The Corsham Referee Newsletter No 48 (June 2007)

1st June 2007 International newsletter covering Football (Soccer) Refereeing matters.

Welcome, with an International perspective.

Welcome to the 48th edition (it's 4 years old now!) of The Corsham Referee monthly International Football/Soccer Referees' newsletter.
This newsletter is issued free, and 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.

Keep up the good Refereeing work wherever you are in the world; and my best wishes go to all of you. Editor Julian Carosi.

121st ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION BOARD (IFAB) ON 3 MARCH 2007

Criteria for goal-line technology tests: 

At its meeting in Manchester on 3 March 2007, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the guardians of the Laws of the Game, laid down criteria for all future experiments involving goal-line technology. Any proposed system seeking IFAB approval must meet the following four requirements:

The IFAB also received a presentation from adidas/Cairos and the FA Premier League on two different systems. Other items discussed were:

The IFAB also approved amendments to the wording of the Laws of the Game in the following areas:

A reserve assistant referee may be appointed under competition rules, but he will only be involved if one of the assistant referees is unable to continue.
A player may not celebrate a goal by covering his head or face with a mask or similar item.

Finally, the following issues were discussed under "Any Other Business":

The IFAB is composed of representatives from the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as FIFA. The four British associations have one vote apiece, while FIFA, representing its 203 other members, has four votes, with any proposal requiring a three-quarter majority (i.e. six of the eight votes) in order to be passed.

From FIFA Joseph S Blatter (16 May 07)

On refereeing:
It is important that we continue to train referees. In fact, we have committed to investing $14m USD for the training of referees over the next four years. The stakes of any football match is extremely high and we need to help them. With this in mind, during a forthcoming UEFA youth tournament, there will be four assistant referees, with two of them acting as traditional linesmen and the other being more of assistants to the head referee. We have tested this system in Zurich already and I hope it will help the referees exercise better control of the games.

On violence:
The violence that we are seeing in stadiums is a reflection of the violence that we are experiencing in society at the moment. We have seen a reduction in violence in England after the country moved to all-seated arenas and we must consider this example. FIFA and governments must live up to their responsibilities in this respect. Comfort in stadiums is essential. We have to educate the fans and make them aware that violence is not acceptable. It is also the responsibility of footballers to behave appropriately - some of the recent scenes in Europe have saddened me.

U.S. SOCCER: FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL REFEREES

In a move designed to continue the growth and progress of officiating in the United States, U.S. Soccer has established a programme to employ full-time referees for the first time in the organisation's 95year history. Jair Marrufo, Ricardo Salazar, Baldomero Toledo and Terry Vaughn will become full-time referees, enabling them to focus all of their professional abilities on practical on-field applications, as well as on off-the-field training.
"This new programme will give our best referees the opportunity to focus all of their energies on enhancing the performance of our elite officials on the field," said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. The United States is now just one only a handful of countries with full-time professional referees (a list that includes England, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain).

A STORY (By Jack Blakemore 1 May 07)

I have been refereeing on and off for 44 years and I find that humanising myself with low profile actions is the very best way to gel with the players. Occasionally, if the mood is right, I even run behind the goal to get the ball for the 'keeper if he's been having to do it too often and you'd be amazed how often he says a surprised 'thanks, ref.' Obviously wouldn't recommend this helping hand to a referee doing a higher level game!

I have been with the same local Sunday League now for thirty consecutive seasons and know most of the players by their first names. I make sure I use Christian names for BOTH teams in case of claims of favouritism.

Yesterday for example was a case in point. One player, with whom I had not always had the best of times was actually a substitute for this game as his team had won the premier division the week before and fringe players were being given a game. At a suitable stoppage for an injury after 25 minutes of the first-half, I shouted out that there would be a 'drinks break lads' seeing as it was a very hot, sunny day. Some players looked bemused, others immediately rushed over to their touchline. I was asked by the champions if I needed a drink and I smiled and said thanks. The lad who brought on the drinks bottle was the very lad I had not always seen eye to eye with. Thinking on my feet how I could milk this relaxed situation to my future benefit, I said to him, " go on Tony, here's your opportunity to get one over on me by squirting the contents of that water bottle all over my face!" Needless to say he jumped at the chance and his action was greeted with raucous laughter from the considerable number of subs and supporters assembled. At the end of the game, Tony came up to me and called me by my first name for the first time ever and said how nice it was to see a referee show a human side.

Cheers Jack! From Julian

THE REFEREE'S SURVIVAL GUIDE

A fantastic new referee book written by Jeffrey Caminsky from the USA was featured in the 2007 April edition of The Corsham Referee newsletter, where you can get details of how to buy Jeff's book entitled 'The Referee's Survival Guide'. Can be bought from Amazon.com. The book comes highly recommend by me (Julian Carosi) and provides answers to many of your problems on the field of play. Clearly written and easy to understand. The Referee's Survival Guide explains many of the "what's, how's, who's and why's" of life on the soccer field, as well as many of the things for a referee to avoid.

Below is a monthly excerpt to whet your appetite for his brilliant book.

APPEARANCE AND DEPORTMENT

While it is unwise to judge a book by its cover, the fact remains that people will begin to size up a referee from the moment they see him. This means that the first thing they will notice about you when you arrive at the field will be your appearance.
Referees should arrive at the field in a timely manner. You should show up at least thirty minutes before the start of the match, appropriately dressed and conducting yourself in a professional manner. While the professional game demands a stricter dress code (and even gives the referees their own dressing room), officials working at amateur or youth levels of play have no official pre-game guidelines. This does not mean that you should not do your best to look professional.

Your attitude upon arriving at the field also says a lot about how you approach your duties and will affect how the participants perceive you. A helpful, professional, and approachable attitude will usually serve you much better than an air of officiousness or superiority. Maintaining this attitude throughout the match, although sometimes difficult, is usually more beneficial to officials and participants alike.

Many thanks to Jeffrey Caminsky for giving his permission for this article to appear.

Note - the advice above is based on the USA environment. For example, in England, only the very top Referees are allowed to wear coloured jerseys. 
The rest of us have to make do with black and white (including you Eddie!!!)

