Search results

I read Mitrovic’s statement as, “I’m going to admit that I deserve a three match ban to gain sympathy in order to not get any additional matches.” Hopefully, the review panel sees through that and suspends him for the rest of the season. 10 games should be a minimum, and Fulham has 11 left...

The suspension should be for the rest of the season. 10 games seems right, and by adding just one more game you have very different optics when you hear “rest of the season”. I’m guessing it will be six. Anything less, and every grassroots referee in England should protest by banding together...

I’m guessing we will see six matches, which I think will be far too lenient. If the FA is thinking 10 games and Fulham has 11 or 12 left, just make it a ban for the rest of the year. For only a game or two more, the optics of a suspension for the balance of the season would look a lot better.

As long as everyone knows the rules going in and they remain consistent, I don't really have an issue with suspensions carrying over to other leagues or competitions as long as they are under the same governing authority. Here's a youth soccer example from the US. US Club Soccer supervises a...

https://theathletic.com/4220681/2023/02/17/tim-peel-nhl-referee-accused/ (this is behind a paywall) Former National Hockey League referee Tim Peel (who was fired from his job before the finish of his last season) was recently confirmed to have improperly entered the referee room at a U10 (yes...

Regarding the time wasting, when Webb led PRO in the US he made delaying restarts a very real point of emphasis. Referees often carded in MLS games for kicking the ball away, keepers taking too long, etc. it would not surprise me a bit to see him making this a point of emphasis as he assumes...

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/g23341982/best-bodyweight-exercises/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_rnw_m_bm_prog_org_us_g23341982&gclid=CjwKCAiAioifBhAXEiwApzCztuKHmGUvO8mnMCNmNIBjy5J5A8BJmS-wN35fi4NKwpefA0_IQhc73RoCupgQAvD_BwE This might give you a starting point...

If an official can pass the fitness test and score well in assessments, then age should not matter. Full stop.

In the US, I often work high school games. There’s generally a varsity (senior) and junior varsity game. If I’m the referee for the junior game, I will sometimes run a reverse diagonal. First, it helps with field wear and tear-especially since many of our high school fields are also used for...

I believe VAR protocol allows for a handball directly scoring a goal to be decided by the VAR only as it’s an objective decision (either the ball hit the arm/hand or it didn’t). So there was no need under protocol for Atwell to head to the monitor.

Totally agree. I've always been of the mindset that he's a better referee internationally than domestically, but he was brilliant today. He deftly walked the line between keeping control and allowing the game to flow. His refereeing contributed to the game being such an entertaining affair...

I actually cover this in my pregame with neutral assistants. If they see a red card offense, flag it immediately (and call it over headsets if we are using comms like we often do in the US for high school and college games) unless the team that was “whacked” has a clear goal scoring opportunity...

And this is a good point. I can't really argue this one. But for me, there's a pretty big difference between the 3 on 2 that you mention and a player right over the ball starting to draw his leg back like he's going to shoot. I'm honestly trying to tell myself that this should be onside. I...

Overall, this was a very reasonable and nuanced analysis. Certainly a judgment call, but I don't see how we can interpret this last point as onside given what Ederson has to deal with here. Rashford's actions have to be accounted for. It's a 2 v. the keeper situation, so Ederson has to account...

That orange looks really sharp on TV, and I really like wearing my orange shirts for college games (both assigning organizations for college in the US have orange in our lineups).

Well, I do have to say that this isn’t a completely wrong assessment…….

I've said this before, but Bjorn Kuipers in the last Euros was a master at doing these things. Very, very rarely did he ever seem to break more than a moderate jog, yet he never seemed to be out of position. His experience and ability to read the game meant he was able to be where he needed to...

I said the same thing about Lopetegui Saturday in the Wolves-Man United game. Lopetegui looked completely unhinged on nearly every call going against Wolves, yet no one dealt with it. Same thing today with Arteta. Please, Howard Webb, back your referees to deal with dissent. If the Premier...

On a somewhat related note, it’s good to see former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski has found a way to stay in shape during his retirement. :D

It was probably "Thank goodness I have VAR to correct that one." In some respects, it's comforting to see even one of the best referees on the planet have a clanger like that. Shows he's human like the rest of us. He just has technology to help him correct the error.