Welcome to the 32nd edition of The Corsham Referee monthly International Referees' newsletter. I hope that all of you continue to enjoy your role in the world of refereeing. Please let me have any contributions for the newsletter, as readers are always interested in hearing about Refereeing from around the world. Please let me know if you have any difficulties in receiving or reading the newsletter; and let me have any suggestions on how it can be improved. It is issued free by email in both html (web page format), and plain text format. Previous issues (and printable pdf versions) can be seen by using the 'Previous Newsletters' link on the home page of my http://www.corshamref.org.uk web site. This newsletter is issued approximately on the 1st day of each calendar month.

REFEREEING TODAY MAGAZINE - A MUST FOR ALL REFEREES
For those of you who are interested in subscribing to the best ever Referee magazine, why not subscribe to the Referees' Association (RA) glossy magazine 'Refereeing Today' which is issued 4 times each football season. 
Refereeing Today contains a blend of professional and grassroots materiel that will be of interest to referees at all levels.
The February 2006 issue has a theme of the 'Assistant Referee' and includes a number of pen-pictures of FIFA Assistant referees from all around the world; Romania, USA, Australia, Wales, Northern Ireland and several from England. Along with the regular features, there are also lots of other articles that will be of interest to referees of all levels, such as Assistant Referee tips, a Pro/Con discussion on Club Linesman, the third instalment of Referee Tips, a 'Letters' page, a history on Shinguards, a Law Forum and much more. 
The April 2006 edition of the magazine will have a theme of 'The Enjoyment of Refereeing', and will contain a blend of humour and job-satisfaction. A further Referees' Association Conference edition of Refereeing Today is planned for release mid-May 2006, and the theme of this final edition for the current football season here in England, will be 'The World Cup'. 

EX-PLAYER SEES THE LIGHT........... AT LAST by Niall Quinn ex Premiership player.

Sometimes players deserve it, of course, and officials are not helped by the "off, off, off" crowd culture we now have. Frequently the correct decision is made on this and other matters. I am prepared to stand up for referees when the time is right, probably for the first time in my life. The reason is that a couple of weeks ago I went on a referees' course. It was part of the UEFA coaching qualifications, and done through the Football Association of Ireland. It was, as they say, an eye-opener.

All of us who went that day were former players, aspiring coaches or football people of some brand. We all thought we knew what we were talking about. A session with Ireland's refereeing guru James Finnegan left us thinking we might not in fact know it all.  We watched a video of 20 incidents from games all over Europe. We then had a multiple-choice test to indicate which decision was correct. When our answers were reviewed quite a few of us left the room looking at the ground. I think I got four of the 20 wrong, which sounds quite good. But that is 20% wrong and if a referee's decisions in a game are 20% incorrect there could be uproar. Imagine if the 20% were the match-changing decisions. So I came away a little more thoughtful about how difficult a referee's job is.

Part of the course is aimed at reinforcing consistency of decision-making, often a manager's biggest complaint. This is done by trying to make decisions black-and-white. That reduces interpretation and should lead to a consistently applied set of rules. All good in theory, but common sense is removed from this equation. Plus, on the big issue of offside and a player's interference or otherwise, common-sense interpretation has to be part of the process. 

Niall Quinn
Friday December 30, 2005
The Guardian http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,4284,1675281,00.html

WHAT IS PROZONE?

ProZone is a tool that is used to aid coaches and players. It is a system that uses fixed cameras to capture the movement of players, thus enabling tactics to be analysed in a technical way after each game. There are currently twelve Premiership and seven Championship clubs using the system. The encoded animation is accurate to one-tenth of a second. ProZone can analyse the way that players move, not just by themselves but also in relation to the team. The system is also used (for example, at Bolton) in Academy games, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the first team.

Following a demonstration of its use by Sam Allardyce at Bolton, on how ProZone could also benefit referees, it is now used to breakdown referee performances at the top levels. 
The position of the referee and the two assistants in relation to the ball is analysed, along with offside decisions, and the correct distances of the walls etc. In addition to this, Premiership referees are monitored in training and in matches with a heart monitor. Two full-time sports scientists provide detailed training regimens, which are emailed out each week. The referees then download the captured results of their training from their heart monitors and send them back for analysis. 

A Premiership referee covers on average 13,000 metres (eight miles) in a game. That's more than any player will cover. ProZone also measures their speed profile, which comes in at around 7m per second. That can go up to 9.2m per second. For younger referees, that brings their explosive sprinting in line with someone like Thierry Henry.

The basic fitness test is to cover 2,700m (one mile and 1,193 yards) in less than 12 minutes. If referees fail to meet this requirement then they will not be allowed to officiate. The Premiership is the quickest league in the world, so monitoring referee fitness is crucial.

(www.telegraph.co.uk 28 Nov 05 and 2 Jan 06)

How is ProZone Used?