SOCCERPEDIA

(A monthly extract from the brilliant book 'Soccerpedia' by my friend Andrew Ward. Arranged in A to Z format, this entertaining and authoritative book offers the chance to get to know the Laws of the Game and its history in detail.  Publisher Robson . Publication Date 28 September 2006: ISBN 1861059833 
Size (h x w) 234x156mm Pages 368  Normal price £10.99 (approx. $20.35) Can be bought from Amazon.com

JUMPING AT AN OPPONENT

`The two-footed tackler is committing a foul,' said Liverpool manager Bill Shankly in 1966. `There is nothing more to be said about him.'

The two-footed tackler is really jumping at an opponent, and victims can be seriously injured. Zico (Brazil) missed a year with injury after Marcio Rossini threw himself at the player with his full weight (1985). Ken Aston, an experienced referee, described a challenge by John Fashanu (Wimbledon) on John O'Neill (Norwich City) as `the clearest case I have ever seen of a player jumping at an opponent'. Pashanu ended O'Neill's career (December 1987).
A double-footed lunge by Kevin Gray (Huddersfield) on Gordon Watson Bradford City) caused a very serious injury and sparked a major court case (February 1997). Once Gray was airborne and `totally focused on the ball' he could do nothing to adjust his trajectory when Watson nicked the ball away. Gray was cautioned by the referee but Jimmy Hill, who watched the video, described it as one of the worst tackles he had seen in almost fifty years of football. `It offended against both the unwritten as well as the written code of the game,' Hill said, giving evidence at Leeds High Court.
On Boxing Day 1999, Richard Carpenter (Cardiff City) launched himself at Chris Casper (Reading), who heard his leg snap and felt the intense pain. Casper twisted one way and saw his foot flapping in the air. While the world celebrated the `new millennium', Casper was in hospital with a broken tibia, broken fibula, damaged knee ligaments and damaged ankle ligaments. Carpenter was cautioned for the two-footed challenge, and Casper's later compensation claim was settled out of court.

When Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) jumped with two feet into Gary Naysmith (Everton), the incident was well publicised (December 2002). The referee missed the incident but Gerrard was banned for three matches on video evidence. One interpretation, in September 2003, was that players should be booked for a two-footed jump that takes the ball and sent off if they take the opponent and the ball If they miss the ball and take out the opponent then they should be phoning their solicitor. A player may get away with a so-called two-footed tackle if it is done from a short distance away, say a foot or two, and the ball acts as a natural cushion.

Pat Van Den Hauwe was sent off in a home match with Luton (1989-90). His 'two-footed tackle' was waist-high at lain Dowie (Luton). The sending off was inevitable, even though there was little contact. Similarly, Seth Johnson (Derby) was sent off for an ugly two-footed lunge at Bradford's Stuart McCall (April 2001).
There are two other kinds of jumping at an opponent. When players turn their back on the ball and jump as an opponent goes to head it, a referee will give a free-kick. And jumping at an opponent with one foot leading and the other tucked up is also a dangerous foul.

STEVE BENNETT LOST FOR WORDS BUT FULL OF PRIDE BEFORE WEMBLEY TEST

Alan Biggs Thursday May 17, 2007 The Guardian 

When Steve Bennett heard that he would referee the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley stadium he was speechless. "I didn't know how to react or what to say - I had to write it all down," said Bennett, whose first words on paper were "the proudest moment of my life".
He continued: "To have been entrusted with the honour on this prestigious occasion, after grafting for 23 years, suddenly makes all the pain and sacrifice worthwhile."

The game played between Manchester United and Chelsea on Saturday 19th May was the pinnacle of the 46-year-old Kent official's career, which started back in 1984. He has twice officiated at a Cup final - as a linesman in 1995 and the fourth official six years later - and to make it a hat-trick is an impressive achievement, especially as a referee can only take charge on one occasion.
"This particular occasion [the final on Saturday] would test the calmest and most focused referee. That's it - my thoughts as I felt them at the time. There's a huge satisfaction and it really is incredibly special," he said.

His meticulousness and strict following of the rules have endeared him to some - and infuriated others. In February, Neil Warnock accused Bennett of being a "manufactured" and "by-the-book referee, black and white" after awarding Liverpool two penalties during Sheffield United's 4-0 defeat at Anfield. "If Steve Bennett knew a bit more about the game and not the rules inside out, he'd be a really top referee," Warnock said.

Bennett, however, has said that he "does not lose any sleep over criticism" because he "believes in his own ability". He has been a Premier League referee since 1999 and he became an international referee two years later. And even though he never played the game at the highest level - or, indeed, nowhere near the highest level - he still believes he collected enough experience as a goalkeeper in the Orpington and Bromley Sunday League. "I suffered a few busted fingers when I kept goal," he said. "To say that we've never played is something that can be easily laid against a referee but we've all played at some level, even if it's not the highest."

Bennett also believes there is less opportunity for referees these days to be liberal with the laws - even if they feel it helps their rapport with players. "The way the game has gone there is less room for what's called the commonsense approach because there are mandatory instructions we have to follow," he said. "While we don't always like it, there is no option. The danger of using 'commonsense' is that you can open yourself up to being called inconsistent."

"We have an understanding of what goes on and yet it's an easy thing to level against us when things don't go a team's way. As referees, we understand these comments and know that they are said more out of frustration than meant personally. If you allowed criticism to affect you, you wouldn't carry on. You have to grow an extra layer of skin."

And not even the possibility of incurring the wrath of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho on Saturday has dampened the official's excitement for the game between what he describes as "two fantastic teams". "While I have to be extremely focused, when you see someone sprint down the line, play a dummy and score a great goal then it's a joy," he said. "Even the referee gets that sense of 'wow', the feeling that it's a pleasure to be there.

"Football is a great game and everyone wants to be involved in it for different reasons. We're all in it because we love it. If you're not good enough to play at a certain level then maybe the next best thing is to officiate. Referees live for each Saturday just as players do."

Steve's performance turned out to be excellent as usual - well done Steve. (Julian)

GRAHAM POLL BLOWS HIS FINAL WHISTLE (Telegraph 12 May 2007) 

Graham Poll took charge of his final Premiership game, at Fratton Park on Sunday ruing the success of English clubs in Europe. Poll, who is also set to officiate in the play-offs, follows a succession of leading referees who have left the game at the peak of their careers.   Poll, the man in the middle for Portsmouth's match with Arsenal, refereed in two World Cups and the 2000 European Championship finals, along with the finals of the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup. The only honour absent from his CV is a Champions League final but with English teams in the last three finals, his route to the top was cut off.

