Last weekend I refereed a U15 game. All went very well and finished blue 12 red 2 (3-2 at ht). it was a very high tempo game but well contested and not too many fouls and nothing really to worry about. However a near incident has made me think about when it is right to use voice. About 10/15 minutes from the end of the game, blue go on the counter attack, they pass to the striker (9) who sprints down the middle of the attacking half. He is chased by red 22 (defender). In the game, whilst red 22 had not made any fouls, he had been very clumsy with his body and sure to give one away sooner or later (he did!) Blue 9 was about 10 yards from the edge of the penalty area and red 22 was closing him down. 22 started to gently push the blue player. If he had pushed harder and 9 went down, it's a red card offence for DOGSO. I was going to shout "don't foul" as it is something we are told to do but i realised that by saying that, the blue player would potentially go down either by a push or as simulation leaving a big decision to make. Was I right to not shout "don't foul" knowing that the striker could use that as an opportunity to go down or should I have said it and then dealt with what happened later? I was positioned right at about 7 o'clock if the players are at 12. Luckily the striker had a shot and it went wide and no foul made. If this is complicated, sorry and I am happy to clarify where needed
