I’ll admit that I’m typically scathing towards the men in the middle. I’ve dished out more than an appropriate share of verbal volleys over the years.
Sarcastic applause is the only type of gratitude I’ve ever displayed. But a weekend epiphany has given me a new decree.
I had gone to watch a couple of my mates play their final game of the season in the lower-lower-lower divisions of park football, somewhere out in the depths of Western Sydney suburbia. My mates, who for the sake of this recount, play for the ‘Blues’, promise me fireworks – they were up against their direct rivals (the ‘Whites’) for the last spot in the semis.
It’s ten minutes before kick-off though and the referee still hasn’t made an appearance. The sidelines are canvased for a willing volunteer. I’m offered the job, but I swiftly say no. I’m here to enjoy a lazy afternoon of dustbowl football, not to see myself become the enemy.
But just as the search begins to border on desperate, I have an uncharacteristic change of heart. This could well be my chance, I think to myself, to validate my criticisms of referees; to show the rotating cast of mistake-makers how easy things can be.
I take the rusted netball whistle on offer, and even despite having no linesman to support me, I’m supremely confident of delivering a performance worthy of genuine applause.
As both teams run through their pre-match warm-ups and routines, I take a moment to ponder what type of referee I’d like to be.
Will I rule with an infallible iron fist, seising every chance to needlessly stamp my hubris on the game?
Perhaps I’ll take the collegial approach, attempting to win over affections by engaging in playful banter and calling players by their first names.
Or maybe I’ll play the role of the silent deflector; the stone-cold, steely-faced official who isn’t capable of small talk, providing explanations or showing any signs of enjoyment whatsoever.
Buoyed by this foreign sense of authority, I oversee the first half with swashbuckling aplomb. I’m not called upon too often, but when I am, my calls are clear and my hand gestures textbook. The score is locked at 0-0 after a very mild-mannered opening stanza.
The cosmic balance must’ve been ruptured during the interval, because the second half is a hellish firestorm of testosterone. The turning point comes almost immediately after the restart.
The Blues have the ball camped in the Whites box when a heavy touch gives way to a Herculean clearance by a Whites defender. It catapults over halfway, providing the bait for a lone foot-race between striker and stopper. In the midst of the joust, the Whites striker tumbles to the ground, just as he was appearing to gain the advantage.
At this moment, I’m still some 40 yards away from the incident. The old adage says the ball moves quicker than you, and it’s seemingly amplified when you’re the one with the whistle.
It would’ve been impossible for me get in a position to make the perfect call, and so I act on instinct and wave play on. But I’m soon surrounded by a circle of burning eyes and gnashing teeth that make me question whether I’ve made the right decision.
They’re screaming in unison, just inches from my face, and I literally have to wade through a wall of arms and shoulders to get back to the game. In reality, I could’ve easily sent at least three of them off but I’m keen to avoid escalating things beyond repair.
It doesn’t work though, because every call thereafter is met with a venomous whine or scoff, and I’m second-guessing myself more and more with every passing second.
Even the most obvious of calls are met with unanimous disdain by the Whites. It’s a twisted phenomenon – you’re made to feel at fault for things that you have no bearing on. I reassure myself that I’m being completely impartial, but the cries of the mob work their way into my conscience.
We’re into the last minute of stoppage time when a Whites defender upends a Blues player in the box. There’s minimal contact, though enough to justify a penalty. I blow the whistle.
The same circle of players gravitates to me once again.
While this part of the country is well noted as a breeding ground for some of our most revered talent, I’d also argue that it’s equally skilled at producing some of the most colourful phrases you’re likely to ever hear.
I’m slapped with insults that I’ve never heard before. They’re certainly creative; I’ll give them that. The penalty will be the last kick of the game and so I choose to keep the cards in my pocket once more, desperate not to antagonise a situation that threatens to spill into dangerous territory.
It’s more difficult this time round though; I have to peel their grips away from my body.
Somehow, it calms enough for the penalty to be taken. It’s scored. The Blues win and qualify for the semis. The Whites don’t. They’re pissed. And they let me know it.
