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Set-Pieces - Dealing with a Mass Confrontation Melee By Julian Carosi.
(A series of articles on how to officiate in a proactive way by improving how you deal with specific incidents and how to become a better Referee).                       

Introduction: 
Dealing with a Mass Confrontation is one of the most difficult and sometimes frightening duties that you will have to deal with in your Refereeing career. There are many questions to be asked. Who needs to get involved - the Referee only, the Referee and one Assistant Referee or both Assistant Referees? What role should the 4th Official take where applicable? What are the individual responsibilities? What action should the Referee take etc.? What system can be used to observe proceedings?

The following advice will answer these questions and also help you to deal with Mass Confrontations in a predetermined, controlled and structured way. The adoption of a standard approach when dealing with mass confrontation is recommended to promote consistency and to achieve greater success in issuing deserved punishments. Whilst this guidance focuses on a Referee who has two Assistant Referees available in his team, much of the advice is also applicable to a Referee working on his own, or with Club Assistant Referees.

What is a mass confrontation melee of players?
For the purpose of this guidance, a 'mass confrontation melee of players' is defined as the converging together of several angry players from both teams. A mass confrontation also describes a situation following a disputed decision, where several players from the same team surround the Referee in an intimidating way; thereby hindering or forcing him to move. This guidance focuses primarily on the former situation. 

What causes a mass confrontation?
A mass confrontation usually occurs following a flash point in the game, such as a tackle made with excess force where the safety of a player is endangered, e.g. where the studs of a deliberately outstretched boot cause a painful injury to an opponent. It is the angry reaction of the receiving player and/or colleagues that sparks off a convergence of outraged players. Incidents occurring immediately in front of the Technical Areas very often spark off a confrontation. Strong challenges against goalkeepers are another area to look out for. A player running into the goal to retrieve the ball after they have scored a goal can also ignite a confrontation. Deliberately kicking the ball into an opponent who is prostrate on the ground is another example. There are many others - you need to be ready for all of them.

How should you react?
You should always be ready to recognise a flash-point as you will be expected to react to it very quickly. A slow response by you will result in further escalation. Be aware that certain teams have certain players who are very often the instigators of mass confrontation. Identifying such players enables you to take proactive action to minimise confrontation occurring by offering warnings/advice and keeping a close eye on them whenever they are involved in robust challenges for the ball. Being proactive is a useful skill - use it whenever you can.
When an incident occurs, you also will be the focus of attention, so it is important that you remain calm, alert and try not to panic. Players, managers and spectators will expect you to deal with the incident assertively and to send out a strong warning to prevent reoccurrence. You may also become the focus of dissent and verbal challenges from several players simultaneously whist the fracas is developing. 
If you find yourself surrounded by a large group of players, you should try to diffuse the situation by quickly identifying the main protestor/aggressor and isolating them for appropriate disciplinary action (yellow or red card). If you are quick enough and near enough to react, peace can sometimes be achieved.

If you do not deal immediately with aggressive players, the situation will quickly intensify. Nipping the problem in the bud is a good way of stopping an angry situation from escalating into a mass confrontation. Hence you need to get there and deal with it as quickly as you can. To prevent escalation, a member of the Refereeing team must try to get there immediately. The longer it takes for a match official to arrive at the scene, the more time there is for other players to get involved and for flames to be fanned.

In certain cases, in addition to sprinting to the location, issuing an instant yellow card to the main protagonist will show other players that you are taking swift action - this will minimise retaliation. 

As a rule of thumb, it is generally better to take your time when issuing a red card. The issuing of a quick red card should only be done in extreme cases, for example, when a single perpetrator can be quickly isolated and dealt with away from the immediate scene. An example of this would be in an extreme situation where a player has purposefully broken the leg of an opponent near the touchline. The quicker you can remove the perpetrator, the less opportunity there will be for violent retaliation. A quick red card in this case could be justified. But the safety of the injured player must always be your first responsibility. It's a fine balancing act for you to decide - each incident has to be managed carefully. 
Note: The FA (England) preferred process for the use of yellow and red cards can be found in The FA booklet entitled Advice on the Application of the Laws of the Game which can be obtained free from your respective County FA for Referees in England. 

