The Ref Stop

Times Players Have Corrected You (Correctly)

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RefereeX

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Level 3 Referee
Slow news day... so...

Anyone have any times players have correctly pointed something out to them and they've had to go 'oh wait, actually you're right'?

I remember I passed my test just as the 'double jeopardy' rule was introduced, I sent someone off for DOGSO and awarded a penalty and was just about to restart when someone piped up 'ref, I thought the new rule was that he couldn't be sent off and a penalty be given'.
I mean he wasn't 100% right, but he did make me realise it was a genuine attempt to play the ball and thus the red card was incorrect. I called the player back and changed to a yellow.

This was a Sunday league game by the way.
 
The Ref Stop
In my early days as a ref, I had a game where the home team's player-manager said afterwards that (despite his team losing) he thought I'd had a good game, but there was one thing I'd got wrong in law - I'd allowed a player who'd gone off for treatment to come back on from the goal line during play, rather than from the touchline. He only knew that because he'd been pulled up on it by the ref in our Senior Cup final a year or two before. To this day I'd probably still be none the wiser about it had it not been for him mentioning it!
 
Home team goalkeeper took a goal kick, and away defenders have pushed up to halfway as all the kicks have been landing short. This left a home attacker all on his own between them and the goal.

Ball clears everyone, one bounce to the attacker now one on one with the goalkeeper. He takes a touch, flag goes up for offside and be blazes it over. I gave the indirect free kick and as we’ve restarted home player says “You can’t be offside from a goal kick”. - I just looked at him and then realised what had happened. Too late to do anything about it. U15s to boot; not an age I’d expect to know.

To this day I’ve never seen a repeat of this incident, only ever seeing short goal kicks being intercepted.
 
Tealeaf said:
Home team goalkeeper took a goal kick, and away defenders have pushed up to halfway as all the kicks have been landing short. This left a home attacker all on his own between them and the goal.

Ball clears everyone, one bounce to the attacker now one on one with the goalkeeper. He takes a touch, flag goes up for offside and be blazes it over. I gave the indirect free kick and as we’ve restarted home player says “You can’t be offside from a goal kick”. - I just looked at him and then realised what had happened. Too late to do anything about it. U15s to boot; not an age I’d expect to know.

To this day I’ve never seen a repeat of this incident, only ever seeing short goal kicks being intercepted.
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Yep same thing, I flagged offside from a goal kick and someone calls out “oi limo, it’s a goal kick”. Realised immediately what I’d done. Mistakes are how we learn I guess.
 
Just after drop balls were changed to
uncontested.

Dropped it and the player just stood there, opposition player ran in and booted it away.

Booked him for delaying the restart.

The skipper said "don't think that's right, the ball is in play when it hits the floor"
 
Last edited:
RefereeX said:
Slow news day... so...

Anyone have any times players have correctly pointed something out to them and they've had to go 'oh wait, actually you're right'?

I remember I passed my test just as the 'double jeopardy' rule was introduced, I sent someone off for DOGSO and awarded a penalty and was just about to restart when someone piped up 'ref, I thought the new rule was that he couldn't be sent off and a penalty be given'.
I mean he wasn't 100% right, but he did make me realise it was a genuine attempt to play the ball and thus the red card was incorrect. I called the player back and changed to a yellow.

This was a Sunday league game by the way.
Click to expand...

There was a challenge on the line of the penalty box. In my infinite wisdom (and ignorance) I was telling the seasoned veteran captain, that it is only a free kick as it was on the line, not inside.

He knew the correct law, and he just looked at me sad and defeated.
 
Not so much corrected, but an u12 academy player once gave me a decision before I could process it.

Penalty kick comes back off the post, no touch from the GK. Same player kicks it into the net and the defender looks at me and says "indirect free kick, ref?"

It was so quick and almost angelic in the way he said it, but it definitely prompted the right thought process and I obviously disallowed the goal!
 
maninblackoryellow said:
Not so much corrected, but an u12 academy player once gave me a decision before I could process it.

Penalty kick comes back off the post, no touch from the GK. Same player kicks it into the net and the defender looks at me and says "indirect free kick, ref?"

It was so quick and almost angelic in the way he said it, but it definitely prompted the right thought process and I obviously disallowed the goal!
Click to expand...
Very impressive. As the far AR, I once had to flag a referee not to KO restart after a similar PK incident. No one on the ground knew or registered it. Thou I suspect someone in the technical area behind me who asked "is that a goal lino?" knew.
 
One that stands out to me was I was 4th man in. County cup final. Player taking pen took his shin pads out just as he was walking down.
Opposition player say " can he do that?"
We'd actually had a discussion on her about it near to the time so I knew the answer was no for certain. Let the ref know. Slight delay whilst shin pads were returned. Pen taken legally.
 