It’s been nearly a week since the game, but I’m still replaying things over in my head. And that’s even without the looming dread of having to face the media or a review panel.
And it’s surfaced an idea that I’ve always harboured deep down – referees are human, very human. They’re perfectly susceptible to the natural forces of intimidation and pressure and doubt just as much as any.
What’s more, refereeing is a job where you’re only likely to satisfy 50 per cent of the people you’re servicing. That takes courage and a hardiness found in few.
So this weekend, spare a thought for the man in black.
And remember: there’s a good chance that he loves the game just as much as you do.
Anthony Ferguson
Guest
Good article and some good comments. I'm generally happy with the way the game is run, but its always good to keep evolving and improving. To this end, things like passive offside, no passbacks to the keeper, and goalline technology are all great improvements. A couple more I would like to see are: Simulation - 1st offence yellow, 2nd offence red card. Surrounding the ref and abusing him/her or even loudly disputing a call - 1st offense yellow, 2nd offence red card. Implement that from the top level down and players would soon cut it out.
Kyle Stewart
Roar Pro
This sounds a bit ridiculous, your a volunteer ref, straight away you have to be casual and its my understanding an unofficial ref cant give cards. You wonder why they are going off at you? the way you've put it your a volunteer ref, reffing a one-sided game damn staright i'd be giving you an earful. Was a good read however
clayts
Guest
Agree, but from day 1 of learning how to play football when you're 3, you are taught that the referee's decision is final and backchat was a BIG no-no. Well when I started playing, this is how it went at least. Referees will make errors, see things differently to players and fans (and cameras, and slow motion replays) but they should be 100% off limits to swearing and intimidatory abuse in my opinion. That is why it is so sad that some dude volunteering his time to help out in a park football match is afraid to brandish a red card, which would be quite acceptable give the actual rules of the game. The whole reason players in the lower leagues (and the juniors) do it though, is because they see players on TV doing it. If it is ok for the EPL, it's ok for them I guess. And that's fair logic too I think, which is why it needs to change from the top. Interestingly, I think AFL is actually much better at this. You never see players crowd the umpire after a decision, ever. It takes way less abuse to result in a 50m penalty (they can't hand out yellows/reds) as well. I know there is the advantage rule that helps there but still, you never see a ref having to wade through a group of grown men yelling at him from about 2cm away. Just saying
Anthony Ferguson
Guest
So true and well written. When I played I gave the poor referees hell. Now I'm old and have refereed for eight years I see how wrong I was. Most refs at amateur levels are fans and ex players with loads of experience. We are completely impartial and have no interest in who wins. We just try and uphold the rules with a modicum of common sense. Above all, refs are human and we do make mistakes. I estimate that in 8 seasons of refereeing I've made about 8 incorrect decisions. One a season over 40-50 games. Unfortunately you can't correct them afterwards.
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
I refereed in my local district for 5 years. It was an experience to say the least. I was still playing at the time so I felt I had a better grip on the game. Mainly it allowed me to be able to determine an accidental collision from a deliberate trip and the like. I always saw myself as tough but fair. I'd been in their position many times before, where you feel you've been given a dud call but the referee has got it right. The one thing I always established at the start of the match was respect and authority and those referees are the best referees. They get their calls correct and they stamp out any heated arguments that may arise. I didn't send many players off in those five years. Considering I'd covered probably 200 games or more, I think I'd sent six players off. Really, if you're a good referee, you shouldn't have to send a large number of players off. I can tell you that the major send offs, in local competitions at least, were for aggressive behaviour and swearing. Both of those can be managed by the referees, albeit not completely avoidable all the time. But I'd really like referees to stamp out the complaining by the players. They have the ability to issue a caution for dissent, I'd like to see it used more often.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Hahaha! Great article Domenic. Brought back a flood of memories. I've known a few refs over the years and they can be a special breed - the best ones (for park football at least) just didn't take any crap, were on their game and seemed to have good memories to point out the running score on who did what to who. Park football can seem to be in a parallel universe at times. We had a couple of teams over the years where you hoped a ref would turn up. Of course that rarely happened so some poor sod would be dragged out if no club steward was free, wide-eyed like the proverbial bunny in the headlights. These teams always looked to push the rules and see what they could get away with from the first whistle. All hell broke lose when the first free kick went against them. An entirely new sport would evolve within half an hour as they would forget the ball even existed. One team in particular was a worry as they would bring half the town along with them, who were even more eager to participate on the field, but a previous ban just left them with their toes over the sideline, hurling abuse verbally and biologically. God is was good to thrash those cretins every time. :twisted:
Griffo
Roar Guru
Agree. At one point it was starting to get out of hand and then there was a crackdown but it's drifted back again to crowding in an jostling the ref. I think for the big tournaments where cards can heavily influence a game there is a tendancy to be a bit more lenient (it seemed that way in Brazil) but when you are taught to respect the referee, seeing it occur at the top of the game just undoes any work around this area.