ProZone provides a completely interactive system enabling the referee to access any incident in the game instantly. The referee can switch between first half and second half via the touch of a button. The system provides a running commentary; the referee’s distance from the ball, and any player, at all times; instant access to critical incidents and fast, quick and slow motion options.
An animation provides a bird eye’s view of the entire pitch, enabling the referee to assess and monitor his positioning and movement; even when he can not be viewed in the video. It provides the referee with his distance from the ball or any number of players, and even how fast he is moving. It allows the referee to track his movement leading up to, and following, any decision. The referee can assess his change of direction and intelligent movement when getting into position, and/or when avoiding active play. The referee can assess his line of sight, and his positioning when needing to view the whole situation. The referee can analyse the positioning of the assistants and accurately examine all offside decisions.
The referee can view just one half of the pitch in animation to give a better picture of the situation. The referee can analyse his management of a direct free kick, and accurately measure encroachment. The referee can assess his positioning in relation to the defensive wall, or any attacking player. The referee can see if he is taking up technically sound positions on corners, and relate this to assistant position. He can analyse his positioning to see if he is avoiding “active areas”. He can do this for any set piece in the entire game.
The referee can analyse his positioning for all fouls he awarded throughout a game, showing the position of all 3 officials from each foul, the time of the foul, and the player who committed the foul. The referee has an average distance from fouls for each game, so he can accurately assess if he is too far away, or too close, when awarding free kicks. The referee can also analyse his movement leading up to any attempt on goal. It displays the build up to the shot and the referee’s, and the assistant referee’s, movement (trace) right up to the strike on goal.
This can be repeated for any passing move in the game. The referee can analyse his movement and see where he has concentrated his running. The referee can also assess his movement in relation to the assistant’s positions and the pattern of play in the game (Diagonal Running Pattern?). The referee can see how much ground he has covered throughout the entire match.
ProZone allows the referee to further examine his movement. He can investigate the type of movement he has performed (right), his average speed for the entire match, the type of sprinting performed (i.e. Leading into sprints or explosive sprints). This is important when assessing how quickly the official gets into position.
ProZone provides the PGMOL with an accurate analysis of referees’ performance, which relates movement, positioning and decision making, and is based on objective facts, both visual and statistical.
ProZone demonstrates the physical demands placed on a referee during a game and assessment can be made of whether the referee has matched these demands and was able to keep up with play.
ProZone highlights the referee’s ability to get into positions all over the pitch and can highlight how a referee works at different intensities to intelligently manage his movement.
ProZone can be analysed for trend data, used in individual and group evaluation, and can have implications on training methods
ProZone helps to facilitate post match examination at an elite level.

(Source - PGMOL Select Group Referees and Performance Analysis Presentation.)

NEWS ITEMS FROM THE HARTLEPOOL REFEREES' SOCIETY WEB SITE
http://www.footballreferee.org/web/hartlepool/

MATT MESSIAS GOES

Matt Messias will not be in the country's select group of referees from next month, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited has announced.
The West Yorkshire official has not taken charge of a Barclays Premiership match this season and will no longer be among the elite referees in the country.
"The Professional Game Match Officials Limited announces that by mutual consent referee Matt Messias will cease to be a select group referee with effect from February 1, 2006," read a statement from the PGMOL.
"The company wishes to thank Matt for his excellent service to senior football for the last 13 years during which time he served on the FIFA International list as an assistant referee and as a referee."
In his penultimate top-flight match, Portsmouth's 1-1 draw with Newcastle last season at Fratton Park, Messias was suspended for 14 days after "less than proficiently applying the laws of the game".
The suspension related to his actions in incorrectly showing the yellow card twice to then-Portsmouth striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu.

FROM THE BBC
Allardyce charged over ref tirade 
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association.
The charges relate to comments he made about referee Mike Riley following Bolton's 0-0 draw with Blackburn at Ewood Park on 14 January.
After the game Allardyce said: "The stats just don't stand up when he referees us. In my opinion it is not good enough - he nearly caused a riot."
Allardyce has until 14 February to respond to the charge. 
The match between Wanderers and Rovers was a bad-tempered affair that saw Bolton's Hidetoshi Nakata sent off for two yellow cards.
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes said at the time: "Both sides would argue the referee didn't have his best game, but can't argue about the sending off." 

CARLING CUP FINAL REFEREE

Wiley Appointed Carling Cup Final Referee 
Alan Wiley will referee the Carling Cup Final between Wigan Athletic and Manchester United on Sunday, February 26.
It will be the first domestic cup final as a referee for the 45-year-old from Burntwood, who first joined The Football League assistant referees list in 1991.
Wiley has previously been in charge of two League Cup semi-finals, Sheffield United v Liverpool in 2003 and Chelsea v Tottenham in 2002.
The Assistant Referees for the Final will be John Holbrook from Kidderminster and Paul Norman from Sherborne. The Fourth Official will be Andy Hall from Birmingham.

FROM SKY SPORTS

Keith Hackett, head of The Premiership's referees, has insisted that Chelsea star Arjen Robben deserved to be sent off for his exuberant celebrations against Sunderland. 
The Dutchman was shown a second yellow card for running over to the Chelsea fans in joy after putting the table-toppers ahead at The Stadium of Light. 
The decision has met with a mixed reaction, with many arguing that although official Chris Foy applied the letter of the law, perhaps he should have used common sense and simply warned him about his conduct. 
However, Hackett has praised Foy's judgement, and stressed that matters concerning health and safety have to be dealt with properly. 
"A large group of spectators, not one, or two, surged forward out of their seats, ran to the metal rail, and created a surge that involved stewards running to try to prevent a crush situation. That was why Chris Foy cautioned Robben," Hackett explained. 
"There is a health and safety issue here. If spectators move forward suddenly it is putting at risk the safety of other spectators and stewards. 
"A similar incident at Shrewsbury last year led to a steward suffering a broken arm. The rules are quite specific and Fifa are very keen on them, from the safety aspect. 
"People talk about referees using common sense, but we need the players to use common sense and restraint."

FROM THE BBC 

Man City 3-1 Man Utd
Manchester United has confirmed that Sir Alex Ferguson and referee Steve Bennett had a row at half-time of the Reds' 3-1 defeat at Manchester City. 
Newspaper reports allege that Ferguson told Bennett he would "need a police escort out of here". 
A United spokesman revealed: "There was a heated exchange but it was limited to the manager's assessment of the referee's first-half performance. 
"Any talk of a threat is nonsense," the spokesman added. 
Striker Wayne Rooney is reported to have joined his boss in hurling abuse at Bennett - and said to have damaged United's dressing-room door. 
Ferguson also wants the red card shown to Cristiano Ronaldo reconsidered. 
The Portuguese winger was shown a straight red by Bennett for a lunging tackle on Andy Cole midway through the second half of the Manchester derby. 
"The referee's decided it's a red card and I think he should look at it again really," Sir Alex told MUTV. 
"He's not touched the player; he's not even got near him." 
Bennett was not initially scheduled to officiate the match - he was deputising for the injured Mark Halsey. 