He is generally regarded as the game's best official, despite his blunder during last year's Croatia v Australia World Cup tie in which he showed the yellow card three times to Josip Simunic. Poll, 43, has six more years before reaching the official retirement age. His departure would follow those of leading referees such as Graham Barber, Paul Durkin and Steve Dunn.

WORLD-WIDE WEBB KEEPS THE PEACE (Telegraph)  Howard Webb Premiership Referee

There is this small, but persistent, fantasy. Jose Mourinho is prowling the touchline - or Paul Jewell, or Sam Allardyce, or any one of the serial referee baiters who inhabit modern football with their one-eyed epithets and "son of a bitch" in Portuguese - when suddenly he is confronted by a 6ft 3in hulk in black, holding a can of pepper spray and an extendable baton. "Do that again, Mr Mourinho," says Howard Webb, politely, "and I shall be forced to give you a squirt." Whereupon our histrionic manager collapses like a half-baked soufflé and scuttles back to the dugout.

This vision has irresistible allure, especially in a week in which the Chelsea manager has excitedly impugned the integrity of English referees by claiming Manchester United receive favourable treatment over penalties while Chelsea are deliberately robbed. If only Webb, on behalf of himself and his beleaguered colleagues, could bring some of the tools of his trade - he is a sergeant in the South Yorkshire Constabulary - into the football workplace. What a different world it would be. "What did you call me, Wayne?" might have an entirely different response if delivered while swinging a set of handcuffs and - barely - restraining a slavering alsation. It is typical of Webb, however, a mild-mannered Yorkshireman (but rather like Clark Kent you feel there is steel underneath if not quite Superman's red underpants) that he yearns not to inflict neck-locks on his co-workers. By and large, he likes footballers.

"I don't get players looking at me with disdain or hatred at all. Far, far from it. Obviously there are occasions when the standard of behaviour falls below the acceptable level, but we try to differentiate between immediate, genuine frustration and something much more calculated." The referees' chief, Keith Hackett, has a neat way of describing the role of his men: that every week they go out to control about £300 million worth of assets on the pitch, all of them used to getting their own way. "I agree," said Webb. "With their job as a footballer comes wealth, fame, adoration everywhere they go, and for 90 minutes we're expected to go out there and control their egos. Which is not easy."

Sometimes.

"You've got to go out there and not be seen as an equal but in some way you have to gain their respect. By being accurate more often than not and speaking to them in the right way. Players actually want you to be firm. They want you to be strong and confident. They don't want you patting their backsides, ruffling their hair, that sort of thing. They actually want you to be the referee. They don't want you to be their mate."  It is this understanding and the natural authority that comes from policing Sheffield city centre on a busy night, not to mention weighing well over 14st, that has lifted Webb in the referee ratings and earned him a trip to Zurich this weekend as the only Briton on a training camp with FIFA. (One of the tests was to make sure he can speak English. "I hope I passed that one," he said.)

With the state of the England football team, Webb, 35, is obviously our next best chance of making the 2010 World Cup final. You'd never know it. He picked me up from Sheffield station driving a small firm's car (a plain one, no flashing blue light), his knees tucked up under the steering wheel. He is unpretentious to the point of charming and even offered to pay for lunch when the restaurant's credit card machine broke down. "If we haven't got enough cash between us, we'll have to go without paying," he said, which was practical policing of the highest order. Unlike some referees, he doesn't enjoy the theatre and the greasepaint, darling. His is not the star turn and doesn't seek to be. When he goes to watch his beloved Rotherham, he wears a woollen hat pulled down over his eyes, even in sweltering heat, and sweats in anonymity. His idea of a fine match is one in which he is barely noticed. So the Carling Cup final wasn't one of his highlights. This was the match that rocketed him to notice this season when a small war between Arsenal and Chelsea broke out in stoppage time. In the middle of a spiteful mass ruckus featuring Toure v Mikel, Eboue v Bridge with Fabregas v Lampard on the undercard and Emmanuel Adebayor going singularly potty, was the imposing figure of Webb, calming things down, dealing out cards and identifying John Obi Mikel as a miscreant by the simple means of holding on to his shirt. More practical policing. You're not getting away from me, son. "My first reaction, being quite a big lad who's not that unfamiliar with violence and disorder, was to get in the middle of it and try to pull people apart before it escalated. But, on that occasion, it didn't calm, so I had to step out of it - partly for my own safety, but mainly so I could see what was going on." There was some argument that he had mistaken Emmanuel Eboue for Adebayor, accounting for the African's violent outbreak of rage, but it was generally agreed he acquitted himself well in the circumstances. Even Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, this week marked out the game as one in which the referee performed well in the midst of disgraceful mayhem.

Webb met Adebayor at the subsequent Football Association hearing, and the striker put an arm round the referee and declared no hard feelings. He was equally measured in response. "I would expect players to react to a certain extent. The game's massively passionate but there's a line you don't cross. If I reacted to all the abuse I get from spectators I wouldn't last very long. You block it out. It's not personal. "It's a safety valve to blame the ref. Absolutely. If a team's not playing well, the referee is the manager's easy target and we accept that. So much of what we do is subjective, which means you can bring opinion into it. We don't have much of a right of reply. "But do not for one minute think referees drive away from games and forget all about it. I care massively. If I make a mistake that costs a team points or turns the game, I struggle for days. I'll fall out with the wife, if I have a bad weekend."

After the Blackburn v West Ham game this season in which he allowed goals that should have been disallowed for handball (arguably), offside and not crossing the line, he was hardly civil to his wife for three days. Even when he could blame his assistants for two out of three of the errors. Referees traditionally cop it. For being too portly, too slow, too biased and, above all, too blind. Since turning professional and being kindly allowed to earn the same amount in a year as players in a week, about £70,000, there has been a visible improvement. They run an average of 12km a game, and burn off about 3,000 calories, so they must be doing something busy if not always right. But Webb has a further advantage. He has seen human outrage in many forms, and, by no means, are footballers the worst he has confronted.

