The Ref Stop

Junior/Youth What have I become, sending off an 11 year old!

DaveMac

DaveMac

RefChat Addict
Level 7 Referee
I have clearly been on here too much, as gave a red card to the youngest boy ever today. Stripes have the ball on the byline and cross it in. Yellows moaning it's gone out of play, I'm 99% sure it's in, yellow CAR doesn't flag and stripes score. Meaning stripes are 13-1 up with two minutes to go. Keeper then shouts from his goal to me by the centre circle "you've got crap eye site ref." Now I wasnt 100 % sure who shouted, it was between to lads so I walk towards them and said "is that acceptable language?" Defender looks sheepish and says it wasn't me, it's him pointing to the keeper. Ace decision made, out comes the red, and needless to say I wasnt Mr popular!
 
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Ooooooh now I'm not even sure I'd send off in OA for that and I'm quite strict on OFFINABUS. Orange for me.

You nasty nasty horrible human being :D

Did you get much stick for it? I bet the parents jaws simulatenously hit the floor?
 
Normally I could have ignored it, but it was the sheer level of effort he put into shouting it. From his goal and me on the centre circle, is in my opinion over the top and at that age I dont think they should be using any foul language in ear shot. Or if they humble to themselves and hear I'll make sure they are aware I heard it and keep it under control. But personally I'm not having an 11 year old shout at me like that.

The parents were quite shocked, but I honestly thought it would start a riot, but it didnt. I suppose the thing that helped is everyone heard it. A soft one yes, but certainly excessive in my opinion. The final whistle came a couple of minutes later and I'd already got my fee, so shook hands with the managers and just walked off!
 
I didn't pay attention to the distance bit! Quite right. If he's gone to that level of volume and effort to make sure you heard it then that's a bit OTT and probably deserved a walk.

Maybe as it was a technical dismissal you could have managed it eh ;) (hope you've seen the relevant thread! Tongue very much in cheek)
 
@HertsFinest it was he distance that made me react. As I say if he'd done it at a spoken volume to his mate I'd have trotted over and told him to keep his lip in check.

I have indeed seen that thread, I declare myself "out" early doors on something I read his blog about not wanting to ruin a players weekend by sending them off. I used to subscribe to that sort of theory. But I've completely changed over time, and think I'm a better referee for doing so.
 
Absolutely. Inconsistency only leads to lack of progression. You find following a more uniform approach means you can adapt and improve a lot easier and find your mistakes are clearer to you.

Much more enjoyable too :)
 
My attitude used to be that we were all there to have fun and enjoy ourselves. It often meant I'd come home after a bad game beat myself up about it, mainly because I was letting the abuse get to me. I'd try not to book or red card players at it would ruin their day, or that horror challenge probably was accidental, so I'd let it slide. Which meant I was coming home and not sleeping thinking I should have given this that or the other/ Now I'm of the thinking not everyone is there just for fun, people cross the line and take it too far sometimes. I'm not there to manage their enjoyment, I'm there to enforce the LOTG.

As such I'm no longer trying to please anyone, other than myself. I'm now coming off the pitch and much happier with myself. I might have everyone moaning at me, but knowing I'm refereeing within the laws set out then I've done my job. If the players, managers and spectators dont fully understand the laws or disagree with me then thats not really my problem. At the risk of sounding big headed, my understanding of the LOTG will be better than 80% of the people there. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but thats the point of appointing referees, so there games are officiated sort of correctly! By trying to stick to the letter of the law I'm not second guessing myself all the time. Of course I get things wrong, but I know I get things wrong with the best intentions and not bending and changing the rules to suit me. And it does make it so much more enjoyable!
 
I know, I used to be a nice ref. Now I'm that ref everyone rolls their eyes at as I make them move their freekick back two yards or call them back for kicking off before I've blown my whistle!
 
I sent off an 11 year old just before christmas for for SFP, was a poor tackle, and then binned the opposite manager at the same time
 
SM said:
lol you monster davemac!!
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I blame people like you on this forum for making me take this job too seriously and sending these poor children off. I should be a nice old chap and let them shout as they please and go home and play their playstation!
 
They will only go home and play FIFA on the play station while screaming sbuse at the virtual ref!
 
I think I'd've given a yellow for this, seems like he is reacting to a decision that even you said yourself you weren't 100% sure on. IMO. A yellow for dissent + a bollocking about him shouting at you may have done the trick.

However I am still that ref that tries to let everyone get on with it. Refchat hasn't changed me...yet ;)
 
McTavish said:
Bit cryptic Brian. Care to expand?
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Happily. If a grown man thinks an 11 year old questioning his eye sight from 50 yards is offensive, insulting or abusive, then it's time for me to leave football.

That sort of comment requires a long walk to the goalkeeper, going down on one knee and asking him what makes him think he can see better than you can when you're 50 yards closer is the way to deal with that.
 
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