A&H

OFFINABUS?

DazN

DazN

Well-Known Member
Level 7 Referee
I was a spectator at an U16s game last weekend (Reds vs Blues) as a friend's son was playing (for the Blues).

Second half, the Red team are leading comfortably (6-1?) and a Red player (who the ref has already spoken to and has also got the captain to speak to) goes in for a challenge in what I would have said was reckless possibly even EF (think a stamping down motion) and the ref blows whistle and goes straight for the pocket. I felt a caution was coming, but instead he sent the player to the sin-bin, presumably for something he said after the free kick was given. Another Red player then turns to his parents / spectators and quite loudly says (nodding to the ref) "the guy's a pillock"

I can only assume that the ref didn't hear him as he didn't act, but would you consider that OFFINABUS?
 
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Playing devil's advocate, the definition of pillock is "a stupid or silly person". Would anyone send off for being called stupid or silly?
 
RustyRef said:
Playing devil's advocate, the definition of pillock is "a stupid or silly person". Would anyone send off for being called stupid or silly?
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Seems to me that this one of those where the tone and volume (and game context) are going to determine whether it tips over to OFFINABUS. As I'm picturing from what was written in the OP (and substituting "idiot," as I'd probably be laughing if I heard "pillock" on this side of the pond), in a 16U game I'd probably be cautioning for dissent.
 
This will come down to the referee's discretion and how he wants to control the game. Law 12 says that "insulting" words is a sending off offence and this is the text book answer. However, the referee also has discretion to deal with this by other means. Personally, I'd probably go for a sending off here but I'd support a referee who decides to go for a sin bin instead.
 
RustyRef said:
Playing devil's advocate, the definition of pillock is "a stupid or silly person". Would anyone send off for being called stupid or silly?
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A poor argument. The word C U Next Tuesday is defined as "an unpleasant or stupid person" but would anyone argue that a player who said "You're a c@nt ref!" merely meant I was unpleasant. And, by the way, I might well send someone off for calling me stupid, depending on how aggressively they said it.
 
Generally, for me, if a player or official decides to say “you are a…” they have made a personal comment about me. Generally, a card will come out if it is anything unpleasant.
 
Thanks all.

With hindsight I’m now wondering if the player could have meant his teammate who had just got himself sin-binned was the ‘pillock’ as he was also near the ref at the time of the nod.

I guess when it comes to OFFINABUS we have to be very certain that it is directed at us.
 
DazN said:
No I understand that, but I would find it much harder to send player off for calling a teammate a pillock, than I would if it were aimed at myself.
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Agreed . . . but if it were an offensive, insulting and/or abusive comment in the opinion of the referee the player should be sent off.
Sadly many referees are inclined to "not hear" the inappropriate language.
 
Dan56 said:
A poor argument. The word C U Next Tuesday is defined as "an unpleasant or stupid person" but would anyone argue that a player who said "You're a c@nt ref!" merely meant I was unpleasant. And, by the way, I might well send someone off for calling me stupid, depending on how aggressively they said it.
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That isn't strictly true, it has two meanings as I'm sure you well know. There are two words beginning with C that will almost always have referees reaching for the red card if aimed at them, or in some cases even if aimed at others.
 
I'm with Dan on this, the actual choice of words is still part of the puzzle when deciding on sanctions.

"F*** off", "piss off" and "go away" all convey the same instruction, but I'd be pretty unimpressed with any ref who is told to F*** off and chooses not to card because "it's just another way of being told to go away. And would anyone send off for being told to go away?"

The actual word chosen matter. Pillock is objectively more offensive than stupid - I'm not necessarily saying I would go red for it given the context and the fact it's about rather than at me, but substituting in synonyms is an actively unhelpful way to think about verbal offenses like this.
 
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Delivery is key for the majority of OFFINABUS decisions in my opinion.

I’ve been told to **** off, in a way that was more as ‘**** off I can’t believe that’, rather than a direct ‘order’ to **** off. I didn’t bat an eye lid to it at the time, and it didn’t even clock with me that I’ve seen people have their marching orders for that before. Said player did get SinBinned 10’ later regardless.

I find my tolerance for OFFINABUS is low, and something I’m trying to work on. Nobody has actually used the word ‘cheat’ to me, and I would be reaching for red for that most likely (as the course teaches), but I’ve been suggested I’m bias/playing in a teams favour in some creatives ways, earning a couple of SinBins for that, whereas I’m aware some people here would send off.
 
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