It’s been a few years since I hung up the referee’s shoes, socks, shorts, jersey, cards, score sheet, watch and whistle. It was lots of fun, if you can ever call at least one team and their supporters yelling and hurling abuse at you fun.
I was never one of those jerk referees who took great joy in the handing out of cards and the arrogant sending off of players, to then go and compare notes with your referee friends as to how many cards you got to give out this week.
And I tend to avoid talking about refereeing decisions, as the referees generally do okay and know a lot more than those making ill-informed comments on websites.
But I decided to talk about this incident from the Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar contest on Friday night – in which Brisbane’s Besart Berisha was red carded for a challenge on Seb Ryall, who received a yellow card for retaliating – because I think it’s important that people understand why decisions were made and why this one was wrong.
One of the commentators on the TV coverage for the game said, “That’s a yellow card. It’s not a red. That’s a terrible, terrible decision by the referee. And we see too many of them. He did dive in but [a tackle like that is] never a red card.”
The commentator was right. And here’s why.
What are the circumstances in which a player is cautioned for unsporting behaviour?
Well, it occurs if a player commits in a reckless manner “one of the seven offences that incur a direct free kick”.
The laws of the game state that a “direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following seven offences in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force: kicks or attempts to kick an opponent; trips or attempts to trip an opponent; jumps at an opponent; charges an opponent; strikes or attempts to strike an opponent; pushes an opponent; tackles an opponen.t”
Thus the case can be made that both Ryall and Berisha kicked and tripped an opponent in a careless and reckless manner.
What do these terms mean? Careless means “that the player has shown a lack of attention or consideration when making a challenge or that he acted without precaution”. The award of a direct free kick is necessary if a challenge is only careless.
“’Reckless’ means that the player has acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent A player who plays in a reckless manner must be cautioned.”
The difference in the initial challenge is that Ryall goes around the ball with his tag first left foot and it goes into Berisha’s leg. His tags are up and his challenge went for the player more than the ball.
Conversely, if you look at Berisha all the way to the challenge he is aiming for the ball. And he pulls back the left leg to minimise the damage to the other player.
However, both players in this challenge acted in a careless and reckless manner by disregarding the danger to and consequences for the opponent . Both players jump in at the ball with insufficient care and concern for the other player. Both players connect with the other player.
To be fair, both seem to be going for the ball. But this is not relevant, as the reckless behaviour of both could easily result in severe injury of the other.
Thus in this case, the appropriate remedy was for the referee to decide that both players’ challenge was a careless and reckless kicking and tripping of an opponent, so both should have been shown a yellow card for the initial challenge.
Importantly, both were trying to play the ball, but in doing so threatened injury to someone. By playing in a dangerous manner where there is physical contact involved, it becomes an offence punishable with a direct free kick or penalty kick.
In the case of physical contact, the referee should carefully consider the high probability that misconduct has also been committed.
The disciplinary sanctions are clear. “If a player plays in a dangerous manner in a ‘normal’ challenge, the referee should not take any disciplinary action. If the action is made with obvious risk of injury, the referee should caution the player”.
It’s only in a case where a player “denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by playing in a dangerous manner” that the referee should send off the player.
A tackle only warrants a send-off if the player has not just exceeded the necessary use of force in a tackle but far exceeded it and because of the excessive force is in danger of injuring his opponent.
While a player who uses excessive force must be sent off, a player is guilty of serious foul play only “if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball when it is in play”.
The only player in the tackle who it could be argued “lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent” and thus is “guilty of serious foul play” could be Ryall.
And I do not even find that argument convincing, let alone that Berisha was guilty of that.
Ryall’s unwarranted assault on Berisha after the challenge was a textbook case of violent conduct, which is a red card.
After the tackle, Ryall gets up and shoves/punches Berisha in the head, which ends up in Broich’s knee, through no fault of Berisha or Broich. This was common, uncalled for, unprovoked assault for which there is no excuse and the rules could not be clearer on how to treat it.
Violent conduct is an offence that demands a red card be given if awarded.
“A player is guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball.” He did and he no longer was.
Ryall should have been sent off. Berisha should not have been.
