A&H

Junior/Youth U15s--5 cautions and 2 reds in a mad 10 minutes

SLI39

Well-Known Member
Well, that was eventful. A few days ago I thanked my referee secretary for the season's work and informed him that, due to a new job, I would have to reduce my Saturday refereeing significantly from next September. With the penultimate match of the season scheduled at the ground where I seem to have given the vast majority of my cards, obviously a peaceful departure was not written in the stars! Even then, I did not expect to treble my entire tally for the last two seasons from 50 to 60 minutes in the second half of an incongruous game. I was bemused by the fact that, while the parents and coaches were perfectly civil, on another day two more of those cautions might have been converted into reds.

I feel that it wasn't my hesitation or errors that lost control of the game. I made an error or two on the restarts (identifying the first offender), but apart from that it seemed as if some noxious chemical had been borne on the wind and catastrophically altered the players' behaviour. The trigger was an away player who had been skirting a booking for a little while; I booked him and a home antagonist for AA. Their team-mates clearly saw this as encouragement, however, rather than a deterrent.

2 minutes after that, the away captain and a home defender were booked for handbags. 2 minutes after that, a home striker was dismissed for pushing a hand into my chest after he thought an opponent should have been booked for a foul I had awarded. 2 minutes after that, a home defender earned a second AA caution along with one for an away midfielder.

I would be interested to hear your views on my then granting a request from the away manager that he be allowed to speak to his players and calm them down. I know such time-outs aren't supported in law, but I granted it for the sake of harmony (time added on at the end), since some probably feared abandonment at that point. It then progressed quite smoothly, the 11 men beating the 9 3-1 after making hard work of their numerical advantage. A few minutes before full time, I thought I would be putting my hand into my pocket for the umpteenth time after I spotted an ostensible stamp by a home striker on an away defender. This boy immediately claimed, quite graciously, that it was a complete accident, which I didn't feel obliged to argue with.

I suppose I'm pleased that my emotional response to these incidents suggests I'm becoming more hardened to certain aspects of refereeing. And if this means they behave better for 'next season's ref' (optimistic), I am satisfied. In terms of reporting, I have been through Whole Game, but are there different procedures if the teams belong to different counties? And are extraordinary misconduct reports required for any match with a sending off?
 
  • Like
Reactions: one
The Referee Store
Sounds like a well managed game under the circumstances.

TBH I would have probably asked the manager myself to talk some sense in to the players before he asked me. I would normally ask the captains in situations like this but given the age, manager is a better choice.
 
Well, that was eventful. A few days ago I thanked my referee secretary for the season's work and informed him that, due to a new job, I would have to reduce my Saturday refereeing significantly from next September. With the penultimate match of the season scheduled at the ground where I seem to have given the vast majority of my cards, obviously a peaceful departure was not written in the stars! Even then, I did not expect to treble my entire tally for the last two seasons from 50 to 60 minutes in the second half of an incongruous game. I was bemused by the fact that, while the parents and coaches were perfectly civil, on another day two more of those cautions might have been converted into reds. How so?

I feel that it wasn't my hesitation or errors that lost control of the game. I made an error or two on the restarts (identifying the first offender), but apart from that it seemed as if some noxious chemical had been borne on the wind and catastrophically altered the players' behaviour. The trigger was an away player who had been skirting a booking for a little while; I booked him and a home antagonist for AA. Their team-mates clearly saw this as encouragement, however, rather than a deterrent.

2 minutes after that, the away captain and a home defender were booked for handbags. 2 minutes after that, a home striker was dismissed for pushing a hand into my chest after he thought an opponent should have been booked for a foul I had awarded. 2 minutes after that, a home defender earned a second AA caution along with one for an away midfielder. Lots of AA cautions.....what were the actions that led to these? Is it possible you were too quick to caution for "handbags"?

I would be interested to hear your views on my then granting a request from the away manager that he be allowed to speak to his players and calm them down. I know such time-outs aren't supported in law, but I granted it for the sake of harmony (time added on at the end), since some probably feared abandonment at that point. It then progressed quite smoothly, the 11 men beating the 9 3-1 after making hard work of their numerical advantage. A few minutes before full time, I thought I would be putting my hand into my pocket for the umpteenth time after I spotted an ostensible stamp by a home striker on an away defender. This boy immediately claimed, quite graciously, that it was a complete accident, which I didn't feel obliged to argue with. Generally speaking, your gut reaction is normally the right one.....quite hard to "stamp" on an opponent by accident. Did you feel it wasn't a "stamp" or did you feel unwilling to dismiss another player?

I suppose I'm pleased that my emotional response to these incidents suggests I'm becoming more hardened to certain aspects of refereeing. And if this means they behave better for 'next season's ref' (optimistic), I am satisfied. In terms of reporting, I have been through Whole Game, but are there different procedures if the teams belong to different counties? And are extraordinary misconduct reports required for any match with a sending off?
 