Wednesday January 11, 2006
From The Guardian 

Keith Hackett, the head of the referees' body in England, is to meet the players' association later this month in an attempt to persuade their members to take up refereeing. Hackett's idea is to improve the standards of refereeing by turning poachers into gamekeepers and introduce a fast-track scheme that will halve the current 10 years it takes for an official to reach the top tier.
So far, Steve Baines, a former lower league defender who retired from the middle two years ago, remains the only former player to have made a career out of refereeing but it is hoped that, with referees now earning £70,000 a year in the Premier League, the job will be more attractive for retired professionals.
John Barnwell, the League Managers' Association chief executive, said: "This has been talked about for as long as I can remember but it does seem there is now a definite effort to identify players who can extend their role in the game. Refereeing has become such a well-paid job that it could be an attractive career."
Baines hopes he has helped to sell the idea during his eight seasons as a league referee. "In all that time I never had to caution one player for dissent," he said. "I felt alienated but it was a challenge and I achieved something nobody else had done. Now I am quite sure there are 30 or 40 players out there who would be more than happy to take up the mantle.
"You won't get top players doing it because they don't need that kind of aggravation. However, you will get interest from journeymen like myself. It's a nice steady wage these days - more than those players will currently be earning. They are already super fit and, if you add that to their knowledge, it's a good recipe for success."
The national shortage of officials reflects not only the abuse they take but the painstaking path to becoming a professional referee, which until now has taken a decade or more. However, Baines graduated in six years and Hackett is looking for his plans to bear fruit inside five.

HE MAY HAVE A POINT! 
From the Bolton Evening News 

SAM Allardyce has told the Premier League they are asking too much of referees.
The Bolton Wanderers boss has compiled a dossier, detailing his grievances in the wake of the recent controversial clash with Liverpool.
Among his gripes is that Mark Clattenburg was too tired to call correct decisions.
Allardyce claimed Wanderers were denied a clear-cut penalty and was furious that Steven Gerrard and Momo Sissoko got away with what he described as "stamps" on Kevin Nolan and El-Hadji Diouf respectively. 
However, he sympathised with the County Durham ref for having been overworked during the festive period.
Clattenburg was refereeing his fourth Premiership game in an eight day stint over the festive period.
"Maybe fatigue got the better of Mark Clattenburg and his officials," Allardyce said. "We wouldn't ask our players to do that, yet we're looking at referees who are in their 30s and 40s travelling up and down the country to referee top games and end up getting criticised for not getting decisions right. So I do have some sympathy for them."
"Mark Clattenburg is one of the best, young referees we've had in a long time. 
"I don't want to put the blame on an individual when it’s the system that is flawed; I'm just trying to help."

DIVING

Radio 5 live recently broadcast a Refereeing debate with some interesting Quotes 
Wigan manager Paul Jewell has admitted diving has become an accepted part of the game in England while referees' chief Keith Hackett confirmed officials do their homework in a bid to clamp down on it. 
Despite new rules being introduced by governing bodies every summer, controversy surrounding various issues remains as fierce as ever with the new offside interpretation and goal-line technology particularly hot topics now. 
And Wigan chief Jewell admitted `simulation', another modern-day buzzword within the game, is increasingly accepted. 
"We don't sit down and discuss it, but we're all trying to get an edge. Diving is not something we try to encourage and I'm not condoning it at all but if you get a chance, you go down. 
"Some people call it gamesmanship, some say it is cheating," he said during a debate broadcast on Radio 5 Live. 
Premiership referee Rob Styles described the difficulty in punishing diving due to the fine line between a genuine foul and `simulation'. 
"If you're going to caution a player for simulation, you are calling him a cheat. If you are going to caution a player, you need to be sure. 
"There should be a distinction between clear acts of simulation and situations perhaps where a player exaggerates the effects of a foul challenge to make the referee make a decision." 
Professional Game Match Officials Board general manager Hackett admitted referees study diving cases in a bid to help them recognise diving during a match. 
"We use video technology to look at incidents and clip those together and theme them, so it could well be that at a meeting we're showing 20 or 30 clips of incidents involving diving. 
"From that we get a running theme on how we as referees can improve the detection," said Hackett.

NEWS SNIPPETS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL REFEREE

KINGS CUP
The remaining 46 minutes of the abandoned King's Cup quarter-final tie between Valencia and Deportivo Coruna will be played behind closed doors at the Mestalla, the Spanish Football Federation has announced. Wednesday 25 January's second leg was halted by referee Carlos Megia Davila after an assistant was cut on the head by an object thrown from the crowd shortly after Valencia had taken the lead. The tie was level 1-1 on aggregate.
"The match will restart in the 44th minute and will be played behind closed doors at the Mestalla at a date to be agreed between the two sides," the Federation's Competition's Committee President Alfredo Florez told a news conference. Florez added that any sanctions against Valencia for the incident would be discussed at a later date.

CZECH CHEQUES!
Three former soccer officials and seven Czech league referees were convicted and fined for bribery on Thursday, an official said. Ivo Valenta, the former chairman of FC Synot, was fined 300,000 koruna (US$13,000) for his involvement in the scandal, and former sports manager Jaroslav Hastik was fined 100,000 koruna (US$4,300), Judge Karel Rasin said. 
Another official of the club, Igor Stefanko, has to pay 50,000 koruna (US$2,150), said Rasin, who issued the verdict at the district court in Kromeriz, 300 kilometers (190 miles) east of Prague. Hastik was also banned from working as official in soccer for five years, and Stefanko for three years. 
Referees Jaromir Hlavac, Bohuslav Kratky, Stanislav Hruska and Vaclav Zejda were fined 100,000 koruna (US$4,300) each for accepting bribes and were banned from working as referees for the next four years. Josef Dvoracek, Eduard Cichy and Petr Rehor were fined 50,000 koruna (US$2,150) and banned for three years. 

