A&H

Touching a player as a refere

The Referee Store
If that player had punched the referee after that, then really, the referee has no ground to stand on.
 

Very few referees ever lived who could get away with it. I doubt anyone on this forum is one of them :)
 
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I have no issue with players touching me or vice versa... But this is WAY WAY past the mark for me, no need whatsoever to become aggressive like that
 
CallumRushton13 said:
I have no issue with players touching me or vice versa... But this is WAY WAY past the mark for me, no need whatsoever to become aggressive like that
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Really?? Players should NEVER touch a referee IMO. Even the patronising 'arm round the shoulder' is out of order
 
HullRef said:
How come?
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The referee was pushing, disrespecting, and belittling the player. If the player had punched the referee, the referee can only blame himself. I don't really know the disciplinary matters behind such an event, but I imagine they will be seriously affected by the referee essentially instigating the physical action.

paulwfromtheden said:
Really?? Players should NEVER touch a referee IMO. Even the patronising 'arm round the shoulder' is out of order
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Depends on the context Paul... If there is a player who enjoys banter with the referee and we joke and smile here and then, I have no problem with an arm around my shoulder in a joking manner, as the relationship has been established. But of course, there is a limit to this, and you don't want to be seen to be favouriting a player / fooling for a players attempt to sweeten you up hoping you will be biased towards him.

If I have just cautioned a player for dissent and he tries to put his arm around me, he will be immediately, and sternly, warned to remove it, with a Collina stare, before I take further disciplinary action.

Of course, there is no need to comment on whether a player pushes etc a referee
 
drahc said:
The referee was pushing, disrespecting, and belittling the player. If the player had punched the referee, the referee can only blame himself. I don't really know the disciplinary matters behind such an event, but I imagine they will be seriously affected by the referee essentially instigating the physical action.
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I see what you mean, however apart from potentially causing problems later in the game, the referee hasn't acted out of order. He takes up an assertive posture and maintains it, yes he steps forward towards the player and instigates the physical contact, however his actions never appear threatening towards the player. We see thousands of times when referees are surrounded by players after their decisions and most walk backwards or away from it, this referee has shown he will not back away.
If this came up at a disciplinary hearing because the player had punched him, with this footage, I don't think that it would have any affect on the outcome.
 
The referee is acting in a confrontational manner towards the player, which could very easily have led to violence. Poor form
 
That player is getting too close and is about to invade the refs personal space. The ref handled it as he felt by stepping forward and it worked. Player was faced down and walked away.

Would I do that? Nobody has ever gotten that close to me. :) gotta have balls in this business I guess.
 
Player is the aggressor all day long in this, although I certainly wouldn't recommend this approach.
I stand my ground and any contact with me will be dealt with, never happened once
 
SM said:
That player is getting too close and is about to invade the refs personal space. The ref handled it as he felt by stepping forward and it worked. Player was faced down and walked away.

Would I do that? Nobody has ever gotten that close to me. :) gotta have balls in this business I guess.
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Remind Mr Williams, how tall are you?
 
He dealt with it how he saw fit. However I wonder if the player receive a card at all as if I felt the need to take such action against a player then they must be committing some sort of offence in the first place.
 
I'm a bit late on this one, and for me touching between ref and player is fine as long as it is not overly aggressive.

In my case, I will sometimes touch a player on the forearm while giving them a stern talking to or trying to calm them down. It's something I've always done with friends and family and it is in no way inappropriate. Players often do this to me as well and it is no problem whatsoever. In the video, yes that's over the top as the referee is a bit aggressive but at that level maybe it is considered fair. Plus there's no context on what's gone before in that game.

One thing that has annoyed me for years, is when referee's back away while players "chase" after them. A little bit of moving away to get space is fine, but the ref must stand his ground in the end...
 
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