Foul inside penalty area

[DazN]

Lad got clipped approaching the edge of the area in my U12s game yesterday... He loses the ball but it runs on to his teammate in the penalty area. I yell 'Advantage!' with both arms outstretched... He's shouting "Ref! That was a foul!" just as his teammate squares it to the centre-forward who slots it home.

I give the goal and turn to him and say "That's why we play advantage" and he looks distinctly unimpressed. I think he'd have preferred a FK and a chance to score himself!

 

[wazztie16]

I usually signal advantage early and if I have to bring it back I usually don't have a problem (I scream advantage while hand signalling, if the player is immediately tackled I pull it back, and I just say advantage didn't materialise, no one seems to have a problem with it so far). However, I am learning, so I wouldn't be surprised to hear this is wrong.

I don't mind delaying a decision (as a lot of the time you need a few seconds to take the information overload in. I just find you invite the "ref how can you give that when you didn't see it" or "you are just giving that because they shouted" as it might look like you are reacting to the players calls rather than making your own decision. Hence my eagerness to blow early (which is most of the time the worst thing to do).

Re - players shouts

At the coin toss I tell the captains I will look to play advantage if I can (different to late whistle/thinking time). I say I may bring it back after 2/3/4 seconds, it's not listening to the shouts, it's just that no advantage has occurred.

Those are pretty much my exact words. Minus the brackets. I feel it helps in my games because skippers know the score when the game is actually in full swing.

 

[socal lurker]

Re - players shouts

At the coin toss I tell the captains I will look to play advantage if I can (different to late whistle/thinking time). I say I may bring it back after 2/3/4 seconds, it's not listening to the shouts, it's just that no advantage has occurred.

Those are pretty much my exact words. Minus the brackets. I feel it helps in my games because skippers know the score when the game is actually in full swing.

I think you may be exaggerating how much they pay attention to anything you say at the coin toss . . .

 

[wazztie16]

I think you may be exaggerating how much they pay attention to anything you say at the coin toss . . .

I can only write what I feel from my games, there have been games I haven't used that spiel (I went through a spell of a few weeks) and thought I had issues so brought it back in.

If I feel it works, I feel it works.

 

[one]

If you are going to be worried by players' shouts you will never make a decision!
Do what works for you.

I do agree with this but I would like to make sure it is not taken out of context. Do what works for you within the framework of the laws of the game.

I had a referee who made some contact fouls IFK because "they weren't too bad". His explanations was that it worked for him because players were happy with it. Another bad one is giving IFK for handballs that are not deliberate.