I started by watching my younger brothers U13s game today. Great game, I thought the young referee (and I mean young, kid was probs 15 but looked even younger) was excellent. One of the best young refs I’ve seen, just really good all round. I normally ref for them, I could end up getting replaced with a performance like that! My brothers team deservedly lost 2-0 but just a good game. However the following U14 game was what was great.
Game was straight after my brothers so whilst they were doing team talk it kicked off. I had no interest originally watching the full game but it was unmissable stuff. Referee was a very old guy who looked the part, he looked experienced and professional. He looked like a proper ref without trying to create some sort of stereotype. However his performance wasn’t similar to the young lads earlier on.
Within 2 minutes blood had been drawn, literally. The away team broke and I could see the home defender bundling over towards a player chasing the ball and he took a step away from the player. I’ve seen this a million times, I knew what was going to happen. The defender takes a step and charges into the attacker. When the free kick is given he pleads shock and points out it’s a shoulder to shoulder, despite the fact he had his eyes of the man, charged into him with a minimal of shoulder and the fact they are miles away from the ball. We’ve all given these I’m sure.
Except that’s not what happened. The home defender stepped into him and caught the away attacker with a sweet elbow. I have never seen anything like it. I can only assume he had history with the player or something because I have no idea in what world a kid decides to just elbow another player within minutes on a football pitch. Even if there was history it’s still unacceptable, it’s assault. I was left in shock that it had just happened in an U14 game. But the best is still to come.
Everyone was like me, in shock, but the shock turned to anger when the ref shouted “play on.” I could only think he’d missed it at the time, and the reaction from away players at the fact one of their teammates was down on the floor with an elbow was understandable. Everyone had stopped, it was an obvious foul (and obvious red.) Another home defender noticing the player was still down kicked it out of play.
Whilst the players getting medical treatment from an incredibly calm coach (his assistant is not happy with the ref) it’s kicking off. Players are arguing with players, the parents are shouting at the ref. The ref decides enough is enough and marches over to one of the parents, slides under the respect barrier and gets in his face. The ref tells him he told players before the match in his pre match talk that shoulder barges are always fine on a football pitch and that it wasn’t a foul. The parent disagrees with that sentiment anyway and says not like it matters, it was an elbow. Incredibly the ref said he saw the elbow, but said arms go flailing in a shoulder barge.
The player sat up with blood on his face and a riot almost went off. When I say blood, I don’t mean crimson was streaking his face. Just a cut where he’d been elbowed with a few trickles of blood coming out. However blood on a 13-14 year old was enough to heat things up. Parents were arguing with each other on the touchline, players were arguing with each other, the game was lost sadly.
The bleeding player eventually came off, and the next 15 minutes were incredible feisty. A few yellows given out as challenges flew in everywhere. The ref was consistent tbf in terms of his rule on shoulders, no fouls for using the arms. Players figured this out and began just charging into each other with shoulders, it was a mess. The ref played no injury time and just ended the half and I have to say I can’t blame him on that one. He had a long half time and the second half began.
Id stayed at that point, I was watching the game after seeing how it started and I wasn’t the only one from everyone who watched the first game to stay, a lot did. Second half was much better to start with.The bleeding player was back on and the tension was dying down. A lot of fouls but less anger. 10 minutes in the bleeding player made it 1-0 to away team (still goalless at this point) and reacted in over the top fashion. Shirt off, knee slide, entire team running to hug him. I’m half surprised the ref didn’t yellow him for the sake of it aha.
A second followed with less exuberant celebrations. A third came with 5 minutes to go but it was disallowed for a foul throw the ref had forgotten to call for. This is when it started again. The ref pulled the play back 10 seconds, back into the other half, saying he should’ve blown for the foul throw and ordering the home Team get the throw. The home team took the throw in with their feet and scored from it, which the ref said was ok as you can take an IDFK or retake from foul throw?
The final 5 minutes saw the home team desperate to equalise and they got a chance from a free kick. An away player shoved a home player and the FK got given. The home team score a 30 yard Worldie (keeper should have saved him but I’m not here to critique U14 players) and the ref disallows it. He says he’d given an IDFK because the away player shouted “Leave it” (where in the LOTG?) and he apologised for not telling the players this but the goal didn’t count.
In the final minute, a cross was headed in for 3-1. I didn’t see a shove but I could’ve missed one. The ref disallowed it for a shove, but the away team was already in full celebration like the first goal. The keeper left his net to jump onto everyone as they celebrated. I’ll leave you to guess what happens next.