"Numerous times I've had knives pulled on me. In 14 years in the service, I have yet to see a firearm, but you regularly come across groups of youths squaring up when I work on the public order vans in the city centre. I enjoy that. It's an interesting place to be. I learnt early. Within weeks of being on the job, I'd gone to a domestic incident between a married couple. She called us because of her husband's behaviour. We started to arrest him at which point she decided she didn't want him locked up after all, so she goes to the kitchen drawer, pulls out a carving knife and starts running at us. We got ourselves out of the way, behind the sofa, quick. Nowadays, we've got pepper spray which we could use. That's better than whacking somebody with an extendable baton. But in those days, we just had to get ourselves out of the way, and then deal with it. There is a massive correlation between reffing and it's probably no coincidence that of the 18 senior referees who regularly handle the Premiership, four of them are in the police force." Obviously pepper spray is not an option - yet - for referees in Carling Cup finals. Is this a regret? "Yeah, one of my police colleagues did ask me afterwards if I'd thought about putting one of them in an arm entanglement and I've often wondered what I would do if a spectator or player tried to hit me on the field. I think I'd leave it to the guys trained to do the job on the day." He will never know. Even Adebayor's not that crazy.

Webb did not plan to be a referee. Who does? It is hardly the most glamorous of career options to teenagers who find no special appeal in being abused, spat at, punched, kicked and mown down by cars driven maniacally across the pitch by the striker you've just sent off - all fates that have befallen officials in the lower leagues. Every year 7,000 new referees are recruited, and 7,000 retire hurt, bruised and demoralised. Webb is the antidote to such stories. He was persuaded to take up officiating by his dad, who was a referee at semi-pro and local level. He had watched his son's career as a Rotherham footballer founder on the fact that his reading of the game at centre-half was not quite matched by his dancing footwork. Webb, pragmatically, gave up his dream of League football and now he's playing in the Premiership.

"The first game I ever did was a kid's game. A parent on the sidelines was hurling abuse and I told him to be quiet. He said: 'If you take another step I'm going to knock you out.' I thought, 'oh marvellous.' I was only 18, I'd just qualified, but I said, 'don't be silly' and kept walking towards him." He has been walking towards trouble ever since. Webb isn't a hero, but he is braver than most of us who would not normally choose to risk a tirade from Sir Alex Ferguson. Plus, he is at French evening classes, baffling the teacher by asking the translation for "offside" while his other classmates, with second homes in Brittany, want to know the words for "plumber", "builder" and "I know snails are a wonderful delicacy but have you got any baked beans?"

This is commitment. Something Arsene Wenger appreciates. Perhaps the Arsenal manager now regrets his outburst, calling one of the Carling Cup assistant referees a liar following the turbulent events. Webb wasn't impressed by that. "If there is one thing all match officials hold dear it's their integrity. We're offended if our honesty is called into question. You can accuse us of incompetence all day long, but I have never come across in my life any kind of corruption among referees in this country. And I'd swear that on the life of my children.

"No one I know would be tempted. Because it's not the money, is it? What you do it for is the privilege of walking out with the ball under your arm at five to three at somewhere like Goodison Park where the atmosphere is intense and 40,000 people are singing their hearts out. It's such an honour and you've worked bloody hard to get there, too, so it's satisfaction as well. It's such a buzz that sometimes you have to pinch yourself that you're actually there in the middle of it all."

It can only be good to meet a referee so human. "Of course we're human," he said. "Some more than others."

 

IT'S THE MANAGERS THAT NEED GLASSES NOT THE REFEREES

So no pressure on Rob Styles then. The referee who declined to award a penalty against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 14th April 2007 and who took charge of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 28thApril. Jose Mourinho will no doubt hand him a copy of the "new rules". If we are to believe the Chelsea manager and his counterparts, the title will be decided not by talent or tactics, but by refereeing decisions. Nonsense. It is the managers who need glasses.

There are no new rules. The offside law was tweaked five years ago, but the definition of a foul or a handball is the same as it was when Bill Shankly and Don Revie were complaining about referees. Strip away the bluster, and the reality is that Mourinho and the rest don't seem to know the rules. Or choose to ignore them. The next time you hear one of them say that referees don't "understand" the game, ask yourself if the managers "understand" the laws of the game. In fact, ask yourself if you do. On Wednesday night the Mourinho conspiracy spin came unravelled when Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa's hand touched the ball during the Champions League semi-final. "Penalty!" Er, except that the incident occurred outside the box. The most important point was missed amid the traces of egg spotted in the Special One's stubble. No free kick was given either. Correctly. It was not handball.  
"It was a definite handball, it hit him on the arm," said a television pundit. A-ha, you have just defeated your own argument. Law 12 states that a direct free kick is awarded only if a player handles the ball deliberately. The ball hit Arbeloa and not vice-versa. That is all that matters.

Official guidance has been given to help referees decide whether a player has taken up "an unnatural position" and so on, but it is the kind of guidance that would send the rest of us to sleep. The law is there to stop players catching and punching the ball. Too many handballs are given because there are too many appeals for handball. Mourinho is every bit as adamant that Middlesbrough and Sheffield United should have been awarded penalties at Old Trafford recently, and I agree. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has made a forensic examination of the television footage that suggests John O'Shea brushed a millimetre of a stud against the surface of the ball before leaving Boro's Dong Gook Lee in a heap. "He got the ball", so that's OK. Wrong. Getting to the ball first in a tackle does not give you immunity from a foul. Not if you clatter the player too.

In fairness, the same television analysis that condemned Styles and Peter Walton also made an attempt to explain their decisions by examining their position at the time of the fouls. A referee can only give what he sees. Mourinho admitted that he too made mistakes. He said that he liked and respected the referees involved, but then propounded the theory that there was one rule for United and another for Chelsea. What is that if it is not an attack on the integrity of the referees concerned? With a few fussy exceptions, the laws of the game are interpreted to help promote good, attacking football. I despair when I hear dinosaurs grunting that the offside law was better the way it was. The problem with the new offside initiative is managers who set up old offside traps.

Sam Allardyce, the Bolton manager, will no doubt fear the worst today. Big stadium, smaller club, "referees are only human", etc, etc. But Styles visits Stamford Bridge more often than Bolton do, and he is not the type to be intimidated. Critical decisions lie ahead for Styles and his colleagues in this month of months. A player could be "carded" out of the Champions League final, major issues can be decided by minor details. Mourinho, Ferguson and the others will be examining the minutiae of strategy and preparation in search of a telling advantage. If only they would take a look at the laws of the game as well.