SERIE A TWINS BANNED AFTER REF ARGUMENT 
Emanuele and Antonio Filippini, twin brothers who play for Serie A club Treviso, both were suspended for a total of six matches after disputing a goal in Sunday's match against Livorno. The Disciplinary Commission of the Italian League on Tuesday suspended Emanuele for four matches and Antonio for two as both bitterly argued with the referee at the end of Sunday's 1-1 draw. Treviso players had been angered by Livorno's equalizer in the third minute of injury time, following a disputed free kick. Emanuele Filippini received a longer suspension because he also pushed the referee, the Commission said. 

"SPANISH REFEREES TARGET ME," SAYS GRAVESEN
Real Madrid midfielder Thomas Gravesen has again admitted he's struggling to adapt to Spanish football. The Dane, who has been linked with Manchester United, says he's being targeted by referees. "It's something that I'm now noticing. The referees and my opponents read the press, and it is as if there's an atmosphere around me." 
"The opposition dive before I approach them and the referees are quick to show a card to me, as if they're thinking: "Here comes that killer from Real Madrid". 
He added: "In Spain, the players dive when they lose the ball, including several of my team mates - and it works because they whistle nine times out of ten. 
"It is a completely different culture compared to Denmark, Germany or England, where you're punished for pretending. In Spain it's seen as something positive." 

WOMEN REF RECRUITMENT DRIVE BRINGS SUCCESS - IN RUGBY 
A recruitment drive to attract more women referees into rugby has produced an eight per cent increase in new female match officials across the Midlands. The joint initiative between the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football Union for Women was launched earlier this season with funding from the RFU's Volunteer toolkit. 
So far 193 new women referees nationally have completed the Foundation training course and joined their local county Referees' Society. In the Midlands the breakdown of the female newcomers is five in Warwickshire, four in East Midlands and two each in North Midlands and Staffordshire. 
The new match officials are now gaining experience by taking charge of both men's and women's matches at adult and youth levels. Some of the newcomers are former players themselves, others are new to rugby. 
"We are delighted with the results," said David Rose, the Rugby Referee Development Officer for the Midlands. "With the RFUW we have had a push at attracting more women into rugby and the response both locally and nationally has been very encouraging." 

BRITAIN'S OLDEST REF STILL GOING STRONG 
When you reach the age of 86 most people enjoy a well-earned quiet life but this is not the case of Britain’s oldest referee, Thomas Clark. The sprightly Thomas turned 86 last week yet he still takes charge of three amateur football games on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, reports the South Manchester Reporter. It means that Thomas has spent almost 50 years officiating his favourite sport. And in all that time, amounting to about 1,350 games, he has only been forced to dismiss four players. 
Widower Thomas, whose wife Kitty died in 1990, said he has no time for modern professionals who are cautioned for their foul-mouthed outbursts. He said: "I’d fine some of them a year’s wages.
"These players who keep getting sent off are no good to their clubs or their team. You shouldn’t keep getting sent off because you can’t control your temper.
"I always tell the players, ‘There aren’t any rules in football, there are only laws and I’m the judge and executioner.'
"I try to make sure I’ve got control before the game begins."
Every Wednesday Thomas rolls back the years by refereeing Manchester Metropolitan University’s XI home games at Hough End Fields.
On Saturdays he takes charge in a college ladies’ league at the Armitage Centre on Mosseley Road while Sundays find him refereeing Manchester Accountants’ League games back at Hough End. Thomas puts his remarkable fitness down to the conditioning gained in his youth as a boxer on the East End circuit during the Second World War, where he raised spirits fighting to packed houses.
He says it allows him to keep any youngsters in check when things get heated on the pitch. 
Thomas began refereeing in the 1960s when he was working for British Rail as an engineer in Trafford.

SPITTING:

Footballers are urged to clean up spitting image

The charity Keep Britain Tidy recently called on professional footballers to stop spitting during matches, claiming young people were copying their heroes and covering the streets in saliva.
Alan Woods, the organisation's chief executive, has written to the Professional Footballers' Association, outlining why he thinks players should set a better example.
He said: "Football has done much to bring people together and combat problems such as racism. Now it is time to tackle spitting. It remains the ultimate insult, a contemptuous gesture drowning in hate. But it is not just revolting - it has a cost.
"Saliva and chewing gum deposited on the pavement needs to be washed and cleaned up and when it is aimed at another person, spit can spread colds, flu, measles and mumps."
But the charity's attitude has surprised many in the football industry, who say spitting is a physical necessity.
Bryan English, the chief medical officer of Chelsea Football Club, said: "When you exercise, you get an increase in the production of saliva in your mouth. You either spit it out or swallow it.
"Some players and athletes find it much more comfortable, from a performance point of view, to spit it out.

"It is something they would never dream of doing outside a sporting environment.
"If I was to ask my players to stop spitting, someone would have to provide a good scientific reason for me to do so. If I asked them to do it simply because it didn't look pleasant on television, they would laugh in my face."
The charity has also urged players not to spit at each other - an offence that results in a red card if seen by the referee. It surveyed 300 fans from 19 clubs in England and found that many were upset by an incident in which El-Hadji Diouf, a Bolton footballer, spat at Arjan de Zeeuw, then of Portsmouth, in May last year.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United, was mentioned for spitting out his chewing gum at the end of matches.
Bruce Hamilton, the chief medical officer of UK Athletics, the national governing body, said: "It is not something people intuitively think about when they are heavily involved in sport. I don't think it is such a bad thing. 
"Young people copy their idols, but do they copy their spitting? I don't know. I would suggest not."

( www.telegraph.co.uk )

IT IT REALLY WORTH IT?

