I just finished my second weekend of professional refereeing, with four games split between Saturday and Sunday. It was fantastic. On Saturday, I coached some tiny but surprisingly skillful under-10 kids. It was wonderful: a beautiful day, agreeable parents, and a fairly exciting end-to-end game, which is saying quite a bit given the size of their legs. The kids had already learned some advanced tactics and kept up a lively banter of soccer infused language in Spanish and English. The future of soccer in the U.S. seems, to me at least, very bright. The one strange part for me was that my Fox 40 whistle — highly recommended to me by a senior referee — didn’t work as I would have liked. You really have to blow on the thing. So I have since switched back to my old black pea whistle.
The Big Kids
Sunday saw me refereeing some U-19 boys in a friendly match after one team showed up over an hour late and they were disqualified from playing for points. The other referees took off and I volunteered to stay behind to give the kids a chance to play. It was fascinating. The ball moved quickly and without linesmen it was a real challenge to monitor both the offside trap and fouls. Players at that age are both quick and powerful but there were big differences in skill level. A few would easily make Division I college squads, based on their poise on the ball. Others had a long way to develop. Authority makes quite a difference. One team shouted insolently at their coach — and each other — while the others never said a word. Coaching a group of kids at that age is a difficult job. Refereeing wasn’t so bad, actually. I had been advised not to issue cards for a friendly, but if it had been a real match I would likely have given 3-4 yellow cards and possibly 1 red card for a violent, studs-up tackle by an aggressive player that fortunately missed its mark.
Controversy unites
The night ended when I refereed two games for The World Soccer Project. Refereeing for the project has been a lot of fun so far, not least because the organizers Greg and Santos are genuinely nice guys. I also benefit from the wisdom of A—, an experienced referee who has given me a lot of practical advice and support. The first game was between two rivals. It showed just how big a difference a field can make. While the ball stayed mostly in play during the U-19 boys game, making for a lively game, the ball on a small field gets kicked out so much that it’s difficult for the teams to find a nice rhythm unless both squads have a very high level of control.
I also made my first controversial decision, namely awarding a penalty in the final minutes of the game. I blew the whistle for a clear foul without thinking. I then saw that it had occurred within the top corner of the penalty area. The defender had checked the attacking player, sending him to the ground. The teams seemed to think it was a direct kick outside the box, but it was a penalty under the laws of the game, so I granted it, and the kicking team converted to win the game. I was then subjected to a fascinating hail of abuse by players who I have seen act quite graciously when they are winning. However, they turned completely unsportsmanlike afterward. You see, they were used to winning. The goalie was so upset that he actually physically destroyed the goal, dismantling the cross bar and tearing away the net. It’s amazing how I — as the authority figure — suddenly became the target for unrestrained abuse that you would never think of giving towards a friend, colleague, or even a stranger.
My reply to that is: if you didn’t want a penalty, you shouldn’t have fouled him. Enough said.
–Deji Olukotun
great read. I can see you put a lot of thought into it. Keep up the good work!