FAMOA DEVELOPMENT EVENT SUNDAY  5 AUGUST WILTSHIRE ENGLAND

I (Julian Carosi) will be organising this year's FAMOA Development day in my County of Wiltshire. We have a fantastic programme of events, with guest speaker Keith Hackett visiting us in the afternoon. In the morning, we have organised outdoor training sessions. Lunch is provided, followed by an indoor activities involving a fun session, our Key Note speaker Keith Hackett and lots more.  Jeffrey Caminsky from the USA has sent over eight copies of his fantastic new referee book 'The Referee's Survival Guide'. These will be issued as prises for an informal competition held during lunch time. Referees in Wiltshire, will be invited shortly via their annual registration letter. The event will be held at Melksham House Melksham, Wiltshire, and on the adjacent Melksham Town football ground. If any referees outside of Wiltshire would like to attend, please get in contact with me. We would be very pleased to see you. 

The draft program/timetable is as follows:

Venue: Melksham House, Wiltshire, England. The main hall is booked from 9:30 to 16:30.
The Melksham Town football pitch will also be marked out for our use on the morning.

Dress code: Casual tracksuits, trainers and shorts preferred. No studded boots. Bring a flag.
Note: Some minor physical activity will occur in the outdoors interactive sessions in the morning, but those who are not able or do not wish to participate physically, are most welcome to observe only. Everyone is welcome.

Timetable: 

0930 for 1000 Start (Tea / Coffee / Biscuits/ Registration (Registration by Graham Barnes).
Herbie Magri-Overend and Melksham Society members to act as chaperones for the day. 
1000-1015: Welcome, Introduction, and explain the day's timetable etc. (George McCaffery)
1015-12-15: Congregate on adjacent Melksham Town ground; split audience onto 3 groups;
Each group will circulate and attend each of the three interactive sessions in turn.
Session 1. (30 min): Flagging and lining techniques: (Steve Swallow aided by Ray Olivier).
Session 2. (30 min): Dealing with injuries & dealing with a melee. (Roger Vaughan / Graham Barnes)
Session 3. (30 min): Dealing with ceremonial free kicks & penalty kicks. (Kevin Barnes aided by Julian Carosi). 10-minute 'turn around' between each session, to allow groups to move to the next session.
1215-1230: De-brief in the Melksham Town stand, at the end of the morning's sessions. (George McCaffery) And a few words by Wilts Referees' Secretary Ian Whitehouse. Photo shoot - press & Radio Wilts??
1230-1330: Free buffet lunch, plus multi-choice fun Law Quiz competition that can be completed over lunch. Eight prize copies of the new book, 'The Referee's Survival Guide'; by Jeffrey Caminsky USA). 
Referees' Association stall organised by Mike Greenyer. Kit and accessories on sale) 
1330-1430: Interactive fun indoor session: 'The Perfect Referee' (Ray Olivier):
1430-1445: Law Changes (Dave Clarke):
1445-1545: Key Note Speaker Keith Hackett. 
1545-1600: Consolidation, thanks and 'Any Questions' session. 
1600: End
Contact details: Organiser Julian Carosi; Home 01249-714552 Mobile 07906-630053 julian@carosi.freeserve.co.uk

WENGER FINED

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been fined £2,500 and severely censured by a Football Association disciplinary commission for his claim that a referee's assistant had lied over the mass brawl at the end of the Carling Cup final. This was Wenger's third disciplinary case this season. Wenger had denied a charge of improper conduct in relation to media comments following the match against Chelsea at the Millennium Staduim on Feb 23 which saw three players sent off. In bringing the charge against him in March, the FA demanded an explanation both for his comments about the assistant referee and his remark that "the whole system is not honest" after Emmanuel Adebayor's appeal against a three-game ban had been dismissed. 

Wenger had said: "The officials made a mistake. Adebayor did not punch Lampard and didn't intend to, we can prove it. It isn't the truth, I don't accept it. I cannot accept that our club is treated like this. 

"I will defend it to the FA. It was a lie and is not responsible." 

An FA statement said: "In making the judgement, the commission said that they judged that the use of the word 'lie' constituted improper conduct."

Last month, Wenger was fined £2,500 and warned about his conduct for arguing with a referee. In December, he was fined £10,000, similarly warned and "severely censured" for a touchline row with former West Ham United manager Alan Pardew.  

FOOTBALLS MOST CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS (Guardian 16 May 2007)

Firstly, let's remind England fans that in that infamous match in Rotterdam the Dutch were also denied by shoddy officiating: Frank Rijkaard had a goal chalked off in the first half for a non-existent offside. Also, let's not forget that England have also benefited from a hand of God-style scandal: they qualified for Euro 92 at the expense of the Republic of Ireland ultimately after Dennis Wise marked his first cap for his country by punching the ball into the net to give England a 1-0 win over Turkey in Izmir.

At least that gave Irish fans something new to moan about: until then their biggest gripe had been the manner in which they missed out on the 1982 World Cup. They lost a qualifier in Paris after France scored from a penalty awarded after the Spanish referee penalised Kevin Moran for heading the ball clear, apparently in the belief that the centre-back had punched it; but Liam Brady and Co. could still have reached Spain if they'd got a result in the Heysel Stadium, where Belgium beat them 1-0, but only after Frank Stapelton had a trademark headed goal ruled out for reasons that were never explained.

Subsequent international success for the Irish has, of course, diluted those bitter memories, but the same can't be said for Wales fans, who've had nothing to help them get over the injustice that cost them a place in the 1978 World Cup. In the crucial qualifier against Scotland at, of all places, Anfield, Joe Jordan handled the ball in the Welsh box and the referee - mistaking the Scottish striker's hand for that of a Welsh defender - awarded the Scots a penalty. Donald Masson duly converted it, Scotland went to Argentina and the sound of Welsh sobbing was punctuated only by violent swearing.

Speaking of Argentina: they famously exited the 1966 finals after being beaten by hosts England in a match in which their captain, Antonio Rattin, was sent off for "violence of the tongue" by a referee who didn't understand any Spanish. Argentinian fans also like pointing out that Brazil have benefited from plenty of dodgy decisions throughout their history. The great Garrincha, for example, was only able to play in the 1962 World Cup final because Fifa mysteriously decided not to suspend him for getting sent off in the semi-final against Chile, when he was dismissed for the not insignificant offence of delivering a powerful forearm smash to a defender's chest.

