Agatha is the Sutton and District Society's very own agony aunt. If you have a burning question you would like to ask a soccer referee with regards to refereeing and the game of soccer but were afraid to ask then send an email to agatha@suttonreferees.connectfree.co.uk. Each enquiry will be dealt with in strictest confidence and the question and answer will be displayed anonymously in the Questions and Answers section.
| Q |
Some years back, in a game I was playing, one of the opposing forwards punched the ball into our goal. I was the goalkeeper for our team at the time, and was extremely annoyed and complained bitterly because the referee awarded the goal. To add insult to injury, the ref then sent me off. Knowing that the player had cheated and got away with it, I refused to pay the fine on principle. I was subsequently banned sine die. Well, last weekend I was asked to play in a representative match, and I couldn't believe my eyes, as it was the same ref who sent me off all those years ago. We got to chatting, and he asked me if I ever paid that fine. When I said no, he sent me off before the kickoff! He can't do that can he? |
| A | Actually he cannot send you off under these circumstances. He should have allowed you to play. He was not to know if your ban had been rescinded or revised. Who knows, some kind Samaritan may have paid your fine! However, he should still have reported you to the appropriate authority which will undoubtedly have slapped on another fine if your ban remained in force. |
| Q | I am a French referee and I have been asked by a magazine why English referees run on the left wing (opposite of most European countries) and date of apparition of linesmen in the laws of the game. |
| A | The general census of opinion is that probably 80% of British referees run right wings, as is confirmed by the groundsman, who continually have to repair these areas at the end of each season. The diagonal system of control for referees was introduced by Sir Stanley Rous, a future president of FIFA in 1934 and up until the late 1980's it was expected that referees would alternate their linesmen in each half. But around this time FIFA agreed that the referee should be allowed to run which ever diagonal he was more comfortable with and so now a linesman will stay in the same position throughout the match. The usual theory associated with which diagonal the referee runs, is whether he is left or right handed. As more people are right handed, more referees run right wings. |
| Q | In the January Meeting a point was raised about what to do in a certain situation. Coincidentally the same question was in the January ' Football Referee' under the heading Law Queries as follows: "An attacker and defender left the field because of the momentum of the game, and the ball remained in play. As the attacker tries to re-enter the field of play, the defender holds him back. As this incident is off the pitch, and the ball is 'in play', what decision should a referee make regarding this inciodent". |
| A |
The answer given in is: "If an application of the advantage clause is not possible, and play is stopped for the offence, the defender should be cautioned and restart play with a drop ball at the position of the ball when the infringement was committed, except if it is within the goal area at the time, in which case it shall be dropped on that part of the goal area line which runs parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was when play was stopped. If the advantage was applied the offending defender would still be cautioned when the ball was next out of play." Over the ensuing months a series of articles have been published in Touchlines titled 'A Question of Interpretation' in trying to answer this query. Dave Churchley, one of the Society members makes a reasoned case case for restarting play with an indirect free kick at the position of the ball when the infringementwas committed as he describes in an article on page 2 of Touchlines, the the Society's magazine. In the March copy of Touchlines on page 4 the Society's Training Officer elaborates why play should start with a dropped ball. In the same edition of Touchlines we are advised that David Crick, County RA Secretary raised the query with the Chairman of the RA's Instructional & Publications Committee for an 'official' opionion. His response is in the March Touchlines on page 9 and supports Dave Churchley's view that play should restart with an indirect free kick! In the April copy of Touchlines on page 4 the Society's Training Officer responds! |
| Q |
What would be the proper procedure a referee should follow for the following situation? A foul was called resulting in a penalty kick, much to the dismay of the coach of the penalized team. As the teams prepared for the penalty kick, the coach in question, in protest to the call, instructed his goalkeeper to stand away from the goal area. Since the rules state that before the penalty kick is to be taken, the goalkeeper must be on the goal line, several scenarios could develop from this situation (with the goalkeeper refusing to stand on the goal line). |
| A |
1. Advise the Coach that his actions will be the subject of an official report. 2. Instruct the goalkeeper to take up his position and if he refuses caution him for dissent and dismiss him if he has already been cautioned. 3. If the Coach continues to interfere then instruct him to leave the immediate area. 4. If the goalkeeper continues to refuse to take up his position on the goal line between the goal posts then caution him again and dismiss him from the field of play. 5. Get a new goal keeper (preferably one willing to stand in the correct place)! 6. If all else fails abandon the match. "In what order would you deal with this incident?" |
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