The ref tells the home team to take the FK and the home team break with everyone in the corner celebrating. The away team sprint back but it’s not enough 2-2. Parents come on the pitch at this point, players are almost fighting with each other, the game gets abandoned, we leave. The refs in front of us as we leave and he makes it to his car which I’m very glad for, I’m worried someone would go for him and I felt bad for the ref he looked shaken up.
I’ve given this post the greatest game of all time title but in reality it’s not. This is the most entertaining game I’ve watched. But for me it’s the worst, it’s the worst possible scenario to happen in a junior game. I also haven’t written this post to slander the ref. We all have bad days, and whilst I wasn’t a fan of his performance, I will always sympathise with a ref. With that being said he was terrible and I’m going to go into more detail in a second. I also included the performance of the young ref at the start as a highlight for Great reffing.
I wrote this post to share this incredible game, because it’s a game I’ll never get as a ref I hope and one I imagine I’ll never see again. But also to look at where the ref went wrong and analyse it. First the positives for the ref. He conducted himself pre match incredibly, his communication was on point bar the disallowed goal. His communication was so good I knew every single decision because he explained everything so people miles away would know what he was giving it for.
I want to analyse where he went wrong tho. The obvious, he lost control. He bottled the game with some very dodgy calls that even he will know weren’t right. IDFK to retake a throw in? Redoing a direct free kick as an IDFK? The whole thing at the end? Also his conduct with the parent was obviously not right.
Obviously his views are a bit old school, with the leave it and with the shoulder barge thing. I’ll talk more about the latter though. Telling anyone pre match you won’t give shoulder barges is a dangerous precedent to set, idk why you’d include it in a pre match Team talk. We’ve all given fouls where “shoulder to shoulder” is proclaimed as defence. And obviously the ref was very lenient with fouls in terms of shoulders, only giving a foul if the foot made contact with the other player.
As a ref in junior football, we have to apply LOTG obviously. But above all, safety of the players is paramount. It is at any level, but especially at junior level, and especially when you’re still dealing with kids, it is so important. U13 and U14 are still kids and letting those sort of fouls go is not only incorrect in law, it’s unsafe. I will sympathise with the ref, I feel for him after reffing that game, but I will not ever agree with his mentality .
Anyway sorry for the long post, thanks if you read it all. I’ve sworn an hour writing this when I should be sleeping I just had to get it off my mind. Let me know your thoughts on any aspect of this.
Game was straight after my brothers so whilst they were doing team talk it kicked off. I had no interest originally watching the full game but it was unmissable stuff. Referee was a very old guy who looked the part, he looked experienced and professional. He looked like a proper ref without trying to create some sort of stereotype. However his performance wasn’t similar to the young lads earlier on.
Within 2 minutes blood had been drawn, literally. The away team broke and I could see the home defender bundling over towards a player chasing the ball and he took a step away from the player. I’ve seen this a million times, I knew what was going to happen. The defender takes a step and charges into the attacker. When the free kick is given he pleads shock and points out it’s a shoulder to shoulder, despite the fact he had his eyes of the man, charged into him with a minimal of shoulder and the fact they are miles away from the ball. We’ve all given these I’m sure.
Except that’s not what happened. The home defender stepped into him and caught the away attacker with a sweet elbow. I have never seen anything like it. I can only assume he had history with the player or something because I have no idea in what world a kid decides to just elbow another player within minutes on a football pitch. Even if there was history it’s still unacceptable, it’s assault. I was left in shock that it had just happened in an U14 game. But the best is still to come.
Everyone was like me, in shock, but the shock turned to anger when the ref shouted “play on.” I could only think he’d missed it at the time, and the reaction from away players at the fact one of their teammates was down on the floor with an elbow was understandable. Everyone had stopped, it was an obvious foul (and obvious red.) Another home defender noticing the player was still down kicked it out of play.
Whilst the players getting medical treatment from an incredibly calm coach (his assistant is not happy with the ref) it’s kicking off. Players are arguing with players, the parents are shouting at the ref. The ref decides enough is enough and marches over to one of the parents, slides under the respect barrier and gets in his face. The ref tells him he told players before the match in his pre match talk that shoulder barges are always fine on a football pitch and that it wasn’t a foul. The parent disagrees with that sentiment anyway and says not like it matters, it was an elbow. Incredibly the ref said he saw the elbow, but said arms go flailing in a shoulder barge.
The player sat up with blood on his face and a riot almost went off. When I say blood, I don’t mean crimson was streaking his face. Just a cut where he’d been elbowed with a few trickles of blood coming out. However blood on a 13-14 year old was enough to heat things up. Parents were arguing with each other on the touchline, players were arguing with each other, the game was lost sadly.