Thank you for the responses.
1) This was just a reference to a couple of players who were on bookings and committed 1/2 other careless fouls. The mood had become low tolerance of anything, so in the circumstances they were possibly fortunate.
2) Mostly it was the aftermath of an innocuous foul. For about 5-10 minutes, many of the players on the pitch were more interested in confrontations than the football (quite literally). AA was very easy to give once the precedent had been set, and I'm surprised they didn't learn after the first cards.
3) It's not that I was unwilling to send him off. If anything, my sensitivity to the fact that there had been 'afters' throughout the second half and the general temperature of the match had basically caused me to see it through that lens (suspecting violent conduct). However, the reaction of the defending player was such that I didn't take action. I just so happened to whisper a word to him as the ball had gone out of play ("I've seen it, and I'm dealing with it."), and he honestly said, "Ref, it's fine, it was an accident". I know what you mean about instinct and making your own decision, but that comment made me think, it's possible I've seen this incorrectly in the light of what has gone before.
 
Thank you for the responses.
1) This was just a reference to a couple of players who were on bookings and committed 1/2 other careless fouls. The mood had become low tolerance of anything, so in the circumstances they were possibly fortunate. "Careless" fouls are not sanctioned by a caution.....unless you are going down the PI route?
2) Mostly it was the aftermath of the innocuous foul. For about 5-10 minutes, many of the players on the pitch were more interested in the confrontations than the football (quite literally). AA was very easy to give once the precedent had been set, and I'm surprised they didn't learn after the first cards. A "confrontation" is not necessarily AA.....2 players simply having words after a challenge is unlikely to be AA, 2 players squaring up to each other is less likely to be AA, unless there are aggravating factors like a push or they have been doing it for a few challenges.......is it possible your interpretation of AA is a little on the low side? For me, personally, even with 2 players squaring up to each other, I am much more likely to manage that situation, certainly for the first time of asking, unless they start to get a bit touchy feely with each other......it's important not to go too early with cautions as if you set the bar too low, you make rod for your back later on in the game.....you either have to carry on cautioning and risk losing players, or reset your bar which then aggravates the players who have already been booked.
3) It's not that I was unwilling to send him off. If anything, my sensitivity to the fact that there had been 'afters' throughout the second half and the general temperature of the match had basically caused me to see it through that lens (suspecting violent conduct). However, the reaction of the defending player was such that I didn't take action. I just so happened to whisper a word to him as the ball had gone out of play ("I've seen it, and I'm dealing with it."), and he honestly said, "Ref, it's fine, it was an accident". I know what you mean about instinct and making your own decision, but that comment made me think, it's possible I've seen this incorrectly in the light of what has gone before.
 
Yeah, it hadn't quite reached the PI stage. I think I made the right calls here. Obviously, when you have already given a few, there's sometimes that spoken/unspoken pressure to punish every foul alike.

It's not an unreasonable reading of the situation. I generally have a high tolerance of dissent/AA and will try to talk to players in the first instance. Nonetheless, after the first bookings, where the away player exacerbated the offence by mouthing off at the keeper as well, what followed couldn't feasibly be seen as anything other than a series of cautionable offences. There were two separate shoving matches, maybe 4 minutes apart, where I was blowing my whistle and more sensible team-mates were having to restrain the offenders.
 
Last edited:
You did what you were paid to do & that’s apply the law, if that means 22 yellows & 8 reds then so be it.

It strikes me that youth football is worse than adult football, the players plus parents on the sidelines sounds like a nightmare, i wasn’t keen on refereeing a youth game before I qualified and the story’s i hear on a regular basis regarding youth football hasn’t changed my mind.
 
To give you some credit, it sounded like once you did get the cards out, the situation calmed down. The managers were proactive in helping calm the team down, and you shouldn't ever turn down a lifeline unless you can see obvious problems with it (for example, you suspect the manager is trying to run the clock down to see out a win or tile his players up rather than calm them down).

Maybe not the most orthodox way to get back match control but if it works, it works I suppose. It's not like you went against the laws of the game to restore order.

Anyways as others have pointed out, you might be too hasty to hand out cautions for handbags. Or maybe not, you can judge the atmosphere of the game better than any of us. Although if you are going down that route, it is important you stick to your guns, however you approach the situation.
 
Think I only hit double figures once in any game, after the first one, if they ain’t listening or bothered then fill your boots! It’s not your fault that they aren’t complying with their responsibilities! Well done
 
Last edited:
I would be interested to hear your views on my then granting a request from the away manager that he be allowed to speak to his players and calm them down.

I definitely would have granted this request in a youth game. It might have prevented an injury and that is more important than the laws.
 
I remember ending a game after 2 minutes of 5 stoppage. We’d had 3 minutes of mayhem and they’d all lost their heads. It was going to end bad, very bad, I thought for a minute and ended it early, it was a friendly too and I still got surrounded as there was a positive result! I argued that it was the safest decision and I was the sole arbiter of time.. I dread to think what could have happened as every tackle was cardable!
 