Hugo
Guest
I am sorry to say that I couldn't disagree with this more. The decision to send Berisha off is a great one, and Ryall received the caution that he deserved. I too am a referee and am well aware of the laws. Especially when you look at the side on angle, Berisha lunges towards Ryall and the ball with his studs exposed and then extends his leg before landing. Though contact is minimal, the challenge clearly "endangers the safety of the opponent" (Ryall) and could have broken his leg had more contact occurred. The commentators words on how the referee should "hang his head in shame" are completely out of order and totally unfair given that the decision was taken correctly. You can even here the commentator reconsidering his opinion after watching the side-on replay, as he says that it looks worse in slow motion (which is untrue, it simply shows the level of intent)
Thomas
Guest
This is a clear signal to all those types of players like Berisha. The referee carefully considered his decision He took into account that Berishas tackle was way more aggressive then the other guys. And then pretending he was hit by a truck is just dirty. I'm german (Berishe played in Hamburg years back) and we are having a big problem with unfair players. The game gets interrupted every 2 min because somebody is rolling on the floor acting like they got shot or stabbed. Every touch by the opponent player they use to fall and bend in fake pain. Okay the game gets faster and the players need more breaks, but please not in this direction. I's up to the referee to punish unsportive behaviour on the pitch and that's what he did. THis is the first decision like this I see and I hope this is the start to a fairer football. Cheer
Arto
Guest
@ Da' Hehehe! Good call on the injuries in stadium tunnels!! ;-) I think we have essentially the same understanding of what happened and have come to different conclusions as to whether it merits a red-card (for Berisha) or not. Let's face it, the luck of the draw went with SFC in this episode as Berisha got a red-card (he could have escaped with a yellow if another ref was running the game) and Ryall only got a yellow-card (likewise). Sometimes these things happen. The best debates are when people can have 2 different points of view and still be happy to hold them afterwards! Keep on contributing to The Roar, as I'm sure I'll keep commenting too! Cheers! :-)
Da`
Roar Rookie
Da`
Roar Rookie
No worries, Hanish Alcom. It's an easy mistake to make.
Da`
Roar Rookie
Hey mate. I am indeed a Roar fan. I suspect that your right that our differing conclusions do flow from our differing interpretations of the rules... and possibly allegiances, though that's always hard to tell. ;-) Good description and analysis above, though obviously we came to different conclusions on this one. I do agree with you that Berisha is at fault (having watched it over and over again myself, I would have given the free kick against him and given him a yellow), yet disagree that it warrants a red. However this is not to say that Ryall isn't at fault also. Ryall was closer than Berisha. An he was (just) first to the ball. These are the things in his favour. However, his studs out into Berisha’s leg are not in his favour, as is the fact that he also lunged into the tackle, and the fact that unlike Berisha, he seems to be paying more attention to the player than the ball. The facts that you list are detailed and essentially correct. You mention though that as far as actual contact goes, "Berisha makes almost none whatsoever". This is relevant to mention, as it seems Berisha pulls out of the tackle and folds up his left leg so as to minimise damage rather than cause damage to his opponent, which is relevant in determining sanctions. Similarly, the fact that "both players were both able to move unhibited directly after contact showed that contact was not so much that either player was in pain" would argue that the contact was not so serious as to merit a red. You're probably right that to the referee "Berisha’s jumping up with both feet looks a lot worse than Ryall’s sliding lunge". I'm just not sure that his judgment of a red based on that appearance was right. I'm also interested as to what Ryall was given the yellow for, as it was unclear as to whether it was for the initial challenge or the retaliation. I freely admit that the referee in charge of the game was a far higher quality ref than I ever was, but I have the advantage of watching replays on my TV set. Not as good for my fitness I know, but helpful in these situations :) As such, maybe I give Berisha too much credit but I don't think he just happened to be 'lucky' and 'missed' with his tackle. I think he tried to get to the ball first, realised he would fail and went into harm minimisation mode. I would have given the free against him, but don't think it merited a red. Besides the only injuries I know of that Berisha gives out is in stadium tunnels :P
Da`
Roar Rookie
+1
Da`
Roar Rookie
