A&H

Open Age How to deal with a myth of the game

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Ganajin

Well-Known Member
Level 3 Referee
This actually happened a while back at the tail end of the season, but I thought I might share it.

Green 7 on a breakaway down the right wing, Green 10 lagging behind her in the centre, all of the Red team lagging way behind these two. Green 7 centres ball to her team mate, who is some yards further from line (and so easily onside). As she is doing so, Green 10 unnecessarily shouts "MY BALL" at the top of her lungs. No red player is anywhere near her. Green 10 now has the ball and bearing down on a 1 to 1 with the red keeper. The red goalkeeper immediately stops and yells: "No name ref". I wave play on, and before the red keeper has re-adjusted, Green 10 slots ball past her.

I am surrounded by Red players claiming the free kick for no name. Usually I just sigh and wearily explain the myth of there being a Law against not calling a name (unless it is done to verbally distract, not the case here). It never goes down well, and I am usually met with utter disbelief. This time I tried a new tack, focusing on the red keeper, I looked very serious:

ME What did you say she did?
KEEP She shouted "My ball"
ME Are you sure?
KEEP (looking hopeful) Absolutely.
ME Hang on. Are you sure it wasn't somebody on your own team?
KEEP (looking more confident) Yep. I was looking right at her as she spoke.
ME And you're absolutely certain.
KEEP (smiling broadly) Yes!
ME Thanks for clearing that up.. If there was any chance you'd been confused I might have
had to take the goal off. But now.... (point to centre and run back for kick off)

None of this actually made any difference. Before kick off I still had to explain the Law, and was greeted with the usual disbelief. But I felt SO much better....
 
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Had similar so many times, having to explain there needs to be someone distracted before we can even consider it an offence is tiring. But it does confirm how much knowledge is gained by players watching MOTD and the bloke from the pub
 
The problem with this myth is coaches and some referees also believe it and continue to spread it...

A referee at my son's game a few months ago penalised players from both sides for shouting "mine" despite no oppostion players being anywhere near the ball. On both occasions the referee told the players "You must put a name on it". :wall::confused:
 
Has anyone ever given a free kick for this? I never come across a situation where I've had to award a free kick for someone verbally distracting an opponent.

I saw a situation once as a spectator, watching my Mrs play, one of her team mates went to play a long ball up the wing, when one of the opposition screamed at her from about 5 yards away, but the ball went where she wanted it to and they scored, so I'm not sure she was particularly distracted
 
I have given these in hobby league games - usually a warning first, but then given the second time for an "ah" or "wah" when the ball is about to drop, or someone is about to shoot. With players that don't know that laws, that may have had last week's ref last week, I think it is good to be proactive.
 
Remember though that if you really consider that the shout verbally distracted an opponent it is a yellow card, and (as a
consequence) an IFK. You cannot just give the free kick (as I have known refs in my playing days to do). No caution, no kick.
 
Yes, sorry, brain not following typing, yes, I have always carded. Hence, I think, with players in hobby leagues and young players that are not aware of the laws, it is really good policy to warn first...
 
zarathustra said:
Has anyone ever given a free kick for this? I never come across a situation where I've had to award a free kick for someone verbally distracting an opponent.

I saw a situation once as a spectator, watching my Mrs play, one of her team mates went to play a long ball up the wing, when one of the opposition screamed at her from about 5 yards away, but the ball went where she wanted it to and they scored, so I'm not sure she was particularly distracted
Click to expand...

i had one last year in a game i was being assessed on, player shouted man on to an opposition player in space/no pressure who promptly hurried his pass and gave the ball away. he couldn't believe it when i booked him!
 
Ganajin said:
Remember though that if you really consider that the shout verbally distracted an opponent it is a yellow card, and (as a
consequence) an IFK. You cannot just give the free kick (as I have known refs in my playing days to do). No caution, no kick.
Click to expand...
I've made this mistake very early on in my career - in that case, it was a shout to distract a penalty taker. I ordered a retake of the PK, but didn't card. Haven't seen anything worth giving since though.
 
A more common one I have had a few times is when a goalkeeper comes running out for a 1-on-1 with a striker and 'roars' to put the attacker off. It's not actually using any words, but in both circumstances I penalised as it was used to distract the opponent.

