I can't work out whether it was deliberate or not but I suspect I was the victim of a fast one recently.
This season, after players continually complained about balls being too soft, I finally bought a gauge and pump and checked balls before every game. At least it enables the ref to tell players the ball is fit for purpose.
On Saturday, I asked the home team manager for the match balls about half an hour before the game when it became clear they wouldn't be offered to me.
"Ah yes, thanks for that ref, they're in the back of my car," he said.
Time passed: no balls. Eventually at 10 to 3 I thought I'd better get out on the pitch and sure enough, the manager was standing there with 2 matchballs, making a pretty feeble excuse about why they hadn't been offered to me.
This is where I made the mistake. With loads of pre-match hassle going on - late team sheets, one team 2 players short etc etc - I didn't have time to check the balls. Kick off came, and within minutes players were complaining about the ball. "It's rock hard ref." And indeed it was like a stone. Goal Kicks went nowhere, shots were weak. I stopped play and asked the manager to get some air out. Better but still far from ideal.
When half time came I went back to the changing rooms - a 3-4 minute walk away - and got the gauge. The pressure was off the scale. It took me 30 seconds to release enough air to bring it back into the correct range.
The game was transformed.
But was it an accident? I can't see how the home team would gain an advantage from having over-inflated balls. Why would someone pump such a massive amount of air into the ball?
This season, after players continually complained about balls being too soft, I finally bought a gauge and pump and checked balls before every game. At least it enables the ref to tell players the ball is fit for purpose.
On Saturday, I asked the home team manager for the match balls about half an hour before the game when it became clear they wouldn't be offered to me.
"Ah yes, thanks for that ref, they're in the back of my car," he said.
Time passed: no balls. Eventually at 10 to 3 I thought I'd better get out on the pitch and sure enough, the manager was standing there with 2 matchballs, making a pretty feeble excuse about why they hadn't been offered to me.
This is where I made the mistake. With loads of pre-match hassle going on - late team sheets, one team 2 players short etc etc - I didn't have time to check the balls. Kick off came, and within minutes players were complaining about the ball. "It's rock hard ref." And indeed it was like a stone. Goal Kicks went nowhere, shots were weak. I stopped play and asked the manager to get some air out. Better but still far from ideal.
When half time came I went back to the changing rooms - a 3-4 minute walk away - and got the gauge. The pressure was off the scale. It took me 30 seconds to release enough air to bring it back into the correct range.
The game was transformed.
But was it an accident? I can't see how the home team would gain an advantage from having over-inflated balls. Why would someone pump such a massive amount of air into the ball?
