Team that has got a decision in their favour asks you to change your decision.

[Lefelee]

Imagine that you have made an error, e. g. awarding a goal that was clearly not in or a penalty that clearly was a dive.

You (and eventually your assistants) have an incorrect perception of the situation, and obviously stick to your decision despite the protests of the team that got the decision against them, and them threatening to do all kinds of stuff.

Then, before restarting play, a player or coach of the team that has benefitted from the wrong decision comes to tell you how things actually were, and asks you to change decision in the spirit of fair play.

What would you do?

 

[ref craig]

I'd say personally if you haven't restarted play then in law your well within your rights to change your decision

 

[Ciley Myrus]

If you, or fellow officials realise you have made a mistske like this then of course you can change it, if you have not restarted play. How you realise you have made a mistake, can be up for interpretation.
I think in this case i would be thanking the coach for his input, and saying along lines of, Ok that may be the case but as referee, for right or wrong, am going with what we saw
Dodgy ground to be effectively over ruled by a coach etc

 

[Sheffields Finest]

I know a goalkeeper who I 110% trust his calls. Quite a few times he has said 'corner ref' to me when a shot whistled past him wide but it flicked his glove and i didn't see it...and Yes, I changed my mind..... Why would a player tell you something like that unless he was telling the truth!!!
He is always on FB too backing up refereeing decisions and even belittling players who bleat or whinge about decisions after games. Perfect gentlemen and a great lad to help out on the pitch!

 

[zarathustra]

I've done it, gave a goal kick, and a defender came up to me and told me he got a touch on it just before it went out, my CAR said goal kick as well.

In that sort of situation there is no reason why he would lie, as he is disadvantaging his own team.

For a penalty or something else equally "game changing" I would be inclined to stick with what I saw.

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

The reality is, we're not always 100% certain. Especially with ball in/out of play, who's direction, that sort of thing. If one player puts his hand up and says 'it's theirs ref', why wouldn't you change your decision?

The only time I haven't is when I've said 'thanks for admitting it came off you, but it still came off one of them after'.

Reffing Futsal I once called a passback, when an attacker came over and admitted he kicked it. It was a crowded area with clashing socks, so it was definitely possible. Rightio, drop ball then.

Fouls and penalties may be a little different - in what may be some bizarre sense of 'fair play' we've all heard players try to say they weren't touched when there was a clear foul. Sometimes you need to be prepared to stick to your guns, but for the most part, why not go with the player?

Because we all know that sometimes you can be certain of what you've seen and still be wrong.

I couldn't see it happening from a coach (unless he's talking about a throw-in near him), but for other matters....I think you need to give it serious consideration, if nothing else.

 

[Mintyref]

Been there, an occasional dose of honesty goes a long way towards restoring my faith in human nature.

 

[RustyRef]

I'd be slightly more hesitant at senior levels due to the risk of betting and match fixing, but at grass roots if the benefiting team told me I had made a mistake then I would certainly consider changing the decision as long as play hasn't restarted.

 

[santa sangria]

I'd be slightly more hesitant at senior levels due to the risk of betting and match fixing, but at grass roots if the benefiting team told me I had made a mistake then I would certainly consider changing the decision as long as play hasn't restarted.

That is a very good point. In the highest league I do, the international betting companies send a bloke-on-a-phone reporting the stats and phoning in the last 5 minutes. There is no way I would change a decision based on a player/coach's correction at this level, especially as there have been a few player bans for gambling offences in recent years.

And agreed, lower down, I would certainly consider changing a decision. I would mask it though, by going back to the AR, possibly even to the other AR, in order to make sure the whole "3rd team" is on board and because it would appear more credible. Just talking to a coach and signalling a reverse is always going to look bad IMHO.

 

[joe cunningham]

Happened to me a few weeks ago. Keeper comes out for a one on one and attacker puts the ball around him with not much pace on it. Defender sprints to the goal line in order to stop it going out then slows down with a look on his face asif to say "oh **** it's gone in" then he kicks the ball away. My first thought was 'that's in' and the players expression backed up my thought so I blew the whistle and pointed the centre spot. Que 11 angry players telling me how **** of a decision it was and it was no where near the line. Whilst the attacking team where off celebrating, one of their players comes up to me saying "from where I was ref I don't think it passed the line, you may aswell just give a goal kick". As it was the player wasn't anywhere near the goal so I explained that imo it was over and I'd just give it as I'd saw it. Thanks for your honesty but I'm allowing the goal to stand.

When I had 11 from 1 team and a player from the benefiting team telling me my decision was wrong I did think 'yeh I must be wrong' but I had no ARs to chat to so I stuck by guns and awarded the goal. I thought it would look crap if I decided to go back and disallow it.

However in the past I have changed my decisions on throws/corners/goal kicks on the word of the defending side.

 

[ref craig]

I changed my decision in a summer tournament wasn't best manger were not best pleased

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

When I had 11 from 1 team and a player from the benefiting team telling me my decision was wrong I did think 'yeh I must be wrong' but I had no ARs to chat to so I stuck by guns and awarded the goal. I thought it would look crap if I decided to go back and disallow it.

