Well, after last week's injury, I thought today I might get a game where the football is good and everyone's having a good time - no chance.
From the very start, captains mouthing off at each other. I've tried to broker peace but they're not having it, I could have given them C1AA then but decided to try and let the game be played without having to flash cards around so early.
About ten minutes later, those same two players are still at it, yellow for both. Doesn't do a thing, even as I'm giving them they're still mouthing off at each other and me. Someone else gets into a tangle and as one gets up his hand has struck the other on the cheek; no force, clearly not a deliberate motion, just unfortunate as he tries to run away, but they've made hay of that all game thereafter. I think at this point I should have forgotten about the yellow card altogether and just started throwing reds around, because apparently every challenge was a red from then!
The rest of the first half we had a few yellows, some daft tackles, but mostly it was constant bitching at me and the opposition, we had a goalkeeper concussed, a player ran into the other goalkeeper who had the ball in his hands and knocked it out to score a goal, not given, free kick the other way, home team are screaming for a red for a deliberate handball(!).
Second half, both teams seem to start more calmly and they've been shouting at each other during half time to relax a little so I thought we might be able to get away with it, but it just continues. At one point I've had to pull an away player away to talk to him (already on a yellow and I'm doing the best I can within the laws to keep people on the pitch) and as I've spoken to him, I've momentarily forgotten the restart, and once I remember it's a green free kick there's another round of shouting.
The second half more or less carried on in that same vein, more yellows, I finally gave a C3 sin bin for dissent in the 33rd minute of the second half for going on and publically undermining me, goal is scored, and I think 'okay, let's just keep it slow and blow for every contact, maybe we can get this done without any more nonsense'. We're close to the finish when there's a foul tackle near the touchline, and I've blown, jogged over to set up the restart, another player has come in and then everyone piles in. A mass confrontation while I'm still stuck in there, being shoved, and can't make out bugger all! The player who went off for dissent runs in, and in all the chaos he's the only one I can clearly see who swings an arm (he's later said he was pulling someone out but I've only seen an arm fly in) so I issue the red and it's clear I can't get this game safely concluded, so I abandon the match straight away.
I was considering abandoning the match in the 70' minute or so because it was just a constant stream of abuse and my confidence was absolutely gone, the players weren't under control, and to be quite honest I don't think anyone was having any fun!
At the end, a spectator comes on the pitch and has a go at a player, spectators having a go at me as I go off in a game of park football.
Obviously I've not handled that well, and given distance I'll be able to go through that list and work out where exactly it went wrong. At the minute, it seems like both teams were determined to be swines from the start. I've spoken to my league's ref sec and he's suggested I sleep on things before doing a report. I've got another men's game tomorrow morning, and at the moment I'm worried about the prospect of heading back out there.
95% of the time I enjoy refereeing, but today is making me seriously consider if I'm meant to be doing it at all.
From the very start, captains mouthing off at each other. I've tried to broker peace but they're not having it, I could have given them C1AA then but decided to try and let the game be played without having to flash cards around so early.
About ten minutes later, those same two players are still at it, yellow for both. Doesn't do a thing, even as I'm giving them they're still mouthing off at each other and me. Someone else gets into a tangle and as one gets up his hand has struck the other on the cheek; no force, clearly not a deliberate motion, just unfortunate as he tries to run away, but they've made hay of that all game thereafter. I think at this point I should have forgotten about the yellow card altogether and just started throwing reds around, because apparently every challenge was a red from then!
The rest of the first half we had a few yellows, some daft tackles, but mostly it was constant bitching at me and the opposition, we had a goalkeeper concussed, a player ran into the other goalkeeper who had the ball in his hands and knocked it out to score a goal, not given, free kick the other way, home team are screaming for a red for a deliberate handball(!).
Second half, both teams seem to start more calmly and they've been shouting at each other during half time to relax a little so I thought we might be able to get away with it, but it just continues. At one point I've had to pull an away player away to talk to him (already on a yellow and I'm doing the best I can within the laws to keep people on the pitch) and as I've spoken to him, I've momentarily forgotten the restart, and once I remember it's a green free kick there's another round of shouting.
The second half more or less carried on in that same vein, more yellows, I finally gave a C3 sin bin for dissent in the 33rd minute of the second half for going on and publically undermining me, goal is scored, and I think 'okay, let's just keep it slow and blow for every contact, maybe we can get this done without any more nonsense'. We're close to the finish when there's a foul tackle near the touchline, and I've blown, jogged over to set up the restart, another player has come in and then everyone piles in. A mass confrontation while I'm still stuck in there, being shoved, and can't make out bugger all! The player who went off for dissent runs in, and in all the chaos he's the only one I can clearly see who swings an arm (he's later said he was pulling someone out but I've only seen an arm fly in) so I issue the red and it's clear I can't get this game safely concluded, so I abandon the match straight away.
I was considering abandoning the match in the 70' minute or so because it was just a constant stream of abuse and my confidence was absolutely gone, the players weren't under control, and to be quite honest I don't think anyone was having any fun!
At the end, a spectator comes on the pitch and has a go at a player, spectators having a go at me as I go off in a game of park football.
Obviously I've not handled that well, and given distance I'll be able to go through that list and work out where exactly it went wrong. At the minute, it seems like both teams were determined to be swines from the start. I've spoken to my league's ref sec and he's suggested I sleep on things before doing a report. I've got another men's game tomorrow morning, and at the moment I'm worried about the prospect of heading back out there.
95% of the time I enjoy refereeing, but today is making me seriously consider if I'm meant to be doing it at all.