Referees
With a payment of £10 or £20 per game it’s clear that referees are only in it for the love of football, but is abusive behaviour leading to a shortage?
On an average Sunday afternoon, on pitches up and down the capital, thousands of Londoners take part in non-league football. This is grass-roots football played at a level that gives thousands of people the opportunity to participate in our national sport - and there’s no shortage of budding David Beckhams. However, there is a shortage of referees that’s threatening the football and the development of players … because without referees; there is no game.
Gary Capps
Gary Capps is an ex-referee. He says ‘refereeing is dying because of the players; the abuse and hassle we are getting, no one wants to take up the whistle anymore.”
Doug Willis 
Another ex-referee, Doug Willis says that in the adult leagues, only around 60% of the games are covered by a referee, “the rest are covered by members of the club – referees feel what is the point of getting out of bed on a cold January morning to get abused and sworn at?”
David Watters of football newspaper, The Non League Paper, says that abusive behaviour is rife amongst matches across the country every single day. There are repeated incidents of insulting and threatening conduct and unfortunately on occasions, the threats are taken even further and lead to violence.
Gary Capps had a bad experience after he tried to tackle an outburst of bad behaviour at a match he was refereeing.
Gary explains that he decided to bring a goalkeeper off who had brought a player down. “He used foul, abusive language, called me all the names under the sun. I told him I was just doing my job, it’s a game of sport, and I couldn’t let him stay in the park, or stand there swearing at me – I asked him to remove himself from the ground so we could start the game. 
"He still continued to give me abuse so I started the game and ignored him. As I turned my back a player came from the side, head butted and kicked me and broke all the ribs on my back. I ended up in hospital for six days and I thought I was dying at the time, the pain was unbelievable. I thought ‘is it worth it?’... Gary is now seriously considering his future in the sport. 
Andrew Chapman 
Sadly Gary’s experience is not an isolated one. Part time referee Andrew Chapman also experienced violence on the pitch. ”Mid-way through the second half I went to send a violent player off after he kicked another opponent. As I showed him the red card he gave me a right hook and knocked me to the floor.
"I lost consciousness and was being treated by the physios when I came round. The FA gave him a £170 fine and a 217 day ban – he will obviously be back playing football at the end of this season.” 
Andrew has decided to continue with refereeing for now but he’s understandably wary of meeting his assailant in a future game. 

David Watters says they hear about referees being intimidated almost on a daily basis. “They return to the changing rooms to finds their clothes have been urinated on or cut up. They have their cars vandalised, threats made against them. You name it, it happens to referees.” 
It’s not always the players who get aggressive – if it’s a youth team it can be the parents the ref needs to avoid. Doug Willis explains that he was a referee for a team of 16 year olds.
“There were altercations and fighting on the pitch, I got that all sorted and then I had a confrontation with some of the parents and supporters. I was standing in front of a parent, trying to calm her down. The next thing I felt was a fist come from behind me. It hit her in the face and laid her out. With that I picked up the ball, walked off and said I’m never going to referee another game of football… that’s why I jacked it all in.”

Doug may have given up, but he’s determined to pass on his experience. He is helping to train younger referees as part of a pioneering scheme at the Charlton training ground in south London. 
Doug and his team of coaches offer help and support to Craig Evans who’s only 17 and just beginning to referee. He’s being taught to diffuse potentially aggressive situations before they arise.

Jeff Pettitt is a referee coach who tells how upsetting it is to have the abuse when you first start refereeing – “you then become a little bit thick skinned towards it. However, there is a line and people don’t cross that line."

Craig Evans 
Craig is very matter of fact about it: “its part of being a referee really, it’s not just how you give decisions, its how you deal with them afterwards. Controlling the game is part of your refereeing skills.”
Craig’s been well looked after but the scheme has limited places and the vast majority of referees have little or no support. That’s especially true of Sunday afternoon matches like the ones at hackney.

David Watters believes that soon no-one will want to become a referee if this climate continues. “There is already a shortage of refs throughout the country, particularly in London and the south East. The FA has told us we can have free advertising when we need it…”

Gary Capps recently turned up to play on a Sunday morning and the referee did not show up. They asked themselves why the ref hasn’t turned up. Why can’t we play this game? He believes that people have got to start showing respect to referees. “They must take the referees decisions on board like a man and accept it.”
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/01/06/insideout_referees_feature.shtml)

2006 FIFA World Cup Germany List of Candidate Referees
AFC REFEREE COUNTRY Birthdate

1 AL GHAMDI Khalil Ibrahim KSA 02.09.1970
2 KAMIKAWA Toru JPN 08.06.1963
3 KWON Jong Chul KOR 11.09.1963
4 MAIDIN Shamsul SIN 16.04.1966
5 MOHD SALLEH Subkhiddin MAS 17.11.1966
6 MORADI Masoud IRN 22.08.1965
CAF 
1 ABD EL FATAH Esam El Deen EGY 30.12.1965
2 CODJIA Coffi BEN 09.12.1967
3 DAAMI Mourad TUN 15.08.1962
4 DAMON Jerome RSA 04.04.1972
5 GUEZZAZ Mohamed MAR 01.10.1962
6 SOWE Modou GAM 25.11.1963
CONCACAF 
1 ARCHUNDIA TELLEZ Benito Armando MEX 21.03.1966
2 BATRES GONZALEZ Carlos Alberto GUA 02.04.1968
3 PRENDERGAST Peter JAM 23.09.1963
4 RODRIGUEZ MORENO Marco Antonio MEX 10.11.1973
5 SIBRIAN Rodolfo SLV 30.11.1963
6 STOTT Kevin USA 09.07.1967
CONMEBOL
1 AMARILLA DEMARQUI Carlos PAR 26.10.1970
2 CHANDIA ALARCON Carlos CHI 14.11.1964
3 ELIZONDO Horacio ARG 04.11.1963
4 LARRIONDA Jorge URU 09.03.1968
5 ORTUBE BETANCOURT Rene BOL 26.12.1964
6 RUIZ ACOSTA Oscar Julian COL 01.11.1969
7 SIMON Carlos BRA 03.09.1965
OFC
1 SHIELD Mark AUS 02.09.1973
2 BREEZE Matthew AUS 10.06.1972
UEFA 
1 BUSACCA Massimo SUI 06.02.1969
2 DE BLEECKERE Frank BEL 01.07.1966
3 DE SANTIS Massimo ITA 08.04.1962
4 FANDEL Herbert GER 09.03.1964
5 HAMER Alain LUX 10.12.1965
6 HAUGE Terje NOR 05.10.1965
7 IVANOV Valentin RUS 04.07.1961
8 LARSEN Claus Bo DEN 28.10.1965
9 MEDINA CANTALEJO Luis ESP 01.03.1964
10 MEJUTO GONZALEZ Manuel Enrique ESP 16.04.1965
11 MERK Markus GER 15.03.1962
12 MICHEL Lubos SVK 16.05.1968
13 POLL Graham ENG 29.07.1963
14 POULAT Eric FRA 08.12.1963
15 ROSETTI Roberto ITA 18.09.1967
16 SARS Alain FRA 30.04.1961
17 VASSARAS Kyros GRE 01.02.1966

http://www.fifa.com/ 

FIFA Referees' List for Referees in England:

