BACKGROUND (if you cba with a long post just skip to the incident)
I’d taken a minor break from refereeing, not really consciously but more so just not actively seeking it despite having re registered and everything. Uni work takes it toll and with me getting back into playing football myself whilst I’m at uni after a year out of football for the first year I was at uni I was left with little time for reffing. I was back home for the weekend and with 6 minutes to go before my younger brothers U14 game I was asked to ref.
The actual ref who I know fairly well had gone over his ankle in the car park, and the manager is a qualified ref who I have mutual friends with, taking over the team cos his brother is playing in it as well. He said he didn’t feel comfortable reffing due to the possible bias and asked if I’d do it. 10 minutes later I had been home and back got ready and we had a slightly delayed kick off after a minutes applause.
As for the actual game, it was easy. Home Team were easily better but after going 2-0 up sort of stopped playing. The away team had very little quality but had a clinical striker, and fired on edge of half time with their first shot. I struggled with offsides and I didn’t know whether it was the 6 months of rust but normally U13/U14 I find them easy to call but there were a lot of tight ones where I just wasnt sure and gave benefit of doubt to attacker, including the goal to make it 2-0. 2-1 came about after what I deemed to be a deliberate play of the ball from the defender. Very few complaints indicated the right call. 3-1 came soon into second half but was followed with a goal back with 10 minutes to go. Game had been easy at this point, only 2 complaints I could remember, including one from the ref/manager/friend. The Home Team thought I was being too lenient on argy bargy, away team thought I was too harsh, so I was doing Ok I guess.
Corner for home team and away defender goes down after the melee clears. Away keeper has ball and away have a big counter on so I figure seeing as its there player down Ill continue play. As soon as they lose ball I see player still down and stop play. Safety first at Junior Football and player ends up coming off injured having gone over on his ankle. Manager expresses frustration I didnt stop play sooner to which I explain his team had the ball so they could have put it out if they wanted. Theyre down to 10 men and home soon go 4-2 up.
ACTUAL INCIDENT
Now my long background ends and the actual story begins. With 2 minutes of the game to go, another away player goes down. It’s 4-2, 2 mins left, away have 10 men, I stop play 5 seconds after he goes down and after his miraculous recovery as you often see in junior football, I restarted play with home team drop ball as they had ball. Home player says he’s going to kick it back to keeper, and lobs it over the top back to keeper. The defenders have stopped, letting it roll back to keeper. I notice home striker running on to it and with his first touch he takes it past the keeper and despite his team trying to shout to him to give it back to keeper, everyone can see he’s about to slot it in.
I’m 50/50 on whether or not he’s onside, and I decide that the best thing to do is blow. As I blow, he slots it into the back of the net. I tell him he was offside as his team have a go at him for trying to score, he repeatedly apologised and says he didn’t know what was happening.
Now I’m torn. I didn’t blow knowing he was onside and trying to screw him over, but I can’t say I knew he was offside either. And I tend to give attacker benefit of doubt, so I will truthfully say had it not been the circumstance it was in, I’d have allowed the goal, so I’m not happy with myself for not going with my gut instinct.
What do you think was the right thing to do in that situation? How would you recover that situation if the player did score and I allowed it. Away team would’ve been fuming, I imagine home team could’ve done a Bielsa and let them score if they felt sporting but it’s still a risky game. What if the game is a league decider and it’s 3-3 in the final seconds. Definitely opens up an interesting conundrum so just wanna know your thoughts
I’d taken a minor break from refereeing, not really consciously but more so just not actively seeking it despite having re registered and everything. Uni work takes it toll and with me getting back into playing football myself whilst I’m at uni after a year out of football for the first year I was at uni I was left with little time for reffing. I was back home for the weekend and with 6 minutes to go before my younger brothers U14 game I was asked to ref.
The actual ref who I know fairly well had gone over his ankle in the car park, and the manager is a qualified ref who I have mutual friends with, taking over the team cos his brother is playing in it as well. He said he didn’t feel comfortable reffing due to the possible bias and asked if I’d do it. 10 minutes later I had been home and back got ready and we had a slightly delayed kick off after a minutes applause.
As for the actual game, it was easy. Home Team were easily better but after going 2-0 up sort of stopped playing. The away team had very little quality but had a clinical striker, and fired on edge of half time with their first shot. I struggled with offsides and I didn’t know whether it was the 6 months of rust but normally U13/U14 I find them easy to call but there were a lot of tight ones where I just wasnt sure and gave benefit of doubt to attacker, including the goal to make it 2-0. 2-1 came about after what I deemed to be a deliberate play of the ball from the defender. Very few complaints indicated the right call. 3-1 came soon into second half but was followed with a goal back with 10 minutes to go. Game had been easy at this point, only 2 complaints I could remember, including one from the ref/manager/friend. The Home Team thought I was being too lenient on argy bargy, away team thought I was too harsh, so I was doing Ok I guess.
Corner for home team and away defender goes down after the melee clears. Away keeper has ball and away have a big counter on so I figure seeing as its there player down Ill continue play. As soon as they lose ball I see player still down and stop play. Safety first at Junior Football and player ends up coming off injured having gone over on his ankle. Manager expresses frustration I didnt stop play sooner to which I explain his team had the ball so they could have put it out if they wanted. Theyre down to 10 men and home soon go 4-2 up.
ACTUAL INCIDENT
Now my long background ends and the actual story begins. With 2 minutes of the game to go, another away player goes down. It’s 4-2, 2 mins left, away have 10 men, I stop play 5 seconds after he goes down and after his miraculous recovery as you often see in junior football, I restarted play with home team drop ball as they had ball. Home player says he’s going to kick it back to keeper, and lobs it over the top back to keeper. The defenders have stopped, letting it roll back to keeper. I notice home striker running on to it and with his first touch he takes it past the keeper and despite his team trying to shout to him to give it back to keeper, everyone can see he’s about to slot it in.
I’m 50/50 on whether or not he’s onside, and I decide that the best thing to do is blow. As I blow, he slots it into the back of the net. I tell him he was offside as his team have a go at him for trying to score, he repeatedly apologised and says he didn’t know what was happening.
Now I’m torn. I didn’t blow knowing he was onside and trying to screw him over, but I can’t say I knew he was offside either. And I tend to give attacker benefit of doubt, so I will truthfully say had it not been the circumstance it was in, I’d have allowed the goal, so I’m not happy with myself for not going with my gut instinct.
What do you think was the right thing to do in that situation? How would you recover that situation if the player did score and I allowed it. Away team would’ve been fuming, I imagine home team could’ve done a Bielsa and let them score if they felt sporting but it’s still a risky game. What if the game is a league decider and it’s 3-3 in the final seconds. Definitely opens up an interesting conundrum so just wanna know your thoughts
