Open Age Abandoned

[TobyTheRef]

Hi all,

Had a bit of a surprising one yesterday, both good teams and fairly well behaved until the last few minutes, with about 5 minutes I left I sent the home team captain off for VC (he kicked out on the floor, other player went down in a heap as you'd expect), he apologised to me and the player he kicked and went off to the side line.

A minute or so later, I saw that the player was still on the side line and was shouting instructions to his team mates (they didn't have a manager, just a bare 11) - I stopped the game and asked him to go back to the changing room for the last few minutes.

Things kicked off a bit from this point, he refused to leave stating that it was a public park and that he didn't have to leave - swore at me and refused again to leave. A few of the home team players then started having a bit of a go saying that there was only a few minutes left etc.

Anyway, we had a bit of back and forth on the 'public park' side of things - which I now see was a mistake - I gave him two minutes to leave, he again refused so I blew up to abandon.

I got all sorts walking off - though the away team were very understanding, though disappointed as they were winning and were confused about which way the game would go after etc. - apparently doing this was 'arrogant' and I was 'making it all about myself'.

More than anything, I've been a bit disappointed with the league - I spoke to someone after to explain what had happened, and they seemed a bit shocked that I hadn't just completed the game and let him stay on the side line with just a few minutes left. I explained that I wasn't happy to do that, but again, I got the impression that they I should've just carried on as they seemed annoyed about the admin of sorting out the abandonment and the necessary admin.

Anyway, extraordinary report is in with the FA and it's one for them to sort out - though, honestly I can't help but feel a bit let down by the response from the league. I get that sorting out a busy Sunday League with lots of divisions must be tough, but this is a league that consistently struggles for refs so I do feel a bit put out.

Can't tell if I'm just feeling a bit sensitive and frustrated after it all yesterday, this was my first abandonment in quite a few years of Sundays.

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

You were correct in requiring the captain to leave, as per Law 12: "A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area"
Never easy in a public park, but the League should be supportive as you applied the LOTG.
Competition Rules will guide the League Committee about the outcome, and the disciplinary procedure should be completed within 28 days.
You've done nothing wrong, other than getting involved in a "Can't win" discussion with the captain. As an alternative to consider, did the team have one or two sensible players to help you point out that if the captain didn't leave the club would be in trouble?

 

[ARF]

Long story short, matches that are abandoned due to misconduct by one or both teams are a pain in the bottom for leagues because of the delays caused by having to wait for the County FA to investigate, raise charges, and have the cases heard, all before the league can deal with the result of the fixture at the next management committee meeting. There are plenty of league officials who are supportive of officials, but there's always the odd one who would prefer we turned a blind eye to some things to make their lives easier. Well done for sticking to your guns.

 

[CaptainsPlease]

Well done, the only one present who 'made it about themselves' was the captain. I wouldn't give the league official's lacklustre response a second thought, you've done your job correctly now it's up to them and the CFA.

I have found it is usually a good idea to tell the departing player where they need to go while administering the sanction, and avoid restarting the game until they've gone (or clearly going) there. Puts the player under a bit of pressure as they'll feel like they're the one holding up the match.

 

[Big Cat]

Hi all,

Had a bit of a surprising one yesterday, both good teams and fairly well behaved until the last few minutes, with about 5 minutes I left I sent the home team captain off for VC (he kicked out on the floor, other player went down in a heap as you'd expect), he apologised to me and the player he kicked and went off to the side line.

A minute or so later, I saw that the player was still on the side line and was shouting instructions to his team mates (they didn't have a manager, just a bare 11) - I stopped the game and asked him to go back to the changing room for the last few minutes.

Things kicked off a bit from this point, he refused to leave stating that it was a public park and that he didn't have to leave - swore at me and refused again to leave. A few of the home team players then started having a bit of a go saying that there was only a few minutes left etc.

Anyway, we had a bit of back and forth on the 'public park' side of things - which I now see was a mistake - I gave him two minutes to leave, he again refused so I blew up to abandon.

I got all sorts walking off - though the away team were very understanding, though disappointed as they were winning and were confused about which way the game would go after etc. - apparently doing this was 'arrogant' and I was 'making it all about myself'.

More than anything, I've been a bit disappointed with the league - I spoke to someone after to explain what had happened, and they seemed a bit shocked that I hadn't just completed the game and let him stay on the side line with just a few minutes left. I explained that I wasn't happy to do that, but again, I got the impression that they I should've just carried on as they seemed annoyed about the admin of sorting out the abandonment and the necessary admin.

Anyway, extraordinary report is in with the FA and it's one for them to sort out - though, honestly I can't help but feel a bit let down by the response from the league. I get that sorting out a busy Sunday League with lots of divisions must be tough, but this is a league that consistently struggles for refs so I do feel a bit put out.

Can't tell if I'm just feeling a bit sensitive and frustrated after it all yesterday, this was my first abandonment in quite a few years of Sundays.

Refereeing Football is nothing short of impossible
Your experience has no doubt left you feeling irked and disillusioned. Parks football brings its own set of challenges, often more difficult than anything we're subjected to in the NLS

If you decide to navigate the most difficult option of insisting they leave the vicinity entirely, all you can do is remind them that whilst the 'park' is theirs, the 'game' is yours to referee and any abandonment will likely be expensive. Give both sides a clear indication of your intention and a time limit before abandoning as you did

Depending on the circumstances, I recall opting for some sort of compromise in the past. If they're unlikely to cause any problems and have no bearing on the rest of the game, I've accepted them watching from a distance (path of least resistance, whilst maintaining boundaries)

If they're problematic individuals, there's little choice in that they'll have to go

Don't let the post-abandonment noise from the players get you down. They can't imagine how unfair these predicaments are on you the 'ref'.
You've probably just got unlucky with whoever it is representing the League. A seasoned referee would understand your 'no win situation'

 

[RustyRef]

The league should absolutely back you here. They probably will be frustrated as it will take a couple of months for county to sort out, but that isn't your problem and you did the correct thing in applying the laws. Realistically the result at the time of the abandonment will end up standing.

What I'd suggest doing is trying to find someone sensible on the sent off player's team to try to explain to them that if he doesn't go it is going to get messy for them. If he walks it is just a red card, if he doesn't their team are looking at a charge of causing a game to be abandoned and that is a whole lot more serious. Usually after 85 minutes you'll be able to spot at least one player who isn't an idiot (often not the captain), they can really come in handy to build a relationship with for circumstances like this.