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It drives me nuts that I am disadvantaged in refereeing with opportunities for training and promotion because I am male, caucasian and started after 37. But it drives me even more nuts that many people are disadvantaged in far more serious matters because of e.g. gender, race, sexuality...

I think it’s also about self reflection. If you have the awareness to study your dissent cards and work out what you could have done better, then it’s more likely you are a good referee. If you are waving cards at shouting players don’t have the capacity (also support/help) to analyze then you...

We are allowed to use comms at lower levels. I don’t agree about the level playing field. Officials who lack skills, experience or make wrong decisions has a much bigger effect. We avoid using comms with beginners and TBH some colleagues who don’t have a sensible enough attitude. But above a...

What time is it? Well, give or take an hour or two… er…

I think you can make a separate bullet about “not giving dissent cards”.

As long as the daylight saving time button is not THE main button again I might consider… also needing an engineering degree to change the battery… I’m talking myself out of it

Not necessarily “correct” answers, but signs: What does the losing team say to you after the match? (If it’s positive, even better if it’s “best this season”, you are rocking) Are you giving dissent cards (of sin bins) and why? (Dissent cards to both teams, especially both benches, usually...

If the ball is clearly in play still, and if an attacker is clearly wiped out by a defender, of course you should whistle. If the ball is not clearly in play, like a shot heading wide, or blasted over the bar, then ”football doesn’t expect” the whistle - even if you can justify it to yourself...

I didn’t read it like that at all. Sometimes we see different things.

I don’t get what’s wrong with the Brentford Liverpool post. Seemed balanced to me and was good commentary on some really interesting top flight refereeing. The topics raised, especially about timekeeping and TV not showing important info (we didn’t see the GK count, or a good freeze frame on...

I am 52 next week and I am still at it, giving it all every match, and being as competitive and constructive as I can be with my younger peers. Had the honour of whistling my level’s playoff final last night. Last match of the season, closest thing to the next level up (probably around your L4)...

Chief, thank you so much for all your efforts. I have donated. The kids can eat bread and dripping. They will be fine! I hope you can find a way to either cut the costs or get more low effort ad revenue. I am really happy to donate to get you out of a hole now but TBH I am not a fan of repeats...

I was expecting a penalty. Taking a risk there.

I’ve got another confession to make… It’s been a few weeks and I’m ready to share. Backstory: my only other video review was 7 years ago and I was nervous and tanked in front of my chiefs. Fast forward to the other week, OA tournament finals and my old refsec mentor-type is back after 5 years...

In old money surely it’s a major error max 7.9 to not RC here and a few years ago probably a few weeks off.

Come on. Do you really believe this wasn’t nailed on DOGSO? I’d love a Uefa/Fifa/Ifab or local training clip with a similar scenario where any experienced official says this is not D…

I use this with two variations with a bit of Fifa fingers and as quickly as possible. The first I “learnt” this year as AR from two rapidly progressing great refs. Something like: - For attacker-goalkeeper nonsense - you can be there but if you move to block the GK you’re asking me to make a...

Surely Webb will have to come out and apologise for this. Imho right up there with the worst errors of the VAR era and a nightmare for grassroots refs.

You can say that again!

Approach with caution. If you misuse this you can get accused of bias or lose credibility. If it’s out context it also will present badly. If once in the middle of a match you tell the striker you loved his goal - no. But… “Good save” this is one way to sell a corner from a nick. You will look...