The Ref Stop

How would you handle player calling the opposite club assistant 'cheat'?

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CrossRef

New Member
Level 7 Referee
Talking to? Sinbin? Red for OFFINABUS?
If it is towards an regular AR, I would consider it as a strait red, but what if it is towards a club assistant, especially when they have just made a controversial decision like offside?
 
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The Ref Stop
Club Assistant or Neutral AR, they are part of my team... It's a Red Card - I've had to do it when a player was clearly upset with an offside decision. In my view, the decision was also correct, which whilst that wouldn't change my decision to Red card someone calling him a cheat, but did make it easier.
 
this might be controversial, but I think if I sent off every time someone on a sunday league pitch said 'the lino's cheating' then I'd have had a red card most weeks. Context of how it's said is vital. 'You're a f*cking cheat' aggressively directed at them... red card all day. 'Stop cheating' in a less aggressive manor may draw something different.
 
I think the one thing for me is that you yourself would need to have heard it & if you did, then I think it can only be a red, but if you didn’t, then you are on a sticky wicket - the club AR may be exaggerating etc etc
 
Feeling this is going to be unpopular.

Sending a player off for calling a CAR a "cheat" is a massive overreach.

Let’s be realistic, Club ARs often lack the fitness, concentration, or neutrality required for the role, often guessing in favour of their own team.

We’ve all seen the YouTube clips of managers screaming "get the flag up" while a distracted teenager blindly obeys. Whilst a player who might have started their run, 10-15 yards onside sees their goal chopped off.

Use the step approach, like any other player to player interaction.

Shield your CAR and show them the respect they deserve for taking on this role, by blowing on dissent early, deliberately to drown it out and draw the heat toward yourself. You are the match official not the CAR, it is your decision. So if your CAR flags offside, and you agree. That is your decision, let the players know it and move on.

If you’re dismissing players for a trumped up 'calling a match official into disrepute' charge, when they vent an obvious frustration, you’ve lost touch with the game. In fact, some biased CARs love the victory of getting a player sent off.
 
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