Referee
ATKINSON Martin (new)
BENNETT Stephen
CLATTENBURG Mark (new)
DEAN Michael
HALSEY Mark
POLL Graham
RILEY Michael
STYLES Robert
WEBB Howard

Assistant Referee 
BABSKI David
BRYAN David
DEVINE James
EAST Roger
KIRKUP Peter (new)
LEWIS Robert
PIKE Kevin
SHARP Philip
TINGEY Mike
TURNER Glenn 

Women Referees 
TOMS Wendy 
Women Assistant Referees 
CHAPMAN Alison 
RAYNOR Amy

METAL CUP HOOKS ON GOALPOSTS IN ENGLAND

Steve Williams, The FA National Facilities Manager, has confirmed that the following procedures should be undertaken by the match referee.

Cup hooks are to be banned from all levels of the game at the commencement of season 2007/08. In the meantime, 
it should be the responsibility of the designated referee to point out to the participating clubs or the pitch users before a game that any metal cup hooks on either the goalposts or crossbar could constitute a danger. Whilst the Laws of the Game clearly state that jewellery should not be worn during any part of a match, finger entrapment due to the wearing of a ring or create severe neck injuries due other jewellery being worn such as ear-rings or necklaces could also exist prior to, or immediately after matches, where nets need to be fitted or removed by any user or club personnel. 
Either club has the right to refuse to play and will not be penalised for refusing to play. If both teams are prepared to play, having had this fact pointed out to them, then it is TheFA's view that the referee can be considered to have done as much as might be reasonable in the circumstances. The referee should then report the fact that both teams agreed to play under these circumstances to the relevant League and County FA. 

SETTLEMENT
The 15 year-old Dudley schoolboy who lost a finger on metal cup hooks when putting up nets for his school's game, has eventually had an out-of-court settlement. The boy was held partly at fault, with Dudley Education Authority accepting 75% blame.

BOSNIAN REFEREE FACES BAN FOR ASSAULT
Sarajevo, 18th November, - Bosnian referee, Dusko Pekija, may be banned from soccer for a year after he knocked out Sarajevo player, Samir Saric, who disagreed with one of his decisions when he was in charge of the derby between FC Sarajevo and FC Zeljeznicar. Sarajevo players, unhappy at not being awarded a penalty kick, attacked Pekija. The Bosnian Cup match was halted after the incident, with FC Zeljeznicar leading 1-0.

DOUGAL QUITS REFS ASSOCIATION IN OLD OLD FIRM ROW
Glasgow, 20th November - Stuart Dougal tendered his resignation from the Scottish Senior Referee's Association having been let down by his colleagues over the ugly Old Firm match in August. He was a target for furious Celtic captain Neil Lennon after their defeat to Rangers at Ibrox. Dougal is angry at the reluctance among the Association to fight the lenient three-match sentence handed to Lennon. He said: "I feel passionate about refereeing and I'm concerned about the whole issue of protection for our members. I can become quite emotional in my feelings on the protection of referees and the issues involved. This is not about me; it's about the young guys coming through who need some sort of protection." 

RUSSIA PLEDGE TO KEEP USING FOREIGN REFS
Moscow, 1st December, The experiment of inviting foreign referees to judge Russian Premier League games will be continued. President of the Russian Football Union Vitaly Mutko has said he was satisfied with the work of foreign referees at Russian games and intended to continue inviting them. "It does not mean we do not trust our Russian referees," Mutko said. "Foreigners do not judge better than Russian referees but the attitude of fans and soccer players towards them is different. "Foreign referees are not blamed, but when a Russian referee makes a mistake people start talking about bribes."

WELSH CANCEL GAMES AS REF ABUSE CRISIS BITES
Cardiff, 3rd December - The Welsh National League, based in North East Wales, is having matches cancelled due to a "critical" shortage in referees. Five matches were called off on Saturday 26th November and a further four did not go ahead on 3rd December. A recruitment campaign has now been launched to encourage people to train as referees. The League referees appointment secretary, Arthur Pritchard, added: "I'd like to think it's just a blip but in recent years I've seen this trend developing and now the number of refs is falling off the graph." Earlier this year BBC Radio Wales' Eye on Wales programme reported that growing abuse of football referees had led to a recruitment problem. Yet Pritchard argued: "There's the old chestnut. Who wants to take the abuse? "I don't think it's any worse these days than it ever was but people's tolerance isn't what it was."

(The Midland Referee Newsletter V3 Issue 3 Jan 06) 

COULD BENFICA v MAN UTD GAME HAVE BEEN REPLAYED?