bryan
Guest
The rules of sport are deliberately written to include grey areas. Otherwise the sport would be boring, and there would be nothing to discuss, and we would all be watching tennis/Golf. And as a society, we celebrate the players who can push those grey areas the furthest or gain the greatest advantage. Therefore, before the ball is even kicked, the refs are at a disadvantage. The other part main disadvantage for refs is a simple expectations. We expect refs to get it right 100% of the time. But as the sports all speed up, and the replays slow down, they are more and more unlikely to get it right. Why do we allow players to make 10+ errors a match and the refs none? Players drop the ball all the time, miss tackles and other such errors. Its only when there is 30-40 of these errors in a game that they are pillared. 80% goal kicking ability? That's fine. But a single ref error? ding ding ding, round 1.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Rarely agree with you haha but couldn't agree more in this regard. In my opinion, the only person questioning (at least beyond the initial "what the......?") and approaching the referee should be the captain. It's funny that the best teams seem to pressure the ref the best as well.
clayts
Guest
Great article. It highlights one of my main gripes with the game over the years - the fact that players are allowed to run towards and encircle a referee, yelling at him and most likely insulting him after a decision is made. It's any wonder participants in park football (as the author) points out, and kids (as an above poster alluded to) do it though. They see it being done live on television every weekend by not only the best domestic players, but the best players in the world also. Also, I remember when swearing at a referee was an automatic red card. No ifs, no buts. Throw an f word in my direction and you can go sit down. The wonders of HD football allow many an astute observer to witness this often go unpunished as well. Leadership needs to be shown from the top down.
RBBAnonymous
Guest
Superb article, You have a talent kid. I couldnt stop reading.
SVB
Guest
Nice article.
Jonny G
Guest
Agreed wholeheartedly. I remember my time reffing youth league and private school comps in Sydney. While most of the time things went smoothly other times things could get intense quickly. Testosterone would eventually boil over, and you had to make a decision whether strict intervention would make things better or worse. The kids themselves could be difficult to deal with when they were at that age where they wanted to show how rebellious and cool they were, but the parents were twice as bad, as were the coaches. This was more surprising as these people were pretty well-to-do north shore types, so I was a little shocked at the range and creativity of the abuse that I copped from people just watching their sons play and thought that they might behave with a little bit of respect, especially when the decisions were pretty innocuous to the outcome of the game. As pointed out in lower comps you never have any linesman, so you have to make judgement calls on throw ins, where the ball would ricochet of multiple players making it pretty impossible to see who the ball came off last. And don't get me started on offsides! Very often the ball would be turned over quickly and booted down field to a striker who was possibly in an offside position. But so often you had your back facing them trying to watch what was going directly in front of you. Most refs were reluctant to hand out red cards unless they absolutely had to because of the paperwork they would have to fill out afterwards. It wouldn't be such an issue if they weren't guys who gave up their free time on weekends. I always wondered how the professionals did it, dealing with some of the egos, because what they experienced was much worse that what happens in park football.
Tim Gore
Expert
Strewth that was a good read!