What message should you (the Referee) impart?
Intimidating mass confrontation situations bring the game into disrepute, and are top of the league for their ability to project a strong cascading negative public image. You must therefore ensure that you send out an appropriate message that clearly communicates that such conduct will not be tolerated and will be strongly punished. Whilst understanding that the competitive, physical and passionate elements in a game are part of football, Referees need to protect the game's positive image. Therefore, you (along with all of the participants) have a duty to protect the Image of the Game in association with the theme of promoting Respect.

What involvement should you look out for?
There are lots of things that you should look out for, but firstly, it is paramount that you do not lose sight of the original perpetrator(s) and the actual offence that instigated the mass confrontation. It is easy to lose concentration when all Hell is burning around you. Players are very adept at trying to confuse Referees by crowding around. 

Pay particular attention to the following: 

• Talk over the original incident in your head using simple phrases, as you are observing developments, i.e. "Green 5 excessive tackle, Blue 7 thumped Green 5".

• Innocent players who are clearly trying to prevent escalation by physically or verbally trying to hold back colleagues or opponents.

• Players who are seen to be striking, kicking or acting aggressively must be identified and punished - as opposed to those who are clearly trying to be helpful by separating the offenders.

• Is the confrontation likely to expand or move to a more dangerous position (i.e. nearer to spectators or towards the Technical Areas?) 

• Do not allow any time wasting. The time lost by the delay in dealing with the situation must be allowed for in the normal way.

• Ensure the match restarts as quickly as possible

Who should I punish?
You should punish as many perpetrators as you can. But because of the nature of mass confrontations, it is sometimes impossible to punish or witness all of the perpetrators. As a Referee, your priority should be to identify and punish the instigators, and thereafter, any other players whose action clearly escalates or inflames the situation. 

• It is recommended that in general, at least one player from each team receives an appropriate disciplinary sanction.

• The main aggressors must be punished.

• Players who instigate the confrontation must be punished.

• Players from the immediate area who decide to join in must be punished.

• Players who by their involvement are inflaming the situation must be punished.

• Anybody who races halfway across the field of play to cause more trouble by joining in negatively should be issued with at least an mandatory yellow card. For example - players (such as goalkeepers) who run considerable distances in order to inflame the situation.

• Club Officials who become aggressively involved must be reported.

• It can sometimes be impossible to remember who did what when players angrily converge; so even where disciplinary action is not taken against individual players, reports of mass confrontation must still be made to The Football Association.

How should the officiating team observe a mass confrontation melee?
Dealing with mass confrontation calls for special assertive measures involving all members of the officiating team.

The Control Observation Triangle method described below is a good structured way to manage and observe a mass confrontation. 

The Control Observation Triangle (COT): 
As the Referee, you would normally be first on the scene. 
As you approach, blast your whistle using short blasts as loud as you possibly can. Keep this up for as long as you can. This is a very good way to refocus the minds of angry players. The use of a very loud whistle continuously being blown to match the severity of the incident must not be underestimated. Although the whistle is a simple tool, it is very effective in quelling mass confrontation. The whistle can prevent dismissal. 

The first official on the scene should work very carefully to separate the protagonists, but great care must be taken not to physically handle players by pulling them away. Using (non-touching) outstretched hands/arms from a short distance is a good way to separate players by forming a barrier between them. Of course, this should only be attempted when only a few players are involved. It would be no good trying to do this amongst a scrum of many players. Do not physically isolate angry players unless you want a broken nose!