Yes, I wasn't too far away from double figures, to be honest. Which is absolutely unprecedented for me, or more precisely this league. Struggling to remember how many players are in the book, and how we should restart, is not an experience I've had before really. Since I have refereed games in the past that spiralled out of control because I was too reluctant to bring out the cards and therefore essentially caved in to the intimidation, I didn't mind being card happy on this occasion. I hope I gave off the attitude that, until the stupidity ended and the football resumed, this was how we would be dealing with things, regardless of how long it took. I think the managers/parents were pretty embarrassed.
Unfortunately I have learnt the hard way over the years, but occasionally the only way you can earn a slice of grudging respect from these recalcitrant youth teams is if you follow through with cards, even though it's hitting their pockets ultimately!

Thanks for the reassurance about letting the manager speak to his players; the home manager did not do the same for his team, which may say a lot. I ensured I had finished my booking procedures before this happened, as I had a slight suspicion he wanted to try to get one of his players off scot-free. I never felt worried for my safety, but it was sensible to have a breather before handbags turned into punches/head butts.
I half wonder whether this blew up because neither team really had anything to play for in the league--both in the bottom half--and wanted to start the holidays early.
 
I would be interested to hear your views on my then granting a request from the away manager that he be allowed to speak to his players and calm them down. I know such time-outs aren't supported in law, but I granted it for the sake of harmony (time added on at the end), since some probably feared abandonment at that point.

Here's a thought - a player assaulted you. Did you consider abandonment? Does that team really deserve to be playing at that point?
That aside, getting the manager involved to calm the team down is a really good tactic. Use sparingly because it does take time, but it's creative, it's not against the laws, and it just shows you have a feel for what's happening.

It can be a bit risky. For instance, if it's a men's game and the whole team is crossing the line, the captain may not want to help you out. But you've done well. In this instance the manager requested it so it's clear he wanted to help. While it may be an option for you to approach the manager, you take that option with care - probably no point if he's arguing with you over the cards!!!

If I was assessing that match I'd be happy with you allowing the manager a moment to speak to the players. Sounds like it's what the game needed.

What would the reasoning be to refuse it?

Have you ever heard of the Moment of Truth?

Many games have one. It's the single tipping point for the whole match. The moment that defined all the garbage that happened after it.

Have a think. What was the Moment of Truth in that game?

I'll give you a hint: I'll bet the farm it wasn't that initial AA incident.

You said that player was skirting a booking for some time. Did you let him get away with too much?

What about the player he reacted with - was that player a victim during the game? An antagonist?

What happened before the AA that could have changed the mood of both players?

Was the match building, like a balloon under pressure, before then? Was there a lot of low level dissent?

The player who pushed you - what occurred before then? It may be that this player caused you no problem before - often that's the case - but did he?

I remember my first really tough match. Funnily enough, U/15. 5 yellows and 2 reds. I lost control of that match - I lost the player's respect.

I walked away feeling terrible that I had a shocker. But I felt that I had an obligation to all players to make sure that I learned something from the match. Even just one thing. If I can take one thing away, then it hasn't been a total loss. The worst possible outcome is a total loss.

That's actually become a guiding principle in my entire life, not just my refereeing.

I've also had matches with much higher card counts that I didn't lose control of. Personally I tend to be a bit quicker to card aggression and dissent at juniors than adults. I have no qualms about carding a bunch of 15 year olds off the park. And I've refereed some very, very difficult Futsal teams around this age. The aggression, defiance and lack of respect from some of these kids is astounding.
 
Thanks for the observations and personal anecdote. I take your point about the moment of truth. I have refereed games where not stamping on dissent/aggressive attitudes compromised my performance, lost me respect, and made the end of matches a nightmare. But even if I'd spoken to the initial offender earlier with his captain etc., I don't think the way I eventually handled matters can be said to have a causal link to the subsequent flare-ups. As regards the possibility of abandonment, maybe 5-6 years ago I wouldn't have felt capable of continuing anyway, but here I just had this serene sense that I didn't want to give these people the satisfaction of having put me under that duress. I suppose we all have breakthrough matches where we surprise or disappoint ourselves, and luckily this felt like the former. The player who pushed me did not seem like a very bad egg, so to speak; his team had fallen behind and his emotion came out against me in a petulant manner. I am in no way justifying his reaction, but I have encountered far nastier individuals who would have shown no contrition. Of course you have to question the kind of instruction they are receiving from parents/guardians/coaches. On the time-out, in fairness I think it worked, and was suggested in terms of the spirit of the game/laws rather than to imply I couldn't handle the match. You are definitely right that we learn something big or small every week, the beauty of which is that it allows us to increase our knowledge and tailor our approach to future fixtures.
 
Back
Top