By far the easiest scapegoat in soccer is the referee and his assistants. I have never quite understood this, why do we blame it all on the individual who has been educated and tested on the laws of the game? Usually we find that the parents and the coaches are not familiar with the rules and they become upset when the referee enforces them. (by law you cannot tug on another player’s jersey as it can be considered a form of holding, as the level of play becomes more competitive it is considered trifling and is not called unless it impedes progress or is done in a reckless manner) It progresses through the match to become referee bashing, a sport in it’s self among many parents and coaches.

I try and visit the fields anytime I am at another organization and am amazed at how many parents and coaches (who not familiar with the rules) berate the referee because they made a perfectly legitimate call against their team! One example that I witness over and over is where child A falls down (on their own) and knocks child B (who has the ball) down. Yes, it is a foul, by knocking player B down player A has disrupted their progress with the ball. No, it was not intentional. It IS a foul and IS a good call. Another common example is team A plays the ball forward. It hits a player from Team B on the arm but is quickly recovered by team A who maintains their attack. There is not a foul called because there was no intent from the player on team B and team A maintained possession , possibly gaining and advantage because the player on team B immediately tied to become inconspicuous. Parents and coaches alike start in on the referee about “calling it even” even though they maintained possession!

There are several levels of “punishment” solely determined by the severity of the incident. (from changing sides on a throw in to a red card) You can get a yellow card AND a free kick in the same play. (I once had a forward charge me on a ball that was clearly mine, I floored him and got the yellow for the raised knee, I also got the kick because he charged the keeper) There is a difference in incidental contact and intent. There is always the advantage to be measured. Sometimes the referee holds the whistle because they think the advantage will develop and it does not but it is better to let them play then to stop on every ticky possible foul. It is the referee’s job to insure the normal flow of the game, not to disrupt it.

Most referees are under the age of 18, performing us an invaluable service in the form of a once or twice a week physically and mentally demanding part time job. I also need to add that referees must purchase their own equipment and uniforms, it is not supplied for them and takes many weeks to pay for this on the wages they earn PER GAME. They have little or no interest in WHO wins the game and would rather NOT have to call fouls because it takes away from playing time during the game. Fouls are a part of the game of soccer and should be accepted. Refereeing is not an easy job to do BEFORE parents and coaches start yelling, especially about things that the referee is right about.

In the end unless the referee calls the penalty kick that determines the outcome of an otherwise tied game they have probably not impacted the game, and even then who is to say that you team has not missed several easy scoring opportunities during the course of the game? If you continually hear whistles during the game pay attention and see if it is the same player or if the same action is occurring each time. Shoulder tackles require arms to the side, if you see elbows high or the arm continually going in front or behind the other player it is a foul. Anytime you can see the bottom of a pair of cleats it is probably dangerous play. These are two common examples. They are also COACHING ISSUES, not referee issues. How much time do you spend on proper tackling? How much time do you spend on chest and thigh traps and headers, developing the entire team as players instead of spending all of your time on the one or two “stars” on the team? Do you correct these things at the next practice or do you scrimmage or “practice offense” with your defense and goalkeeper standing in the same spot most of practice?

Having said that: If you have a referee who is constantly on the whistle and is an obvious force in the game make mention of it to the DCSA head referee in a diplomatic manner. They will take the proper action. The field is not the place to do it, especially when you are supposed to be a positive role model for your parents and players during a game. I have always suggested to the coaches who complain about the refereeing to go ahead and certify, show us all how easy it really is. I have played most of my life and have coached since 1985 and I STILL want no part of refereeing! HOME