Giving a red card

[JoshTheRef]

Hi guys, Recently i was refereeing my first game, It was U14s and it was all good up untill the 56th minute when a player (White team) jumped in two foot, studs showing of the ground and took out a player ( orange ) , i blew my whistle straight away ran over to the player because thought his leg could have been broken , while i was attending the player a pushing match began , the managers separated the teams and they were having a water break while me and two of the parents were attending the child who was okay but had to come off .

I then called over the player and took his name and the manager from the orange team was screaming ''If thats not a red ill pack my bags'' I knew from the minute i seen that tackle that it was a red card and in the ten minutes or so i didn't second think it. I gave him a red card and people from the white team side line began screaming ''You cant give him a red card 10 minutes later'' (Even though not 1 minute of game time had been played since the injury) and ''Ahh you let them influence you''.

There was an argument back and forward across the pitch for five minutes so i stopped play (When it was a goal kick) and i explained to the managers '' I will call of this game if you guys dont stop, I dont accept this behavior in front of kids''

They calmed down and everything was good from there , have you guys got any advice ?

 

[Sheffields Finest]

Learn to ignore calls from just about anyone, fans, parents, especially managers and even players.. You saw RED, well done for identifying the seriousness of the tackle and acting accordingly. Go with what you saw, ignore the blather around you, most managers are glorified failed footballer cheats in tracksuits anyway!!!

 

[Ref-Al]

Only advice I would give is give the red card quicker, I understand the initial going to him if you think he is seriously hurt. But once the physio/manager/person with the sponge is there, step away. Your not there for first aid and I wouldn't encourage it unless someone is immediate danger such as bleeding heavily or out cold. Retreat to a neutral area, get the player over and send them off. You want as little interaction with anybody else (unless you have NAR's) as you can between seeing the offence and showing the red.

 

[RustyRef]

You've got to the right decision, but my advice would be to speed up the card. You were absolutely correct in assessing the player first, but you really shouldn't be treating him and that is the responsibility of the team. Once a physio / manager / parent got there you should have then send the player off. It doesn't have to be done immediately, and the injured player is your immediate focus, but 10 minutes later is much, much too late. The pushing match, as you describe it, might not have happened had you sent him off much faster, and when a player has committed such a bad tackle you need to be mindful of potential flare points and get him off the pitch ASAP.

 

[JoshTheRef]

Only advice I would give is give the red card quicker, I understand the initial going to him if you think he is seriously hurt. But once the physio/manager/person with the sponge is there, step away. Your not there for first aid and I wouldn't encourage it unless someone is immediate danger such as bleeding heavily or out cold. Retreat to a neutral area, get the player over and send them off. You want as little interaction with anybody else (unless you have NAR's) as you can between seeing the offence and showing the red.

You've got to the right decision, but my advice would be to speed up the card. You were absolutely correct in assessing the player first, but you really shouldn't be treating him and that is the responsibility of the team. Once a physio / manager / parent got there you should have then send the player off. It doesn't have to be done immediately, and the injured player is your immediate focus, but 10 minutes later is much, much too late. The pushing match, as you describe it, might not have happened had you sent him off much faster, and when a player has committed such a bad tackle you need to be mindful of potential flare points and get him off the pitch ASAP.

Learn to ignore calls from just about anyone, fans, parents, especially managers and even players.. You saw RED, well done for identifying the seriousness of the tackle and acting accordingly. Go with what you saw, ignore the blather around you, most managers are glorified failed footballer cheats in tracksuits anyway!!!

Thank you guys for the feedback and yeah i see know what i should have done differently and if it happens again i will ensure to give the red card ASAP thanks guys.

 

[Tino Best]

Good to see cards being used at youth football, we need more refs to do this.

 

[santa sangria]

One "advanced technique" I am trying to learn is to get the card out of your pocket in certain situations and have it ready. This typically works best when you want to give a yellow and players might start screaming for red. If you run over and get the card in hand as you run it can diffuse the situation.

In this case though, as soon as the player down has the physio there, you should get on with the card(s). In OA and amateur football this also means the red carded player will have time to get away from the field and/or you have time to make sure they do.

 

[Grasshopper]

I agree. As soon as you've decided it's a red then show the card. The only time I would delay would be to make certain in my own mind. However that being said I think you managed the situation very well. So well done!!!

 

[xPositor]

When a player is down injured, its fine to spot check the severity, but then move away in to a neutral area. It's too easy to get caught up in verbals from the injured players team mates / coaches if you hover directly by the player, and you also want to be able to observe the other players to ensure there are no other "afters", and at the younger youth age groups ensure that "Mum" doesn't make a sprint across the pitch to check on her "baby". In the above circumstances, you would also isolate the offender in to the neutral area and dismiss.

 

[Ryan Owens]

My advice here is to see if the player needs assistance. If he does, call for it and then move away from that to get a better view of the wider action going on. Especially following a serious tackle like the one you're describing, I would say there will always be a good chance of a pushing match and it could even escalate beyond that. You want to be able to see the pushing match to be able to take the necessary action from there. Well done for seeing the red and having the bottle to make the call in your first match.