Earlier in the tournament, Brazil had beaten Spain 2-1 after the Spanish had a brilliant overhead kick goal bizarrely disallowed. Fast forward 24 years to Mexico 86 and Brazil again beat Spain in controversial circumstances, elegant Spanish midfielder Michel firing the Spaniards into the lead only for the referee to judge - incorrectly - that the ball hadn't crossed the line. And to rub salt into Spanish wounds, Socrates was clearly offside when he nodded in the game's only allowed goal.

Poor old Spain. They really don't have much luck in major finals. They were dumped out of USA 94 by Italy after Mauro Tassotti somehow escaped conceding a penalty for a vicious elbow on Luis Enrique in the box - the fact that Tassotti was subsequently banned for eight games was of no consolation to Spain. Then in 2002, they were knocked out on penalties by hosts South Korea: but the Spaniards should have won in normal time, when Fernando Morientes had two goals wrongly disallowed, including one scored from a Joaquin cross only for the officials to disallow it on the absurd grounds that the ball had gone out of play before Joaquin's delivery when it quite clearly hadn't.

In the previous round, of course, South Korea had eliminated Italy thanks to some equally extraordinary decisions. Damiano Tomassi had a goal disallowed for offside even though he was comfortably on. Franceso Totti was sent off for diving even though he had in fact been fouled in the box. And so on.

Still, perhaps that made up for the 1982 World Cup, which Italy won even though they should have been knocked out in the first round: if Roger Milla had not had a perfectly good goal disallowed against Peru (for an offside that wasn't even close to existing in reality), Cameroon would have progressed from Group A at the expense of the eventual champions. Cameroon didn't fare much better in France 98, when, needing to beat Chile to progress to the second round, François Omam-Biyik had two goals controversially disallowed in a 1-1 group draw.

El Salvador were equally enraged back in 1974 when Mexico launched a goal-scoring attack after taking a free-kick that had, in fact, been awarded to the Salvadorans: they protested so hard that the only way the Egyptian referee could shut them up was to blow for half-time early. Mexico went on to win 4-0.

But back to Brazil: it's worth mentioning that even they have fallen foul of infuriating officials. In 1978 they were denied top spot in their group when Welsh ref Clive Thomas blew for full-time at the precise moment that Zico's header was crossing the line for what would have been a match-winning winning goal against Sweden. The disbelieving samba boys had to settle for 1-1.

An equally infamous refereeing decision came in the 1982 semi-final, when Dutch ref Charles Gover failed to even tell off - let alone send off - West German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher for knocking France centre-back Patrick Battiston unconscious with a savage challenge outside his box; not only did the permtastic hatchetkeeper prevent a clear goalscoring chance, he went on to eliminate the French by saving two penalties in the subsequent shoot-out.

We could also mention that USA were denied a place in the 2002 semi-final because the ref somehow failed to spot Torsten Frings keeping out Gregg Berhalter's shot with his hand; or - our favourite - that Uzbekistan were denied the chance to play-off against Trinidad and Tobago for a place at the 2006 World Cup after Fifa ruled that the first leg of the final Asian qualifier between Uzbekistan and Bahrain had to be replayed because of a mistake made during the game by Japanese referee Toshimitsu Yoshida - even though losers Bahrain had actually benefited from the mistake (Uzbekistan had scored a penalty but the referee disallowed it because of encroachment, and rather than order it to be re-taken, which is what he should have done, he gave Bahrain an indirect free-kick). But you've probably gathered by now that every country in the world can find a reason to blame officials for their own disappointments. Except perhaps Scotland.

Oh, and apparently there was something controversial about one of Geoff Hurst's goals in the 1966 World Cup final ... but we can't for the life of us figure out what.

YOU MUST BE JOKING REF?

Redtown Referees’ Society v Yellowtown Referees’ Society 6-a-side Tournament.

The Redtown Referees’ Society team coach walked into the changing room before the annual 6-a-side game between these two groups of Referees. He looked over to his star player and said, "I'm not supposed to let you play since you failed the Referees’ exam yesterday, but we really need you in there. So, what I have to do is ask you a question, and if you get it right, you can play." 
The player agreed, so the coach looked into his eyes intently and asked, - "Okay, now concentrate hard and tell me the answer to this: If there are three substitutes on one bench, and another three substitutes on another bench. How many substitutes are there altogether?" 
The player thought for a moment and then answered, "6?" "Did you say 6?!" the coach exclaimed, excited that he had given the right answer. 
Suddenly, all the other Referees in the room began screaming, "Come on coach, give him another chance!"

Two ‘up and coming’ Football Referees were taking an important final exam to test their general knowledge prior being promoted to the top Refereeing level. If they failed, they would be demoted to the lower Leagues and not allowed to be promoted for 10 years. The exam was fill-in-the-blank.
The last question read, "Old MacDonald had a ________?"
Graham was stumped. He had no idea what to answer. But he knew he needed to get this one right to be sure that he passed.
Making sure the FA examiner wasn't watching, he tapped David on the shoulder. "Pssst. David. What's the answer to the last question?"
David laughed. He looked around to make sure the FA examiner hadn't noticed then he turned to Graham. 
"Graham, you're so stupid. Everyone knows Old MacDonald had a FARM."
"Oh yeah," said Graham. "I remember now."
He picked up his No. 2 pencil and started to write the answer in the blank. He stopped. 
Tapping David’s shoulder again, he whispered, "David, how do you spell farm?"
"You are really dumb, Graham. That's so easy. Farm is spelled E-I-E-I-O."

A lowly Referee was completing his field of play inspection at the local park before a game, and stumbled across an old lamp. He picked it up and rubbed it and out popped a genie. The genie said "OK, OK. You released me from the lamp, blah blah blah. This is the fourth time this month that a Referee has found me and I'm getting a little sick of these wishes every Saturday afternoon, so you can forget about three wishes. You only get one wish!" 
The Referee thought about it for a while and said, "I've always wanted to Referee the World Cup Final but have never been good enough. I’m much too fat, too old and to be honest with you, I’m not much of a Referee either. Could you turn me into a FIFA Referee, give me £10,000 per game, and make all the players call me "Sir"? 
The genie laughed and said, "That's impossible. Think of the impossibility of that! How would you cope with the pressure? Think of how much weight you would have to lose...how much daily training!! If the payers called you "Sir" the Universe would collapse. No, think of another wish." 
The Referee said OK and tried to think of a really good wish. 
Finally, he said, "I've been married and divorced four times. My wives always said that I don't care and that I'm insensitive. So, I wish that I could understand women....know how they feel inside and what they're thinking when they give me the silent treatment....know why they're crying, know what they really want when they say 'nothing'....know how to make them truly happy...." 
The genie said, "Who would you like as your Assistant Referees?!" 

