Show the referee some love
Officiating a soccer match is no easy task. There are so many moving parts in a game that it is impossible to get every call right. Yet time and again we expect the ref to pick up on every slight and foul. We begrudge them if they take too much control in our games. We even blame them for our own poor performance.
The referee is a necessity and they have a thankless job.
All teams in the CIFL are required to supply a referee for half a game each week. The referee should be knowledgeable of the rules and confident enough to enforce them. When the referee makes a call – it is FINAL. Only the captain can seek clarification of a call. All other players, resume your positions.
Arguing with the referee can earn you a 10 minute sin-bin… and you won’t be much help to your team from the side-line.
This post is directed at only a few select players, but we want to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Good post. I find that the only people who complain to referees are the people who never put their hand up and referee a game. I find it really helps if you explain to the teams how you are going to ref the match before you kick off. Explain to them that you can only give what you see. This is especially helpfull for offsides (the point of most teams complaining). I let teams know I can only give it if I see the player in an offside position when the ball is played. If I’m watching the player who is kicking the ball, there is no way I can also see if the attacking player is offside. It seems to help in our games anyway. The teams defend slightly different and the games become more about playing football than trying to play the offside trap.