORK. I have an assignment for everyone:
I’d like you to summarize a situation you experienced as a referee or assistant referee this week and post it here. Your summary should be a short self assessment. Take a situation that you either handled well or one you maybe did not handle as well as you like, but you learned something from it.
Here’s an example of one.
In the second half, RED was attacking in the opponent’s half. Play moved toward my touchline, within about 5 yards. GRN player was beaten by one step by the RED player with the ball, so GRN reached his arm out to push RED, just enough to throw off his balance. I quickly glanced up to see the referee was blocked in his view, then I quickly saw GRN extend his arm across RED’s body and push a second time. I realized that as GRN had now fouled RED twice and the Referee was apparently blocked from view, I signaled the DFK for RED. I felt my decision was necessary to avert possible retaliation by the RED player should the fouling continue unaddressed. The Referee acknowledged my signal and we restarted play with the free kick.Here's another:
U10 match, Blue was attacking in Gray's penalty area. A high ball was heading to Gray's goal as a Gray defender reached up with his arm above his head. The ball glances off his fist but continues to the goal. Everyone starts yelling "handball, handball," but I realized the ball could still be scored so I did not blow my whistle, but instead yell, "advantage, play on!" Within less than a second, the ball landed at the base of the goal post, hit the posted and the goalkeeper fell on it. I blew my whistle and pointed to the penalty mark, indicating a penalty kick. The advantage that I originally called was not realized so I called the foul and awarded the PK.Self assessments of our games makes us better referees by reflecting on our strengths and weaknesses and learning from them. I look forward to reading some of your self assessments. By the way, professional referees are required to write self assessments after their matches. Good enough for them, is good enough for us.
PAUL VERNON
Dir. of Referee Instruction and Assessment
Region 112
Welcome Referees
I started this blog for all the referees volunteering for AYSO Region 112 in the La Verne / San Dimas area of the east San Gabriel Valley. Each week, or more often, I will post observations, themes, clarifications, and more related to refereeing soccer. This blog will follow the similar format used by USSF on its pro site, but as a blog, we can use it as two way communication.
Since the beginning of the Fall 2008 season I have been sending similar information by email to the region's referees. I hope this blog will be more useful, user friendly and easier to update.
I only ask that you keep the posts to the topic of soccer refereeing. Also, please keep comments professional, polite, and constructive. I reserve the right to edit posts to avoid any offense to another person.
Paul Vernon
Director of Referee Instruction and Assessment
AYSO Region 112
Since the beginning of the Fall 2008 season I have been sending similar information by email to the region's referees. I hope this blog will be more useful, user friendly and easier to update.
I only ask that you keep the posts to the topic of soccer refereeing. Also, please keep comments professional, polite, and constructive. I reserve the right to edit posts to avoid any offense to another person.
Paul Vernon
Director of Referee Instruction and Assessment
AYSO Region 112
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