The bleeding player eventually came off, and the next 15 minutes were incredible feisty. A few yellows given out as challenges flew in everywhere. The ref was consistent tbf in terms of his rule on shoulders, no fouls for using the arms. Players figured this out and began just charging into each other with shoulders, it was a mess. The ref played no injury time and just ended the half and I have to say I can’t blame him on that one. He had a long half time and the second half began.
Id stayed at that point, I was watching the game after seeing how it started and I wasn’t the only one from everyone who watched the first game to stay, a lot did. Second half was much better to start with.The bleeding player was back on and the tension was dying down. A lot of fouls but less anger. 10 minutes in the bleeding player made it 1-0 to away team (still goalless at this point) and reacted in over the top fashion. Shirt off, knee slide, entire team running to hug him. I’m half surprised the ref didn’t yellow him for the sake of it aha.
A second followed with less exuberant celebrations. A third came with 5 minutes to go but it was disallowed for a foul throw the ref had forgotten to call for. This is when it started again. The ref pulled the play back 10 seconds, back into the other half, saying he should’ve blown for the foul throw and ordering the home Team get the throw. The home team took the throw in with their feet and scored from it, which the ref said was ok as you can take an IDFK or retake from foul throw?
The final 5 minutes saw the home team desperate to equalise and they got a chance from a free kick. An away player shoved a home player and the FK got given. The home team score a 30 yard Worldie (keeper should have saved him but I’m not here to critique U14 players) and the ref disallows it. He says he’d given an IDFK because the away player shouted “Leave it” (where in the LOTG?) and he apologised for not telling the players this but the goal didn’t count.
In the final minute, a cross was headed in for 3-1. I didn’t see a shove but I could’ve missed one. The ref disallowed it for a shove, but the away team was already in full celebration like the first goal. The keeper left his net to jump onto everyone as they celebrated. I’ll leave you to guess what happens next.
The ref tells the home team to take the FK and the home team break with everyone in the corner celebrating. The away team sprint back but it’s not enough 2-2. Parents come on the pitch at this point, players are almost fighting with each other, the game gets abandoned, we leave. The refs in front of us as we leave and he makes it to his car which I’m very glad for, I’m worried someone would go for him and I felt bad for the ref he looked shaken up.
I’ve given this post the greatest game of all time title but in reality it’s not. This is the most entertaining game I’ve watched. But for me it’s the worst, it’s the worst possible scenario to happen in a junior game. I also haven’t written this post to slander the ref. We all have bad days, and whilst I wasn’t a fan of his performance, I will always sympathise with a ref. With that being said he was terrible and I’m going to go into more detail in a second. I also included the performance of the young ref at the start as a highlight for Great reffing.
I wrote this post to share this incredible game, because it’s a game I’ll never get as a ref I hope and one I imagine I’ll never see again. But also to look at where the ref went wrong and analyse it. First the positives for the ref. He conducted himself pre match incredibly, his communication was on point bar the disallowed goal. His communication was so good I knew every single decision because he explained everything so people miles away would know what he was giving it for.
I want to analyse where he went wrong tho. The obvious, he lost control. He bottled the game with some very dodgy calls that even he will know weren’t right. IDFK to retake a throw in? Redoing a direct free kick as an IDFK? The whole thing at the end? Also his conduct with the parent was obviously not right.
Obviously his views are a bit old school, with the leave it and with the shoulder barge thing. I’ll talk more about the latter though. Telling anyone pre match you won’t give shoulder barges is a dangerous precedent to set, idk why you’d include it in a pre match Team talk. We’ve all given fouls where “shoulder to shoulder” is proclaimed as defence. And obviously the ref was very lenient with fouls in terms of shoulders, only giving a foul if the foot made contact with the other player.
As a ref in junior football, we have to apply LOTG obviously. But above all, safety of the players is paramount. It is at any level, but especially at junior level, and especially when you’re still dealing with kids, it is so important. U13 and U14 are still kids and letting those sort of fouls go is not only incorrect in law, it’s unsafe. I will sympathise with the ref, I feel for him after reffing that game, but I will not ever agree with his mentality .
Anyway sorry for the long post, thanks if you read it all. I’ve sworn an hour writing this when I should be sleeping I just had to get it off my mind. Let me know your thoughts on any aspect of this.
. Probably did, I was swept up in the emotion of that U14 match. A parent from the previous game stood near me loudly cheered when the away team went 1-0 up because she loved “the comeback story from the bleeding kid.” Mortifying when we were all stood with the parents from the home team as well.
Would loved to have seen that one, although probably I would have been boiling up inside. Sad state of affairs when you hear a fellow referee has blatantly lied in a report!