If three or more players enter the scene and the mass confrontation escalates, you and your Assistant Referees should step back and observe the situation from a safe distance (10-15 metres away). Your job at this stage is to observe and to make mental notes, and not to attempt separating the players by entering the affray. If you do enter the affray, you will lose your wide angled observation advantage point and some of the perpetrators will be unseen. You will also place yourself in a vulnerable position where your effectiveness to control and observe the situation will be greatly limited.

On approaching the scene, you should firstly take up a monitoring position that allows you to observe proceedings from the best viewing angle. To reiterate - avoid jumping into the afray in an attempt to pull players away from each other. Instead, stand back and observe the incident from a safe distance and make mental notes of who is doing what. 

Your two Assistant Referees should take up a position so as to form a control observation triangle (COT) around the mass confrontation location as shown below. 

When the disturbance calms down, you and your Assistant Referees should begin isolating opposing teams, and then individual perpetrators into safe areas away from the scene of the confrontation. 

If the safety of an official is jeopardized, then the officiating team should back further away together as a group into a safe zone.

What are the separate roles of the officiating team?
Both of the Assistant Referees should initially move along the touchline to obtain a better angle of view of the incident. Depending on the severity and the number of players involved, the two Assistant Referees should prepare to enter the field of play to take up a monitoring position close to the incident. In some cases, you will be able to deal with the confrontation without summoning your Assistant Referees onto the field of play. If the situation deteriorates, or other players join the affray, then you should seek help from your Assistants. You can do this by summoning them onto the field of play with a previously agreed beckoning arm signal. Assistant Referees must be ready to react quickly if is obvious that the initial effort by you is not effective in diffusing the conflict and it continues to escalate. On these occasions, the Assistant Referees should not await a signal from you to enter the field of play, as you will most likely be already concentrating on dealing directly with the incident.

Once the confrontation has subsided, the Assistant Referees should prepare themselves to provide you with information regarding the incident, including which players were involved, and what part they played in the confrontation. In some cases, there will be players who positively try to prevent escalation by segregating their angry colleagues. These players must be identified as playing a positive part in quelling the situation rather than inflaming it. 

Referee's Role: 
You should focus primarily on identifying the first wave main instigators of the conflict. This could be two players who are fighting each other following a robust challenge for the ball, or a player who is not involved in the original incident reacting violently. If three or more players enter the scene, you should step back and observe the situation. Keep blowing your whistle LOUDLY.

Once the situation has been dealt with, it would not be remiss of you to quietly thank anyone who played a positive part in quelling the situation. 

Junior Assistant Referee's Role: 
Whilst the Referee's main role is to identify the instigators, the Junior Assistant Referee's role is to identify other and second wave of players who subsequently inflame the situation by joining in the affray from the immediate area, often adding "fuel to the fire." This allows the Senior Assistant Referee to focus primarily on the managing the behaviour of the Technical Area occupants. 

There may be occasions when immediate involvement by an Assistant Referee will prevent escalation. This may happen if you (the Referee) are too far away to prevent initial escalation. In such cases, the official who is nearest to the confrontation must establish his presence and try to diffuse the situation; this allows you more time to reach the location. 

It is important to have as many pairs of eyes as possible to observe a mass confrontation. Therefore, whilst the confrontation continues, the three match officials should not write any details into their notebooks. Instead, they should make mental notes of who does what.

Senior Assistant Referee's Role:
The overall objective for a Senior Assistant Referee is to aid monitoring the confrontation itself. In addition to this, because the Senior Assistant Referee is likely to be patrolling the Technical Area side of the field of play, he is also responsible for preventing occupants from the Technical Areas joining in the affray. This becomes more of an issue, the nearer that an incident is to the Technical Area. As soon as any Technical Area problems have been sorted out, the Senior Assistant Referee should join his colleagues in monitoring the confrontation. In most cases, the Technical Area occupants will not present a problem, and the Senior Assistant Referee will be able to immediately join his colleagues on the field of play if necessary. 

The Senior Assistant Referee's secondary role is to look out for, and try to prevent any third wave of players joining the confrontation from a distance. For example, a goalkeeper running 50 yards to join in.

