In a game we used to play as kids, we'd say which superpower we wanted and there was always some little lad who had seen 1950'2 sci-fi classic, The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, who wanted to be able to see through people's clothes, etc. For me, a spectacle wearer from age 5 to 37 when laser treatment corrected my vision, just being able to see would have been good!
In two situations today, I felt I used a little x-ray vision but on both occasions I still had to make a judgement call. In the first situation I had two players who had already been cautioned, challenging for the ball near the touchline. I saw the one without the ball, race towards his opponent but at the split second of contact I had two other players cross my line of sight and the next thing I could see was both of the players who had challenged for the ball careering over the touchline and colliding with the wall a few feet away but I couldn't be sure who had fouled who. I gambled and went in favour of the attacker, calling the "offender" to me.
His expression of remorse and profuse apologies told me I'd got my man and my decision right BUT I hadn't seen his offence so I couldn't judge if it was careless or reckless. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, made sure he understood what he was getting, that he was to stay off my radar for the next 10 minutes and we'd get along fine. He did just that and was one of the first to thank me for being part of his game. I couldn't second guess a challenge that would have seen a player dismissed.
In the second incident, which occurred in my U16 game this afternoon, the ball was played into a crowded penalty area and as it dropped, I saw a defender move his arms as if to protect his face/neck/upper chest area. The problem was that he had his back to me but as the ball hit him, his shoulders sagged and I knew instantly that he had controlled the ball with one if not both hands.
I blew the whistle and immediately pointed to the penalty mark. As the player turned around it was written all over his face that he knew he'd been caught out and without a word he moved outside the penalty area with his team mates, ready for the restart. So on this occasion I trusted what I knew had happened (not what I had actually seen) and awarded the penalty.
So maybe I did have a superpower as a kid after all ...
Continue reading...
In two situations today, I felt I used a little x-ray vision but on both occasions I still had to make a judgement call. In the first situation I had two players who had already been cautioned, challenging for the ball near the touchline. I saw the one without the ball, race towards his opponent but at the split second of contact I had two other players cross my line of sight and the next thing I could see was both of the players who had challenged for the ball careering over the touchline and colliding with the wall a few feet away but I couldn't be sure who had fouled who. I gambled and went in favour of the attacker, calling the "offender" to me.
His expression of remorse and profuse apologies told me I'd got my man and my decision right BUT I hadn't seen his offence so I couldn't judge if it was careless or reckless. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, made sure he understood what he was getting, that he was to stay off my radar for the next 10 minutes and we'd get along fine. He did just that and was one of the first to thank me for being part of his game. I couldn't second guess a challenge that would have seen a player dismissed.
In the second incident, which occurred in my U16 game this afternoon, the ball was played into a crowded penalty area and as it dropped, I saw a defender move his arms as if to protect his face/neck/upper chest area. The problem was that he had his back to me but as the ball hit him, his shoulders sagged and I knew instantly that he had controlled the ball with one if not both hands.
I blew the whistle and immediately pointed to the penalty mark. As the player turned around it was written all over his face that he knew he'd been caught out and without a word he moved outside the penalty area with his team mates, ready for the restart. So on this occasion I trusted what I knew had happened (not what I had actually seen) and awarded the penalty.
So maybe I did have a superpower as a kid after all ...
Continue reading...