In the past, there have been examples of games which have been replayed when the referee has been found to have applied the Laws of the Game incorrectly. It is the referee's duty to "Enforce the Laws of the Game" (Law 5). Some sections of the Laws allow for the 'opinion of the referee' and this cannot be questioned. Other sections are specific requirements which the referee has to enforce. If the referee has not enforced that section of the Law then there is a case for an appeal to have the game replayed.
The most recent case was the 1st leg of the FIFA World Cup play off on Saturday, 3rd September, Uzbekistan v Bahrain (1-0). The referee, Toshimitsu YOSHIDA (Japan), erred after Server Djeparov scored a penalty kick for Uzbekistan in the first half. A team mate had encroached before the kick was taken and the referee incorrectly awarded an indirect free kick to Bahrain from the edge of the penalty area where the team mate had encroached. By Law, the referee must have the penalty kick retaken from which the Uzbeks might have scored another goal.
Uzbekistan wanted FIFA to award them a 3-0 victory. FIFA's decision was that the 1st leg had to be replayed on 8th October (1-1) with the 2nd leg re-scheduled for 12th October in Bahrain (0-0). Graham POLL refereed that 2nd leg. Bahrain qualified on the 'away goals' rule. They then lost another play off 2-1 on aggregate to Trinidad & Tobago.
If a referee has applied the Laws incorrectly then, upon an appeal within the competition's specified period, a replay is the likely outcome, depending on the circumstances surrounding the error. The Liverpool v Graz AK (0-1, 2-1 aggregate) UEFA Champions League qualifier in August 2004 was a tie that was not replayed. The referee, Luis MEDINA Cantalejo (Spain), had failed to send off the Graz captain, Rene Aufhauser, in the 78th minute for a 2nd Y-card when he had already received a Y-card in the 68th minute. Liverpool played against 11 men instead of 10 for the last 12 minutes. The referee was wrong on a point of Law. However, Liverpool qualified. If Graz had qualified, Liverpool would have had grounds for an appeal and UEFA would have had to consider whether to order a replay of the 2nd leg or not.
In the last Group match of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, 7th December, Benfica v ManUtd (2-1), ManUtd needed to win to make sure of qualifying for the next stage in February. Paul Scholes scored in the 6th minute, 0-1. In the 14th minute, Ruud van Nistelrooy (ManUtd) chased the ball out on the right wing. However, Benfica's Anderson had plenty of time to turn and pass the ball back 25 yds to his own goalkeeper Quim who stopped the ball with his feet, dribbled it up to the edge of the penalty area, picked it up and punted it upfield.
The referee, Kyros VASSARAS (Greece), did not penalise the goalkeeper. The Law states that the goalkeeper cannot touch the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate. The referee was wrong on a point of Law. He should have penalised the offence and awarded ManUtd an indirect free kick from where Quim had picked up the ball. From the ensuing free kick, ManUtd could have scored, 0-2. As it happened, two minutes later Benfica's Geovanni equalized and Beto scored their 2nd goal on 33 minutes, 2-1. The game and the score could have been different if the referee had applied the Law correctly.
The referee could not argue that he had not seen the incident. It was such a deliberate measured back pass by Anderson. Furthermore, Anderson was two yards from the Assistant Referee on the right wing. The AR should have flagged for the infringement. He was just as at fault as the referee.
The error was highlighted 3 days later on Sky Sports 'Soccer AM'. They even argued that ManUtd should be re-instated, the result declared void, and the game replayed. But ManUtd would have had to appeal before the draw for the next round of matches. Why didn't they? Was there no official from Old Trafford aware of the possibility that the game could have been replayed? Doesn't anyone there watch 'Soccer AM'? The Glazers can be excused but did ManUtd not want the huge amount of money involved in the next stages of the competition? By not appealing, they have certainly lost out on the possibility of at least £15 million.
Referees always say clubs and players do not know the Laws and the Competition Rules. But the above three examples involved leading FIFA referees from Japan, Spain and Greece, with the Japanese referee later struck off the FIFA list. Referees, especially those who officiate in games where there are huge sums of money involved, must have not only good management skills but also a full knowledge of the Laws and their application.
(Mal Davies (email: malref@yahoo.co.uk) Tuesday 20th December 2005)

DENYING AN OBVIOUS GOAL SCORING OPPORTUNITY?

Why the 'last man' does not always see red.

He had to go...he was the last man...

How many times do we hear commentators say this when a forward is brought down by a defender? It has become one of the biggest myths in football - that the so-called last defender "had to go" after making a foul challenge. The fact that a defender may be the last man is NOT the deciding factor in whether a player has been denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. A clear example of this was in the recent thrilling FA Cup tie between Luton Town and Liverpool when the visitors were awarded a penalty-kick.

In the post-match analysis the decision was reviewed from every possible angle and the pundits agreed that the referee, Mark Clattenburg, was 100 per cent correct to award a penalty-kick as the Luton defender had pushed Steven Gerrard from behind as he tried to reach a cross. Furthermore, the experts were surprised that the defender chose to push Gerrard as he was "highly unlikely to reach the ball". The final question then posed was why the defender, who was clearly "the last man" had not been shown a red card?

The answer comes in the highly accurate analysis - as Gerrard was unlikely to have reached the cross it was not an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
There was a virtually identical situation at Highbury last month when Arsenal beat Portsmouth and while attempting to reach a cross Jose Antonio Reyes was pushed by a defender. Again a penalty was awarded and again no red card was shown as the attacker was not OBVIOUSLY going to reach the ball. These are two recent examples of consistent application of law, which is always desirable, and hopefully this relatively simple explanation helps clarify a seemingly difficult concept.

Referees consider a number of criteria when faced with the question of the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The law requires the forward to be moving towards the opponents' goal - not just the penalty area - and that is obviously fundamental in our decision-making process. The other criteria are the possibility to control the ball, the position of the attacker, his direction of movement as well as that of the ball, the distance to the goal-line and the position of the defenders and or goalkeeper.

Therefore, the referee asks himself: "Was the attack very likely to produce a goal had it not been stopped by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick?" It is vital that we look for the PROBABILITY of a goal and not the POSSIBILITY of a goal. But nowhere in law is the phrase "the last man" mentioned.

There is often a clue in the actions of the attacker as, in my opinion, a player offered a clear and obvious chance to score a goal or take a penalty-kick will prefer the first option. Only if he does not believe he has an obvious chance of scoring does a penalty seem the better option.

In some situations judging whether a defender or a goalkeeper has played the ball rather than the opponent is difficult. A clear indication is often when the ball does not change direction and continues its path towards goal. 
By Graham Poll in www.telegraph.co.uk  20 Jan 06)

HOW'S YOUR ARITHMETIC?

