Ask me about being a FIFA-certified soccer referee

[MicroBob]

nc - this is only SOME soccer players. Not all.
Many soccer fans are annoyed by these tactics too.


Regarding the offside stuff. I played a game a couple years ago where their top scorer was kind of kneeling/catching his breath after an attack on our goal. He was about 20 yds offside when they stole the ball at midfield so he made sure to just be walking casually back and not make any attempt to be a part of the play at all.

Attacking team then launches the ball towards our goal and it bounces somewhere in front of the 18 about a mile high. Our semi-incompetent goalie only half-heartedly calls for it and I back-off thinking he's going to take it. But he still muffs it...it deflects off him and the out-of-the-play player is able to step in and deflect it into the goal.

As I said, there is zero question about his offside position. It was by about 20 yds when the ball was struck. The asst-referee who made that call says he wasn't involved in the play. Our argument was, "How can he not be in the play when he scored the freaking goal?!?!"

Our fault for all looking at each other assuming the play would be whistled dead though. I don't think I would have had a chance of getting back there to stop it but I'll never know since I didn't even try.

This ref wears glasses and has had a history of being absolutely horrible. I'm not even sure this was the worst call we've had from him so I just have a tough time accepting his explanation as opposed to some of the other refs in this league who are really sharp.

Anyway, what generally should happen in a situation like this where a lazily walking player has the ball come to his general direction but he doesn't play it until after it deflects off a defending player?

[MicroBob]

Also...I guess I'm curious about the signalling for throw-in's.
I don't think they are required to do it on totally obvious situations where the ball isn't deflected or something because I just see too many situations where one team picks it up and throws without any direction.

We had a play where the other team kicked the ball a little out of bounds. Maybe by 2 or 3 feet. It was just sitting there. Everyone backed off and was preparing for the throw-in.
Our guy runs over and picks up the ball to throw it in and they whistle him for a handball because the asst-ref was too lazy to make his way up the line to actually be able to see the play.
I was stunned that the ref didn't overturn the call since it was completely obvious that the ball was out-of-bounds and neither team was even making an attempt to kick the ball. Both teams were racing into position for the throw-in.

So....if you are the ref in this game and aren't able to get a good look at the ball across the line but can clearly see that Team A was acting like they had kicked it out-of-bounds and Team B was responding in kind would you consider reversing a weird hand-ball call like that?
Or would you be forced to let such a call stand even though all logic told you it was incorrect because you yourself didn't actually see the ball across the line since it's kind of hard to tell from the middle of the pitch obviously?

Just curious on this one. I wasn't really sure whether to blame the ref on not reversing this call or not since he wasn't supposed to be the one to be in position to make such a call in the first place.

To follow up...our guy who got whistled for the handball then spiked the ball in disgust and it bounced about a mile into the air and somehow he didn't get a yellow for it which left me equally surprised.

[MicroBob]

On the pay:

The refs in the rec-leagues in Memphis split $110 if there are three of them.
I think the pay is 50/35/35. Usually they ref in doubleheaders and take turns on who is in center.

The coaches of each team have to bring $55 cash which is collected before each match.

[stakman1011]

Micro-

I'm not as highly qualified as OP although I have refereed probably 500 matches.

The answer to your last question is indisputably that he should be whistled for off sides.

If he was in an offsides position when the ball was struck, and his being in that position led to his team gaining an advantage (a goal!) he is guilty of offside.

Good thread, btw.

[HajiShirazu]

How much would you have to be paid to be in on a fix for a game? Do you know anyone who has ever done this or that you have suspected of doing so? Italian football was rigged, do you think this goes on a lot in other leagues? And how much do you think an official COULD influence a game if he was trying to do so without being totally obvious?

[ncboiler]

[ QUOTE ]
nc - this is only SOME soccer players. Not all.
Many soccer fans are annoyed by these tactics too.




[/ QUOTE ]

Didn't say all dude. But it happens a lot.

[JaredL]

cognito,

You're an international referee? As in, including centers and ARs there are 24 from the US? Pretty impressive.

edit: ok evidently not. Somewhat misleading though not factually incorrect title.

Firstly, how did you build up enough games to get through the USSF tiers? I never made it above the entry level, though I was a ref in a 100K or so town and not a ton of games counted. The number of games required are incredible. Did you at some point take a lot of time off another job to build up the time?

I was a ref for a while as an undergrad (actually from about 13 to then). At the time I met Kevin Stott at a local tournament. He was basically brought in for us (well not really me, but more the guys trying to move up in USSF and that do NISOA) to talk to and he centered a couple games. The main difference between him and even the top refs in the group from what I could tell were his level of control and how well he got his point across through his whistle, gestures and cards. I remember him giving someone a yellow for a pretty harsh challenge and he hammered the whistle hard and his gestures were very strong and it was obvious that he would have none of that stuff. He said he got a lot better at that side from officiating games with non-English speaking teams.

What do you think the biggest difference is between these top referees and the top local guys in places like Portland and Seattle?

Also, I'd love to hear some behind the scenes type stories on some of these international referees.

edit: ok reading the other stuff, you aren't one of these top dudes but are more like one of the top people in some place like Portland or whatever. The questions are still reasonable from that angle.

[JaredL]

[ QUOTE ]
I have refereed probably 500 matches.

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

off sides


[/ QUOTE ][ QUOTE ]
an offsides position

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

(sorry this is easily my biggest pet peeve)

[jstnrgrs]

In your opinion, what, if any, changes should be made to the rules of soccer?

[Jay Riall]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What is the biggest game you have ever reffed?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hartlepool United U-19s of England

[/ QUOTE ]

Lol all credibility goes out of the window here. You may aswell have reffed junior high tbh.