Very strange behaviour, but I've had ti twice so must be something in it.
 
Had one in a recent game that my son played in.

Attacker just outside the area, as he shoots, defender just screams at him........didn't distract in the slightest, it was a superb shot, on target, only a spectacular save from the GK stopped it going in.......ref promptly pulled it back for the IDFK!!!
 
I've seen referees at supply league level giving an IDFK and nothing more for a player verbally distracting... and on one occasion was in the dressing room for the assessor's debrief, where he was told he was correct to do so!
 
Mooseybaby said:
The problem with this myth is coaches and some referees also believe it and continue to spread it...

A referee at my son's game a few months ago penalised players from both sides for shouting "mine" despite no oppostion players being anywhere near the ball. On both occasions the referee told the players "You must put a name on it". :wall::confused:
Click to expand...
Seriously?

zarathustra said:
Has anyone ever given a free kick for this? I never come across a situation where I've had to award a free kick for someone verbally distracting an opponent.
Click to expand...
Yes, big defender running for the ball aggressively get out of the way, mine (obviously meant for other defender, and he is intending to do the forward - forward turns and looks stops and doesn't challenge for the ball. I blow free kick, yellow to defender who usual what am I getting this for. Forward comes over to take kick laughs and tells me he knew the laws and knew if he didn't challenge he could claim he was distracted. I laughed and said next time I will know you aren't and count yourself luck!
 
zarathustra said:
Has anyone ever given a free kick for this? I never come across a situation where I've had to award a free kick for someone verbally distracting an opponent.
Click to expand...
I have awarded an IDFK for this and also sent the player off! An away forward was about to roll the ball into the goal from a yard out when a defender shouted "leave it!" The attacker looked to see which of his team mates was trying to steal his goal before missing the ball completely when he tried to kick it on realising who had shouted at him.
Cue total confusion: the home team couldn't believe he was being sent off. The away team couldn't believe it wasn't a penalty. No one could believe where I said the kick was to be taken from.
 
markref said:
I have awarded an IDFK for this and also sent the player off! An away forward was about to roll the ball into the goal from a yard out when a defender shouted "leave it!" The attacker looked to see which of his team mates was trying to steal his goal before missing the ball completely when he tried to kick it on realising who had shouted at him.
Cue total confusion: the home team couldn't believe he was being sent off. The away team couldn't believe it wasn't a penalty. No one could believe where I said the kick was to be taken from.
Click to expand...

Ok...Sent off for what? Second yellow or have you given it for dogso?
 
I gave it for the dogso. Although I've seen players miss from right under the crossbar it was very unlikely so the player's shout denied a goal scoring opportunity. The players didn't understand why the kick was moved to the 6 yard line because neither player was standing there when the offence took place!
 
markref said:
I gave it for the dogso. Although I've seen players miss from right under the crossbar it was very unlikely so the player's shout denied a goal scoring opportunity. The players didn't understand why the kick was moved to the 6 yard line because neither player was standing there when the offence took place!
Click to expand...

Ok, I think that is definitely wrong in law. The offence made is clearly defined as unsporting behaviour and punished with indirect free kick (correct) and yellow card. Unless I'm very much mistaken you can't send off for this unless the language used qualifies for offinabus.
 
If the offence was explicitly punishable by the award of an indirect free kick, then you would be able to send off for DOGSO. As it is, because the indirect free kick is only awarded because you are stopping play to administer the caution, my understanding is that you can't send off for DOGSO in this situation.
 
Why? The law for dogso states 'denies ..... an obvious goal scoring opportunity by an offence punishable by a free kick .....' It doesn't say it has to be a penal offence or an automatic dismissal in its own right. A player obstructing an opponent to prevent him getting to the ball could be dismissed for dogso.
The defender was a yard behind the attacker so could have pulled him back to prevent him scoring, for which he would have been dismissed. The shout had the same result as a pull so I felt there were two offences - dogso as well as the unsporting behaviour and punished the more serious.
It was such a blatant shout and so obviously put the player off that I had to deal with it and felt this was right at the time.
No one at our county office had a problem with the dismissal when I submitted it - this was several years ago so we used the old excel forms. I clearly stated the circumstances so I would have expected it to be bounced if it had been wrong in Law.
 
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