Treatment of Referees
Much has been written lately in the soccer press about a growing problem that threatens youth soccer, namely, referee abuse. One form of referee abuse is repeated dissent with the ref’s calls. The referee has no obligation to explain his or her calls. The ref has no responsibility to explain the rules of the game or to answer questions regarding his or her rulings. The following are excerpts from an article written regarding the Illinois Youth Soccer Association’s opinions on this topic.
"Experience has taught most referees that answering a question never ends the encounter, but adds fuel to it. If the questioner gets one answer, the logic is that he must be entitled to others and off he goes. No dissension of a referee's ruling is allowed and the referee is likely to deal with it harshly.
“Fair or not, the responsibility for avoiding referee abuse rests with the Coach. Most leagues stress the role of the coach. One league states:
- The coach's behavior must be such as to bring credit to Soccer, the League, the team, and the individual.
- Instructions from the sideline must be restricted to the designated "coaching area" and to the head coach and one assistant. Coaches should be as inconspicuous as possible during a game.
- Coaches should always maintain a controlled and undemonstrative attitude toward officials – no game circumstance warrants departure from this attitude.
“The coach is responsible not only for his own actions but for those of parents and spectators associated with the team.”
It is necessary to remember that many of our referees are not very experienced, some are 12 to 16 years of age, and a few are in their first year as referees. They are doing this to promote the success of our organization and to enable our payers to play with a referee on the field. They are going to make mistakes and they deserve our friendly support, not derision or dissent. They have been instructed to take control of the matches with which they are involved and to tolerate dissent from no one.
Because so many of our players (and some coaches) are relatively new to soccer, the referee will usually be very willing to explain a ruling during the next convenient stoppage of play, e.g., a quarter break, half time, or following the game. Remember, though, that our schedule is rather tight on game days, and there is not much time available for discussion.