THIS MONTH'S QUESTION and ANSWER TOPICS:

This month, we look at using cones or sand during goal kicks; impeding when running the ball out near the goal line; how to deal with a twelfth player; how to deal with players who shield the ball by the corner flag to waste time; how many reports should be sent in if a player swears after receiving a yellow card; and finally, how can added time be less than the time signalled by the Fourth Official?

CAN CONES OR SAND BE USED FOR TAKING GOAL KICKS?

Question: Can young players use a kicking-tee cone or a pile of sand (like they use in Rugby) to help then achieve greater length with their kicking - such as during the taking of goal kicks?

Answer: Law 1 (The Field of Play) and Law 4 (The Players' Equipment) are the Law sources of what is allowed and what is not allowed (on the field of play). Sand and cones do not form part of the Laws in terms of taking goal kicks, and should therefore be discouraged. There is no need for these items to be used in a game of football. To do so, would also lead to calls of favouritism, and lead to dependency by players who would be better off practicing goal kicks using normal methods. If a Referee allows a player to use a non-standard piece of equipment (e.g. cones or piles of sand), and that player (or another player) injures himself when using this unrecognised piece of equipment (or sand) the Referee will be the one who will be held responsible of sanctioning it in the first place. For example, how would the Referee (or the parent) feel, if a 'kicking-tee cone' (or sand) sanctioned by the Referee, was accidentally kicked into the eye of a young player and blinded him? 

The reason why the Laws are as watertight as they can be, is that over the many many years, they have evolved to protect the safety of players as much as they can do in this high contact sport. I would strongly advise Referees against sanctioning anything that is peculiar to the game (and this includes cones and sand used for taking goal kicks). If there are any complaints, when a Referee prohibits the use of cones and sand, then all the Referee needs to do, is to clearly remind the players, parents and coaches, that these items have never been sanctioned in the laws since they came into being in 1863. 

The Referee is responsible for the safety of the players at all times. If an injury did occur, you can bet your life that the parent or the coach who persuaded the Referee to allow unsanctioned items to be used, would be the last persons to take any blame; it would be the Referee who cops it and nobody else. 

IMPEDANCE OR NOT?

Question: When the ball is running out of play and is being shielded by the defender and the attacker is trying to get round the defender to get at the ball..... I know this is OK if the defender is near to the ball but what if he is a distance from the ball? The attacker is trying to get passed him.
My question is.... Would this be impedance and an in direct free kick or would it be a direct free kick? If it was in the penalty area would you give a penalty?? What puzzles me is that contact will usually be made but by the attacker and not the defender shielding the ball. Please help! 

Answer: In football, a reasonable amount of bodily contact is allowed. Therefore, players are allowed to physically interpose their bodies between an opponent and the ball, so long as they keep the ball within playing distance. The Referee will have to decide whether the leaning is part of the acceptable physical contact allowed in a game of football, or whether the leaning is a cunningly disguised act of holding. In most cases, opponents leaning on each other in these types of situations is acceptable, and play would normally be allowed to continue, so long as the defending player manages to keep the ball within playing distance. It can be difficult in these types of incidents, to decide which player is leaning on whom; it's up to the Referee to decide who to penalise if he thinks that the contact goes beyond what is normally accepted!
Impedance requires no contact; therefore, impedance rarely happens in these closely contested situations, as the players are usually too close to each other for impedance to easily occur. An offence is far more likely to be a penal (direct free kick) offence such as holding or pulling etc.

In nearly every case, there will be nothing for the Referee to do, except monitor the action closely, and offer proactive vocal advice such as, "Steady lads". In fact, I can't even remember the last time that I saw a foul committed or penalised in such circumstances. This is because players (both attackers and defenders) know that this is an accepted part of the game and are quite happy to have it so. In such circumstances, a Referee should not look to conjure up an offence that the players' themselves do not want. 

If a Referee is having difficulty in judging these incidents, the advice is simple. It's usually 100% obvious when a real infringement occurs. Don't focus on trying to make irrelevant contact more than what it is, but work hard to get nearby, and trust in your instinct and the players' reactions before you make any decisions.

TWELVE PLAYERS ANYONE?

Question: At the beginning of the second half you (the Referee) count that each team has 11 players. After 60 minutes you notice that one team now has 12 players. I am I correct in saying you stop play, caution the 12th player and ask him to leave the field of play, you take play back to the last point at which you knew the game was being played 11 vs 11 (e.g. half time) and start from there. Any goals scored are discounted but any misconduct remains? 

Answer: There are endless scenarios and holes that a Referee can dig for himself when an additional player has been part of the team for some time without the Referee realising it. My simple advice is to caution the 12th player (if you know who it is), complete the remainder of the game, and report the facts to the appropriate authorities.

WHEN EXACTLY DOES A GAME END?

Question: This incident happened recently when I was on the line....
An attacking player was fouled just outside the defending team's penalty area in an excellent position for a potential free kick. Instead, the ball continued to make its way out very wide and was met by another attacking player not in a very good position. I was about to raise my flag for the original foul, when the Referee signalled advantage being played. I kept the flag down. Knowing that time was running out, the attacking player shot from a ridiculous position and completely missed the goal. From the resulting goal kick, the Referee blew for full time whilst the ball was in the air. After the game the Referee told me that he had played an advantage because there were only 10 seconds left (i.e. there would not have been enough time to take the free kick had he awarded it). He then blew about 50 seconds later after the goal kick whilst the ball was up in the air.
When can you and and when can't you blow for full/half time? Does the ball have to be in play? If the ball is in play and there are 10 seconds left and a foul just outside of the box is committed. When do I blow the whistle? Is it while the team is getting ready to take the free kick? Is it just after it has been kicked? I am unclear. Can I blow for time when the ball is out of play for a throw in, goal kick etc? Please help.

Answer: You can blow the whistle when you have added enough time (in accordance with Law 7 - The Duration of Play) to compensate for time lost due to substitutions, injuries, removal of injured players, time-wasting or any other cause. The ball can be in play or the ball can be out of play (it makes no odds).