Well, finally an author response for you! As many of the contributors above have argued, alot of the problems in interpreting particular incidents is that different referees can interpret things differently. So, in spite of the title of my article above, I would have been fine with a yellow for both or a red for Ryall (given the violent retaliation) and a yellow for Berisha. You're right. Ryall was closer than Berisha. An he was (just) first to the ball. These are the things in his favour. However, his studs out into Berisha's leg are not in his favour, as is the fact that he also lunged into the tackle, and the fact that unlike Berisha, he seems to be paying more attention to the player than the ball. Perhaps why he goes around the ball studs up into Berisha. Berisha does lunge in initially carelessly and probably recklessly, so the free kick and a yellow should go against him. However after the initial lunge he folds his left leg under so as to not cause injury to his opponent and he seeks to go away from Ryall towards the ball. The Berisha-Ryall challenge was not a two-footed challenge by Berisha, despite wide reporting of this – his right foot is away, his left foot under his legs cf. Ryall who puts his left foot around the ball studs up. The only studs up in the Berisha-Ryall challenge were Ryall's into Berisha as Berisha's studs up were facing away from Ryall. Both players go for the ball, not head on or even side on. Both jumped towards the ball. So I don't accept it was entirely Berisha's fault. The difference in the initial challenge is that Ryall goes around the ball with his tag first left foot and it goes into Berisha's leg. His tags are up and his challenge went for the player more than the ball. Conversely, if you look at Berisha all the way to the challenge he is aiming for the ball. And he pulls back the left leg to minimise the damage to the other player.
Dan
Guest
Slater was right - poor decision. That was a yellow at most and I see tackles like that in every game go unpunished. Berisha doesn't connect with 2 feet - he jumps,lands and then slides .Just as much chance of injury as any tackle in any game Why he has to sit out a week for that is beyond me, the automatic suspension has to be warranted.
Arto
Guest
@ clayts: I'm an SFC fan and so I can admit my perspective is clouded by that - however, in the interest of debate I'm trying to be as neutral as possible. I'm applying the situation as if it were 2 other teams involved... You are quite right to point out that Ryall could have been sent off - and SFC fans shouldn't really complain if he had. When you raise your hands to an opponent you always run the risk of the ref viewing it as violent conduct and therefore a red-card offence. But I disagree with your assertion that Ryall dived in with his studs showing - his studs only face towards Berisha after he makes contact with the ball in an attempt to control it via hooking his leg around it. Ryall is clearly first to the ball so his studs aren't showing towards Berisha's leg or any other body part...
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
@Clayts---If you watch the video closely, Ryall actually makes contact with the ball ahead of Bersha, so no fault can be contributed to Ryall except for an understandable retaliation. Look and see Ryall does not even make contact with Berisha's head there after---it was Broich who does---accidentally maybe, but the collision that caused Berisha's extraordinary Oscar winning performance on the field of play, which was just short of Tom Hank's Oscar winning performance in 'Private Ryan' was just laughable. Btw I have seen more blood gushing out of an annoying mosquito when I recently crushed one on my wrist.
clayts
Guest
regardless of what Broich did, Ryall shoved Berisha, causing injury. People seem to forget that Berisha came off the ground with blood gushing from his head. If Ryall doesn't shove him, he doens't get injured. When i saw it in fast motion, I thought Ryall would be sent for retaliating in a violent manner. When i was playing football plenty of guys were sent off for retaliation. There is a grey are there in what actually constitutes 'violent conduct' but I thought the referee was well within his rights to send Ryall off also. Ryall dived in too with studs showing, but all anyone WANTS to see is Berisha being sent off, so the 'orange coloured galsses' you speak of are hardly relevant when in this case, especcially including yourself, everyone else has sky-blue (formerly yellow-blue) coloured glasses on
Arto
Guest
@ Ian: Can you stop playing the "victim" line? Ok, so you agree with the author & fadida doesn't... How about simplying discussing the incident rather than having a whinge about how your opinion allegedly doesn't count? I disagree with the author, and I've explained why below. You agree with the author, why? So far I don't think I've read anything in your comments which actually explains why you agree. It's simply been defending either yourself or the author's right to have an opinion - which is great for debating democracy, but doesn't really work in a football opinion website...
Arto
Guest
@ Batou: I think Broich was going for the ball (as it richotted off Berisha behind Ryall after Ryall first got to the ball in his tackle) & wasn't interested in Ryall - he just tripped (& falls then onto Ryall) as Berisha's face collides with his knee after Ryall's push to the shoulders/upper chest... The contact involving Broich is purely coincidental in both cases...