JamesL said:
One that stands out to me was I was 4th man in. County cup final. Player taking pen took his shin pads out just as he was walking down.
Opposition player say " can he do that?"
We'd actually had a discussion on her about it near to the time so I knew the answer was no for certain. Let the ref know. Slight delay whilst shin pads were returned. Pen taken legally.
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I remember that as was stood behind the dugout. There was a few choice words coming out of the supporters mouths when you brought it to the refs attention 🤣
 
A couple of years ago I was refereeing a youth game on a horrible day with strong wind and rain. Player went to take a throw in and the ball slightly slipped from his hand as he threw it. It was probably a foul throw but it was borderline enough that I was happy to let it go, especially with the weather conditions. After he’d “thrown” it the same player then smashed the ball the length of the park before anyone else had touched it. There was much shouting and moaning at this point but even though I had seen it, the double touch didn’t really register in my head so I waved away their shouts, thinking they were just claiming for a foul throw. It was only a minute or so later when a coach asked “can you do that ref?” that I fully realised what had happened.
 
A once had a player fouled that called for the trainer to come on and I booked the player who committed the foul. After the trainer had finished, I ‘reminded’ the player he had to go off and that I would call him back on it. His reply was….but ref if you’ve booked someone then I don’t need to. I stuck to my guns but looked at it later on IFAB and he was correct. A few weeks go by and I ref the same team and seek out that player where I apologise and he says thank you….we aren’t all perfect but appreciate the honesty. Trust me I’ve never forgotten this.
 
Richardp10145 said:
A once had a player fouled that called for the trainer to come on and I booked the player who committed the foul. After the trainer had finished, I ‘reminded’ the player he had to go off and that I would call him back on it. His reply was….but ref if you’ve booked someone then I don’t need to. I stuck to my guns but looked at it later on IFAB and he was correct. A few weeks go by and I ref the same team and seek out that player where I apologise and he says thank you….we aren’t all perfect but appreciate the honesty. Trust me I’ve never forgotten this.
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There is a caveat to this in that treatment needs to be completed quickly.

This is defined in the practical guidance to match officials as 20-25 seconds from when ready to restart so have to be careful how we frame this error.
 
JamesL said:
There is a caveat to this in that treatment needs to be completed quickly.

This is defined in the practical guidance to match officials as 20-25 seconds from when ready to restart so have to be careful how we frame this error.
Click to expand...
Had this happen in my most recent observation (SPA trip). Fouled player was faffing around with his shin pads and taping his socks, then took a drink, then was re-strapping his wrist (an appropriate injury for the player in question ✊🍆) and we're all ready to restart.

Tough kitties big lad, you now stand over there with your physio for your team's attacking DFK.
 
maninblackoryellow said:
Not so much corrected, but an u12 academy player once gave me a decision before I could process it.

Penalty kick comes back off the post, no touch from the GK. Same player kicks it into the net and the defender looks at me and says "indirect free kick, ref?"

It was so quick and almost angelic in the way he said it, but it definitely prompted the right thought process and I obviously disallowed the goal!
Click to expand...
Similar thing to me last week. I refereed a college game and a tackle went in. I’ve blown the whistle and ran over and got my notebook out and he’s walked past me and said ‘I know I’m off’ then turned round and gave me his name(without me asking) and said ‘I know it’s a red’
I wasn’t going to send him off but I followed his orders 😂😂
 
dylanbailey4444 said:
Similar thing to me last week. I refereed a college game and a tackle went in. I’ve blown the whistle and ran over and got my notebook out and he’s walked past me and said ‘I know I’m off’ then turned round and gave me his name(without me asking) and said ‘I know it’s a red’
I wasn’t going to send him off but I followed his orders 😂😂
Click to expand...
Love it when a player gives you the clues. Had it midweek on the U19 academy stuff. Speculative shot on goal, bends in the wind, AR's body language suggested goal kick... no real indication from players setting-up... I'm close enough and say "great save there, keeps"

"ah cheers ref"

*points for corner*

:D
 
Great stuff.

A long time ago captain takes a windy throw in down the line. I flag for it the other way. He screams at me “why, why, why”. He was right, the ball hadn’t entered the FoP and it should have been a re-take. He would not let me forget it for the whole season!
 
I play and ref it a low key, coed adult league on a field with very mediocre lights. Last night as an AR had a weird cross that bounced around and was headed (?) into the goal. Neither I nor the R could see it was a punch instead of the head. Woman who scored fessed up right away instead of going with the "hand of goddess." (And no, the R did not reward her honesty with a caution!)
 
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