A&H

"In the back ref"

lc21

lc21

New Member
Level 7 Referee
Hi all,
Fairly new to this forum, recently started refereeing this season and wanted the opinion of some of you more experienced referees, in relation to the title the most common quote so far I've heard players claim for is hands in the back or "ref watch the hands" my reply to them is mainly the point that if I blow up for a foul every time someone raises their hands to an opponent we would be here all day, my question is when do you decide what is enough to constitute a foul for hands, is it just standing their ground or do you have to interpret it differently based on intent.

Appreciate all responses.
 
The Referee Store
I had this in my first few games.

Getting in a better position can help reduce it, try and get side on to the "drop zone" where possible. This will mean you're in the right position to 1) see any potential fouls; 2) be credible when you turn their appeals down.

I found just being in a good position reduced the number of calls for in the back.

Deciding when a foul has been committed it a bit more complicated.
Simply placing your hands on an opponents back isn't an offence, and sometimes it will be "backing in" rather than a push, if that makes sense.
 
lc21 said:
Hi all,
Fairly new to this forum, recently started refereeing this season and wanted the opinion of some of you more experienced referees, in relation to the title the most common quote so far I've heard players claim for is hands in the back or "ref watch the hands" my reply to them is mainly the point that if I blow up for a foul every time someone raises their hands to an opponent we would be here all day, my question is when do you decide what is enough to constitute a foul for hands, is it just standing their ground or do you have to interpret it differently based on intent.

Appreciate all responses.
Click to expand...

I think there are few things to consider with 'in the back ref' shouts...
- is the player accused of committing the offence watching the ball or the other player?
- how far have each of the players had to move to get underneath the drop of the ball? (For example, has a defender come forward 5 yards while the attacker stood still, hence the defender carrying some momentum and forward movement with him)
- is there any force to the contact on the back, or just touching (I used to do this a lot as a player, purely to try and stop attackers standing on my toes)
- is the player being accused of the offence just stronger in the challenge
- did the potentially fouled player back in?
- Most importantly, did the accused player gain any sort of unfair advantage (making him first to the ball, jumping higher, suppressing the jump of an opponent, reducing an opponents chances of winning the ball fairly, or being more focused on limiting his opponents challenge than winning the ball himself?)

The important thing is you find your own way in time, but be as consistent as possible with these. Don't let a challenge like that go in the first 15 minutes, then penalise the exact same challenge 5 minutes later.

Whether players think you're harsh or lenient on these type of challenges is very much down to the individual referee, the important thing is you're consistent throughout each 90 minute period.
 
Very good summary by @RegalRef. In regards to his final point, I used to love giving an early FK for a push in the back. Easy to justify giving them and it shows you're willing to stamp down on that kind of thing early. Same with being fussy about the position of a few early throws - worst case scenario, they become concious of where they're taking the throw, best case, some FB's will begin to automatically look to you to place them before even beginning to take a throw.
 
The action I use for in the back are has there been a genuine pushing action or has there been just a player has put his arm in the back and the other player has just backed into him
 
Something I always used to struggle with too. First few balls in the air now, whether they be goal kicks, throw ins, corners etc I'll give a loud shout of 'hands down please!' or 'watch the hands!'. Since I've been doing this, it seems to cut down the amount of pushing that goes on. That being said, players will make a point of getting on your back if you then don't clamp down on it when it does occur. Set your tolerance level early and stick to it.
 
The problem that players have is touching someone in the back isn't a foul, it only becomes a foul if they push them. Some players cannot get their heads around this and go into meltdown thinking that a touch equals a shove.

As referees all we can do is get to the drop zone so that we can tell them they weren't pushed, they were touched, and that is a big difference.
 
RustyRef said:
The problem that players have is touching someone in the back isn't a foul, it only becomes a foul if they push them. Some players cannot get their heads around this and go into meltdown thinking that a touch equals a shove.

As referees all we can do is get to the drop zone so that we can tell them they weren't pushed, they were touched, and that is a big difference.
Click to expand...
Agree - & spectators think the same!
 
"Hands in the back" is another one of the myths that has been kept alive unfortunately with the help of some of our colleagues. More often than I like, I hear some some referees give a free kick and then justify it up by saying "hands in the back". Then the players expect any "hands in the back" to be a foul.
We often don't need to justify a decision but if we do we need to use the correct terminology. Simply saying "pushing" is sufficient.
 
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