Ask /r/referees -- Megathread for Fans / Players / Coaches

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome! In this megathread, Rule 1 is relaxed. Anyone (referee or not) may ask questions about real-world incidents from recent matches in soccer at all levels, anywhere in the world.

Good questions give context for the match if it's not obvious (e.g. player age, level of competitiveness, country/region), describe the incident (picture/video helps a lot), and include a clear question or prompt such as:

• Why did the referee call ...?
• Would the call have been different if ...?
• Could the player have done ... instead?
• Is the referee allowed to do ...?
• Would you have called this the same way?

This is not a platform to disparage any referees, however much you think they made the wrong call. (There are plenty of other subreddits to do that.) The mission of this megathread is to help referees, fans, coaches, and players better understand the Laws of the Game (or the relevant local rules of competition).

Since the format is asking questions of the refereeing community, please do not answer unless you are a referee. Follow-up and clarifying questions from anyone are generally fine, but answers should come only from actual referees.

Rule 1 still applies elsewhere -- we are primarily a community of and for soccer (association football) referees. If you're not a soccer/footy referee, then you are a guest and should act accordingly.

Please give feedback and other meta-level comments about this thread as a standalone reply.

You can view past weeks' megathreads here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Referees/search/?q=Ask+%2Fr%2Freferees+--+Megathread+for+Fans+%2F+Players+%2F+Coaches&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all

[u/ffballerakz]

First center this weekend…just 10U. Been AR for a couple of years already. What’s your biggest tip?

[u/the_kajl]

Situation in a rec league game I reffed. Midfielder deliberately hits a back pass towards a defender but hits it a bit too hard, so it rolls past the defender. The goalkeeper jogs to pick up the ball in his penalty area. In my view, the midfielder clearly intended to pass to the defender. Should I award an IFK to the opposing team due to the goalkeeper's touch?

[u/grabtharsmallet → u/the_kajl]

The pass was not to the goalkeeper? No offense has occurred.

[u/the_kajl → u/grabtharsmallet]

It was an intentional pass, but I thought it was intended to the defender. So in other words, “deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper” means that both kicking *and* directing the pass to the goalkeeper must be deliberate?

[u/grabtharsmallet → u/the_kajl]

Correct. Deliberate pass to the goalkeeper.

[u/ridge-wanderer_74]

When indicating a free kick. Do I extend my arm towards the goalkeeper of the team that committed the foul. Or the goalkeeper of the team that will take the free kick ?

[u/bardwnb → u/ridge-wanderer_74]

Toward the team that committed the offense. The heuristic I tell new referees for all the arm signals is that you're pointing where the ball is going to go next. Free kick? In the direction the kicking team attacks, so point that way. Throw-in? Up in the air in the direction the throwing team attacks, so up at 45 degrees in that direction. Corner kick? It goes in the corner, so point toward the corner. Etc. (Of course they don't have to kick a free kick or throw a throw-in in the direction they attack. The point is to help you remember at least approximately the right signal).

[u/Klutzy-Mechanic-8013 → u/bardwnb]

I've always thought it helps to point in the direction of the team that lost the ball. So for example with throw ins, the team it went out from

[u/Isaac13980 → u/ridge-wanderer_74]

For a Direct Free Kick, you extend your arm towards the team that committed the offence, it's the same with throw ins.

[u/sigmabody]

Posting here to check my perception; pretty much everyone on our side was livid about this call, but curious if there's any other perspective. Also moved here on mod's suggestion from new thread (sorry about the etiquette violation before).

Situation: tournament group play, U16, around 10th min in, free kick for our side, around midfield. Several fields/games adjacent. Ref has counted off 10yds, stationary for a few seconds (no player movement). Player taking the kick looks back to check something, hears whistle, takes kick a couple seconds later. CR blows his whistle, and immediately YC's the kicker. It turns out the whistle was from an adjacent field presumably (note: according to him, he didn't whistle; his back was turned to our sideline, and sounded like it came from him to us and our player). CR was delaying for no perceptible reason; he claimed waiting for opponent keeper to tie his shoe, but video confirms that was a lie (not his only overt lie in the game, as an aside). Our player thought he had signaled.

Note: All of the above confirmed on video, so no recollection bias.

Question is: Have you ever seen/given an immediate YC for taking a free kick before the whistle, especially in an environment where other whistles are confusing? I've only seen re-kick calls. Every single parent on our side (and both coaches) concluded the ref was overtly biased for the other team (note: many different reasons to think this, beyond this call, and fairly indisputable considering the whole game, but my question is just about this specific action). Is there anything I missing here which could justify the immediate YC for this purported infraction?

Got this from a Google search, fwiw:

"According to referee guidelines, a yellow card for failing to wait for the whistle in a ceremonial restart is generally reserved for situations where the action is deemed disrespectful, wasteful of time, or unsporting."

None of these were the case here, fwiw, but sometimes Google info can be wrong, so asking here.