Hamish Alcorn
Guest
Ryan, Ryall... you know, whatever. Truly, there's no excuse and my apologies to the player for getting his name so wrong.
Arto
Guest
Don't you mean Robbie Slater?? Andy Harper wasn't calling the game for Fox Sports was he? As far as I know, SBS & Fox Sports share the commentary & video and then package the rest as fits their regular coverage otherwise (ie: Craig Foster in the SBS studio, Adam Peacock, Mark Bosnich & Mark Rudan in the Fox Sports studio)...
Arto
Guest
@ Bill: What change of direction from Ryall are you talking about?? He doesn't change direction at all. He hooks his legs towards Berisha and the ball, but that's to control the ball whilst sliding as most players do in slide tackles. He connects with Berisha's thigh because Berisha slides his leading leg underneath Ryall's. Berisha's main contact was with his inside left leg on Ryall's outside/back right leg. I think you've got orange-coloured glasses as you're portraying Berisha as a saint, which he clearly is not - he's got form for having brain-explosions and getting aggressive, so I'm not sure why you should be so shocked people think he's had another one. As for Ryall, yeah, he probably should've been sent off for retaliating, so the ref isn't entirely without blame here either...
Arto
Guest
+1 - except for the angry reaction from Ryall. I know it's heat of the moment stuff, but imagine he had gotten a red: we wouldn't be here debating the fairness of Berisha's red now, we'd be commenting on how slow SFC play and why they are no match for teams like Roar that play at a fast pace... Players need to allow the ref to hand out the justice and then respect his decision more - yes, they make mistakes, but the players do too, otherwise you wouldn't need a ref in the middle!! ;-)
Hamish Alcorn
Guest
Refs make calls. We need refs and the fact is that without replays refs don't see everything so we have to accept they don't get them all right. So criticising the ref as such is off my agenda. The question is, according to the rules of the game, with several angles of video evidence to peruse, did the ref get it right? It's an enjoyable academic question. Now, when I watch and rewatch this video (in response to reading all the above mostly), watching each angle at least three times - once watching one player, then one watching the other just as closely, then a third to see how it comes together, I am making an assumption - a philosophical one actually - that when I watch this video I am seeing essentially the same images as every other person who watches the video. In this case, given the variety of 'observations', I'm having difficulties sustaining the assumption. This calls into great existential question my whole life but I'll leave that aside too. The ball into open space comes off a turning kick from Besart. At that point both players see the ball and, about equidistant from it, go for the ball. No one can blame either of them but of course Bes is making the ball his business because he put it there. Both players at this point are of course determined to get the ball. If no one was there the studs up thing would go unnoticed, but there's no way either could be unaware of the other. This next observation is crucial: both players leave the ground at almost precisely the same moment, studs up going for the ball. Many above who feel Bes's tackle in itself was definitely a red, if they watch Ryan as carefully and decided that consistency was a good thing, would make the identical call that Ryan too must get a red, for precisely the same reasons. Ryan got the ball first, but at that point actually appears by his face to be gong for Berisha in the follow through. I have heard top amateur players boast about such techniques of fouling whilst appearing to obey the rules, and given the two guys were already under each other's skin, I can't help suspecting there was a bit of that in Ryan's follow through. It's in the attention of his face and eyes and then, indeed, his immediate push on Berisha, utterly disregarding the ball, before the whistle went. Applying the same careful observation of Berisha, there is a clear moment where he realises Ryan has beat him to the ball and he pulls his leg - to no avail as Ryan seems intent on contacting with it. At no point until the shove does Berisha appear to be minding anything at all except the ball. He's going for it again at the point he gets shoved. Contact with Broich's knee can hardly be blamed on anyone, not directly anyway (of course Ryan did push him, but he wasn't meaning for it to be hurtfull). Getting a knee in the nose... um... hurts. Like a lot. Berisha may have tried to bleed the situation as it continued but I think his initial response was absolutely real. Try getting smashed in the face and keeping your cool about it. Anyway, that's what I see.
Arto
Guest
+1!!! Well said about the constant arguing with the refs - other sports which are just as heated or intense manage to cut it out, football should try harder to do it too!!