This equation should be taught in all referee classes! 
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint it goes like this: 

What Makes 100%? 
What does it mean to give MORE than 100% as a Referee? 
Ever wonder about those Referees who say they are giving more than 100%? 
We have all been to those games where someone wants you to give over 100%. 
How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life? 

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions: 

If: 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as: 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26. 

Then: 

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K 
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98% 

and 
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E 
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96% 

But, 

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E 
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100% 

And, 

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T 
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103% 

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you! . 

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G 
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 127% 

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the BullshiT and Ass kissing that will put you over the top!

THE OFFSIDE RULE EXPLAINED FOR GIRLS.

You're in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you simply must have.
The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire. 
Both of you have forgotten your purses.
It would be wrong to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.
The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.
Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.
She prepares to throw her purse to you.
If she does so, you can catch the purse and buy the shoes.
She could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and, "while it is in the air" you could step in front of the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes.
Wait until the purse has "actually been thrown" before stepping in front of the other shopper, if you are in front of the other shopper "at the moment the purse is thrown", you are offside.
There you go, poppet - all clear?

THIS MONTH'S TOPICS:

This month, we look at persistent infringement, corner kicks,  the colours used on an electronic substitution board, and a dropped flag scenario.

PERSISTENT INFRINGEMENT WHAT IS IT

Some referees find it difficult, especially during the early stages of their career, to recognise when persistent infringement (PI) is occurring in their games. This offence is not accurately defined in the Laws of the Game, so it is therefore open to a certain degree of individual interpretation. Hence, it requires some careful thought by the referee.
It is generally accepted among the refereeing fraternity that a player has to commit at least three infringements before any thought of persistence comes into the reckoning. That said, it is not unknown for a particular player to commit as many as five infringements in a game and still escape detection.
One factor to consider is number of infringements within a relatively short period of time. For instance, a player committing three offences within fifteen or even twenty minutes will normally be recognised by a reasonably alert referee. But if the half-time interval breaks up that period of time, the culprit may escape his caution. The referee needs to include such possibilities in his match-control planning. 
The player who manages to commit his offences in, say, the fifth, twenty-sixth, the forty-sixth, the seventieth and the eighty-seventh minutes may also escape detection.
The referee might profitably devote a half-minute or so at half-time to re-running the game through his mind in order to ask himself if any player is near the danger zone of persistently infringing. This can be done by the referee operating alone, but if he has the luxury of neutral assistants he would be wise to get into the habit of asking them at half-time if they have spotted any player showing a pattern of persistent infringement.
If an offender is detected and has to be cautioned for a series of offences, it does no harm at all for the referee to calmly and quietly point to three areas of the field to indicate to all present what has been happening. Other players usually notice such action by the referee and most will calm down afterwards. Then, all that is needed alongside the offender's name in the notebook are the tell-tale letters 'PI'.
(By Ted Ring in the Benchmark Newsletter Nov 05)

CORNER KICK

Question: When the ball goes out for a corner roughly over the middle of the crossbar, does it matter which side the corner is taken from? 

Answer: It would be impossible for anyone to query a decision on which side a corner kick should be taken after the ball goes out roughly over the centre of the crossbar; so my advice is to be ready to make a strong and quick decision (partially if the wind is blowing favourably in one direction! If you take your scenario to the very extreme, and the ball exits exactly in the centre of the crossbar, then there is no wrong solution!
This is similar to deciding which way a throw-in should be taken, or whether to award a goal kick or a corner kick when you don't know what to do. These are in fact easy decisions to make, as an astute referee will have already decided in his mind the default (e.g. throw-ins to the defending team, goal kicks rather than corner kicks etc.)
The logic behind this, is that the potential to award a throw-in to the attacking team, or a corner instead of a goal kick, is much more likely to land the Referee in hot water!

ELECTRONIC BOARDS

Question: On the electronic boards that signal substitutions, is there an official ruling on colour-coding. For example, is the incoming player's number green while the player being replaced lit in red or vice versa? Or does it not matter as long as the numbers are correct?

Answer: It's usually obvious who is on the field as a player and who is a substitute waiting to come on.
Nevertheless, where coloured multi-digit electronic boards are used, the number of the player coming off is the first number shown in red (a colour that universally indicates stop), and the oncoming substitute is the second number shown in green or sometimes yellow (a colour that universally indicates go or start).
Allowance for time lost shown at the end of each half is normally shown in red.

DROPPED FLAG?

Question: An Assistant referee is sprinting towards goal line, as he does so he looses control of his flag and drops it. The flag is about five yards behind him, at same time he notices that the ball has been played to an attacking player who is in an offside position. What is the proper procedure? 
(A) should he run back to retrieve flag and raise it up or 
(B) should he stay where he is and get the referee's attention in some other way like raising his arm?

Answer: My advice is to pick the flag up if it is nearby, else you have no option but to continue monitoring for offside, and use your arm to bring this to the referee's attention. 
The flag is only one form of communication; you will have to use your remaining communication tools to notify the referee - voice, waving arm, hoisted handkerchief, corner flag! etc…………. ;-)
In fact, if all Assistant Referees could experience this embarrassment at least once, early in their career, it will never happen again; as it certainly focuses the mind into making sure that your flag is firmly grasped at all times.

Let me have your thoughts on this month's topics. Regards Julian Carosi

I hope that you have enjoyed this issue of the newsletter, and that you are all continuing to enjoy your refereeing roles.  All the very warmest wishes to you all, wherever you are in the world.

Regards, Julian Carosi (Newsletter Editor):

Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is not sanctioned by or affiliated with any governing body of soccer. The opinions expressed here are sometimes those of the Corsham Referee webmaster and the readers, or from other media sources. Reference to the male gender in this newsletter is for simplification only, and apply to both males and females. All rights of the current Laws mentioned in this newsletter are reserved by FIFA, and they are the official laws of the International Football Association Board. The Editor is not obliged to publicise unsolicited manuscripts or photos.

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