However in the past I have changed my decisions on throws/corners/goal kicks on the word of the defending side.

I think that's a different kettle of fish - it's not somebody who has certainty saying 'nah give it to them'. You're talking about somebody 50 yards away saying 'I think you got that wrong'. I'm sure we've all had cases where we've awarded a goal and even an attacking player says 'that was totally offside' - but we're not changing it there.

Although in your case it also sounds like you shouldn't have awarded the goal in the first place...........

 

[Kent Ref]

When the ball goes over the goal line and i'm not sure if the GK or defender nicked it i will walk up to them and say "did you touch it"? The reaction, before words are spoken, always gives you the answer.

 

[RustyRef]

When the ball goes over the goal line and i'm not sure if the GK or defender nicked it i will walk up to them and say "did you touch it"? The reaction, before words are spoken, always gives you the answer.

Risky, as if he says no and you give a corner anyway you are effectively accusing him of being a liar.

Safer option is "great save keeper". If he says thanks or just doesn't react in any way he knows he's saved it, if he starts kicking off saying he didn't touch it then I'd say there's a 99% chance that it is a goal kick (no keeper denies making a save ..!)

 

[zarathustra]

I was at MK Dons yesterday, and they had a free kick on the edge of the Gillingham penalty area.

Ball goes over the bar, it may have hit the wall, it's difficult to be certain from where I was sat, ref instantly gives a goal kick, until the MK Dons player run up to him and complain so he changes his decision to a corner.

I think that he was most likely correct to change his decision, and obviously he was correct in law to do so. But it the assistant hadn't flagged for a corner and had to run back down to the goal line to get into position, so I believe he thought it was a goal kick too.

The majority of the fans were unhappy that he only seemed to change his decision following protests from the attacking team.

 

[ref craig]

I always say if a player has come to run at you just give the original decision unless you know your wrong in law go with your original decision

 

[RustyRef]

I was at MK Dons yesterday, and they had a free kick on the edge of the Gillingham penalty area.

Ball goes over the bar, it may have hit the wall, it's difficult to be certain from where I was sat, ref instantly gives a goal kick, until the MK Dons player run up to him and complain so he changes his decision to a corner.

I think that he was most likely correct to change his decision, and obviously he was correct in law to do so. But it the assistant hadn't flagged for a corner and had to run back down to the goal line to get into position, so I believe he thought it was a goal kick too.

The majority of the fans were unhappy that he only seemed to change his decision following protests from the attacking team.

Assistant wouldn't flag against a decision the referee has made, but that doesn't mean he (or either of the other two officials) haven't given advice over the comms.

 

[Kent Ref]

Risky, as if he says no and you give a corner anyway you are effectively accusing him of being a liar.

Safer option is "great save keeper". If he says thanks or just doesn't react in any way he knows he's saved it, if he starts kicking off saying he didn't touch it then I'd say there's a 99% chance that it is a goal kick (no keeper denies making a save ..!)

I wouldn't signal for a corner or GK until after i had asked the question (if i thought there was a possibility the GK or defender touched it).

 

[Kent Ref]

I was at MK Dons yesterday, and they had a free kick on the edge of the Gillingham penalty area.

Ball goes over the bar, it may have hit the wall, it's difficult to be certain from where I was sat, ref instantly gives a goal kick, until the MK Dons player run up to him and complain so he changes his decision to a corner.

I think that he was most likely correct to change his decision, and obviously he was correct in law to do so. But it the assistant hadn't flagged for a corner and had to run back down to the goal line to get into position, so I believe he thought it was a goal kick too.

The majority of the fans were unhappy that he only seemed to change his decision following protests from the attacking team.

After seeing both penalty awards i think BOTH were not penalties. The Kettle boils again! Your thoughts?

 

[zarathustra]

After seeing both penalty awards i think BOTH were not penalties. The Kettle boils again! Your thoughts?

The one for MK Dons I'm not sure, it was right at the far end of the stadium, and I don't know whether the keeper got to the ball first.

The one for the Gills, I was sat to the left of the goal, so again I didn't get a good view, but it definitely looked soft to me at the time.

I haven't watched any highlights of the game so I've only seen them from the away stand.

I think the ref had a good game, maybe a couple of decisions looked questionable from where I was sat, but I forgot my binoculars, so anything down the far end of the pitch I could say either way.

I was impressed he picked Eaves up for his socks. Looks like he had cut the feet off of his socks and had those white sports socks on underneath, which we still visible, so the kick off was delayed slightly while Eaves got busy with red tape.

Assistant wouldn't flag against a decision the referee has made, but that doesn't mean he (or either of the other two officials) haven't given advice over the comms.

True, however, the assistant had moved away from the goal line towards the edge of the penalty area pretty sharpish, as if he were getting ready to watch the goal kick, and then had to hot foot it back down to the corner flag when the ref changed his decision.

Like I said, I think the right decision was reached in the end, it just looked a bit untidy with him seeming to change only after the MK players had whinged at him.