Note: The roles of the two Assistant Referees can vary depending on the Referee's preferences. The roles described above are therefore a baseline that can be used to set up your own process as a Referee.

Fourth Official's Role: 
If a Fourth Official is available, his primary role is to manage and observe the Technical Area occupants and record details as necessary. This allows the Senior Assistant Referee to directly assist the Referee with the confrontation. The Fourth Official's secondary role is to observe proceedings from a distance, in the following priority order. 

• Identify the main culprits and the instigators.

• Identify others who escalate the problem.

• Look out for others negatively joining the affray from a distance, including substitutes and team officials.

• Observe and guide players who have been sent-off.

Once the fracas is over, the Fourth Official should prepare himself to provide the Referee with details regarding the behavior of the people whom he has observed. This may include misbehaviour by team officials or other details that may have been missed by the Referee or his Assistants. The Referee will expect the Fourth Official to be able to confirm the identity and the actions of the main protagonists. The Fourth Official should therefore always have his notebook at the ready to observe and quickly record the details of the incident once it has subsided. 

Note: The positioning advice above does not pertain to Club Assistant Referees, as they are not neutral, trained or expected to provide or offer advice to the Referee on disciplinary matters.

How should the Referee deal with misconduct?
You must accept the final responsibility for the decisions taken and for the punishments awarded. Dealing with violent conduct and then any other sending-off offences are the first priorities before moving on to other players who are to be disciplined. To prevent further misconduct, players who have been sent off, should be asked to leave the field of play separately. The Fourth Official should monitor this closely. 

You are expected to be on the spot very quickly in an attempt to prevent mass confrontation; but if the situation escalates to acts of aggression, then this is violent conduct and must be punished with a sending-off. Players will also risk serious punishment for the angry 'mob scenes' that have caused increasing concern for the image of football in recent years. 

You should always consult with your Assistant Referees (and the Fourth Official if available) before taking any disciplinary action. 

You must remain calm, firm, maintain eye contact with the player concerned when you are disciplining him, and be in total command. Perpetrators should be moved into a position where you can still see all of (or most of) the other players whilst you are dealing with the misconduct. You should not isolate or issue punishments to players near the Technical Area, as this will inflame the situation even further. 

After making sure that all of the appropriate cards have been shown and all the details have been recorded, play should be restarted as quickly as possible.

What instructions should the Referee include in his pre-match brief to his Assistant Referees in respect to dealing with mass confrontation?
Referees should prepare Assistant Referees to co-operate in dealing with a mass confrontation by giving specific pre-match instructions, even if the team of match officials has worked together on previous occasions. 

The instructions should be clear and concise, as shown in the hypothetical example below of a Referee speaking to his two Assistant Referees as part of his pre-match brief to them:

"If a mass confrontation arises, come along the touchline to observe, and enter the field of play if I summon you or if it is obvious that I need help. Form a triangle around the scene. 
I will identify the first wave of instigators, the Junior Assistant Referee will look out for a second wave of players joining and inflaming the affray from the immediate area, and the Senior Assistant Referee will firstly manage the Technical Areas and then look out for any third wave of players coming in from a distance to inflame the situation. 
Make a mental note of who does what, and aim to identify at least one culprit form each team - any others will be a bonus. 
Do not write any notes during the confrontation, but observe. 
Before I take any action, I will call you over to consult you. "

Summary:
I hope that this guidance has given you some ideas that will prove useful when managing mass confrontation. If you have Assistant Referees in your team, don't try to deal with a mass confrontation on your own. Trust your Assistant Referees by delegating specific tasks for them to do if a confrontation erupts. This will empower them to help you maximize the potential to punish more perpetrators than you would be able to do if you were solely in charge. Three pairs of observing eyes can capture almost everything. 

Stay safe.

Julian Carosi www.CorshamRef.org.uk

Happy reffing.