In your scenario, the Referee was very astute to allow advantage, knowing that only 10 seconds were left; because had he blown for the free kick, there would certainly not have been enough time remaining to take the free kick, and the Referee would have had to blow for the end of the game. In other words, a free kick would not have been advantageous to the attacking team, whereas the continuation of play was a potential benefit (i.e. there was still time for a possible goal to be scored within the remaining 10 seconds). This is the whole crux of the advantage clause; you penalise the team that commits the offence, by allowing the offended team to gain the best benefit from the situation. And the best benefit in your scenario, was to allow play to continue. 

There are two schools of thought as to when exactly you should blow your whistle for the end of the game. 

The first school of thought, advocates that you should blow the whistle on the exact second that the added lost time has reached. You can adhere to this method if you are prepared for big trouble many times in your career.

The second school of though, says don't fret to much about trying to get it perfect to the exact second, as it will land you in a guarantied heap of "$^$ Only YOU know what time you want to add on, so it's easy to persuade yourself that there were a few seconds more or a few seconds less to add or subtract from your eventual accumulated lost time - and no one would be the wiser! The secret is not make problems for yourself, when it is much easier to use a bit of common sense to end the game when there is no chance at all of a goal being scored (like your astute Referee did in your original scenario!).

I hope that you make the best of your secondary school of education today!

SHIELDING THE BALL BY THE CORNER FLAG

Question: What advice can you give to a Referee, on how to deal with an attacking player who tries to waste time by shielding the ball by the corner flag in the last moments of a game?

Answer: This is one of many situations that a Referee will have to proactively manage in a game, before it gets out of hand, which it always will do if the Referee does nothing. The advice I always give, is that a proactive Referee can always find something to award, when there is a potential of a nasty incident occurring in the last minutes of a game when an attacking player shields the ball by the corner flag. 

Sprint to the scene very quickly, and as soon as the players make contact, (which they always do) give a direct free kick for pushing / charging / kicking etc., by communicating a very strong signal to let the players know that you will not be changing your mind. It makes no odds what you give the free kick for, just give it! And be strong. If you give the free kick to the attacking team, they will do exactly the same again, by taking they ball back to the corner flag, so award the free kick to the defending team, as this has fewer consequences. 

Conversely, purist Referees who are not proactive, and are happy to wait for something to happen, or for a nasty injury or a melee to occur, will not be disappointed.

HOW MANY REPORTS?

Question: If I give a player a yellow card for a tackle, and when I show him the card he then swears at me. i.e. "You're a F---ing joke ref". Do I then show a red card and the yellow still stands? Or would I forget the yellow card, and just submit a red card report to the authorities, being the more serious offence?

Answer: These are two separate offences occurring at different times, which require their respective punishments to be justly applied for each occasion. 
The first caution offence of unsporting behaviour is for the reckless tackle, and a caution report has to be submitted to the authorities. 
The second offence that occurs a few moments later is the 'straight' sending-off offence, of 'using offensive or insulting or abusive language', and a separate sending-off report has to be submitted to the authorities. 

There are some lessons to be learnt from this scenario. Ask yourself if there was anything that you could have done, to prevent the additional sending-off offence from occurring? 

One method would have been to spend a few moments calming this player down before issuing the yellow card. Isolating the player and giving him more time to let off steam can achieve this. Before you take his name for the unsporting behaviour offence, clearly remind him that if he commits another offence, there is a great danger that the Laws require you to send him off. Make sure that he understands what you are saying. For example, say to him, "Do you understand what I'm saying?" (By doing this, you put the onus on the player for accepting his own decision for getting himself sent-off despite your warnings). This is a subtle psychological ploy that moves the responsibility - or the blame - for the sending-off, onto the perpetrator as opposed to you the Referee. It works wonders if used astutely in lots of situations; and will very often prevent abusive language). 

Take his name, and whilst doing so, if he is still angry, repeat that he will get sent off of he does not calm down.

These incidents are very common in most games, and it is the Referee's duty to be proactive in understanding the frustrations of players, by man-managing each situation as assertively as he can. 

MINIMUM TIME TO BE PLAYED

Question: As I understand it, the Fourth Official’s board signals "...the minimum amount of added time...", so if it's three minutes, the referee may, in reality, want to play 3mins 30 seconds; indeed he may add on time because of a delay in added time itself. But, how can added time be less than the time signalled by the Fourth Official? For example, three minutes displayed by the Fourth Official, and then the Referee blows the whistle to end the game after two minutes thirty seconds? 

Answer: It is very easy for a manager at the end of a game, to tap his watch angrily whilst approaching the Referee, in a gesture that clearly says to all the watching World that it was the Referee who was responsible for the Managers’ team not winning a Cup Match when they were losing 2-1 with only a matter of seconds left to be played on the Manager’s watch. It is much harder for a frustrated manager to initially accept that his tactics (or the performance of his players) may have been the true cause of losing, or even the fact that the best team won. These are the understandable frustrations of a stressful manager the are ‘part and parcel’ of a Referee’s requirement to understand and manage sympathetically. 
Notwithstanding the fact that a Referee is human and can make the odd mistake; as you can appreciate, it would be impossible for a Referee (in the final climatic end to games) to accurately calculate, and then inform the Fourth Official of the amount of time to be added in minutes AND seconds. Hence, the accepted calculation is based on the minimum number of added time minutes to be played. But this calculation also requires some common sense on the part of the Referee. For example, if there are 2 minutes and 59 seconds of added time to be played, does the Referee indicate 2 minutes or 3 minutes to the Fourth Official? 

The Referee is the sole timekeeper of each game, and as such, it is his watch alone that calculates the correct amount of time to be added on. In addition to this timekeeping, there can be many other watches ticking along at the same time (for example, the managers’ watches, the television pundits’ watches, the stadium clock, spectators’ watches and even the watches of those who are viewing the game on the television. Whilst all of these may purport that their watches were started at the exact same time as the Referee started his watch, and that their watches are of such accuracy that they match the Referee’s watch in every sense! It can therefore be seen, that there are many factors that can influence why two different watches may differ in their timekeeping. 

The only way that just criticism could be levelled at a Referee, is if his watch was connected to the stadium clock for all to see. Until then, we must trust to the integrity of each Referee to calculate the correct time by his watch, and not anyone else’s.

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, Referee, FA Licensed Referee Instructor, FA Referees' Assessor Wiltshire, England, Editorial member of the FA/RA Refereeing national magazine in England.
 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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