The Weekly Soccer Referee Blog – Volume 16 Issue 7 – Which Kick?

The Weekly Soccer Referee Blog

Sharpening Referee Knowledge and Judgment, One Week at a Time

Volume 16, Issue 7 – February 18, 2024

Please forward this Blog to your fellow soccer officials or tell them about it.  This is one of the tools we can use to keep sharp during the year.

The purpose of this Blog is so we can all learn from each other’s experience and by doing so, avoid mistakes, make more consistent calls, and do a better job. I don’t have to make any of this up – this is what happens on the pitch.

Quote of the Week:

“You are a coward and a liar.”

From a parent who questioned how two different situations were addressed weeks apart, and why one was derogatory, and the other was accepted part of the game.

Don’t you just love people who don’t know the rules, but know how to call you names?

OOPS

Sorry for the glitch last week, where I put the new question after the old question.  No excuses – I was in a hurry and didn’t do a good job of checking what I was doing.

Your Thoughts on IYSA’s New Waiver

Referee 1: there’s no way I would sign this or encourage anyone to referee under those conditions.

No wonder the leagues can’t get new referees into the game.

Referee 2:

I trust that others who are more knowledgeable about the law have already gone through it and can advise me on whether or not I should be signing it. I trust your knowledge and expertise too and if you have such critical thoughts on it, then it must be an issue.

Referee 3: (the Lawyer)

Indeed it is nuts!

It is like the Covid waiver IYSA came up with in 2020. There was blowback by some referees but it did not go anywhere.

I was opposed to that form and this medical waiver form that came out in 2022 and this a “revised” form.  A quick glance seems to me that they are identical.  The other referee lawyers who said it would not hold up in court appear to have legs to stand on.

This can be called a contract of adhesion, which is unconscionable.  For me, the key is the broad release of liability you must give to the Releasees with no definition to determine who they all are.  In broad terms perhaps yes but at what point do you draw the line.  Plus, you either sign or you cannot referee games for their member organizations while attesting that you are freely and voluntarily signing it.  How does that square?

It would seem IYSA wants us to be independent contractors for pay but treats us as employees regarding many basic terms and conditions of employment.  Unfortunately for IYSA, it is one or the other – not both.  Let them test it in court.

One way to test the document is to go to court for declaratory judgment as to the enforceability of this particular form.  But that takes time, money, and an interest in seeing the lawsuit to conclusion.

Or just ref non-IYSA games such as NISL, ENCL, MCL, etc.

Here is the link to a definition of “a contract of Adhesion”

adhesion contract

My advice (as the author of this Blog) continues to be while this is clearly unenforceable, DO NOT SIGN THIS.  If enough of us stand together and say NO, it will die.  Don’t be the WEAK LINK.

If you want to challenge IYSA, permission granted.  Try this person first: Mary Jane Bender – The squeaky wheel gets the grease.  BE SQUEAKY.

This Week’s Question – Which Kick?

During a high school soccer game….

You call Impeding on Player A00, who was raising her arms to keep the opponent from getting around her and issue an Indirect Free Kick to Team B at the location of the foul., which is a few feel outside the Team A Penalty Area near the south outer corner.

The players retreat without being asked.  You hold your arm straight up in the air, and the kick is taken by B29.

The goalkeeper from Team A sees the ball coming with your arm up, and steps aside, allowing the ball to sail into the back of the net without being touched by another player.

Team B begins to celebrate the goal.  Your arm is still in the air.

You Make the Call:

What is the call?

What is the restart?

Last Week’s Question: – Instant PK!

During a recent indoor soccer game….

Play has been lackluster at best, with two weak teams battling it out for the win.  You see 4 of the 6 Team B players in their penalty area, with A22 bringing the ball towards the penalty area.

A22 feints to the right, then kicks a sharp pass to A1, who is lurking just outside the Team B penalty area.  A1 promptly blasts the ball into the arm of B13, who has her arm held close to her body in the penalty area, and whose arm doesn’t move when struck by the ball.

The coach and the A1 are both screaming for a PK.

You Make the Call:

What is the Call?

What is the Restart?

What You Said:

Referee 1:

No foul. There was no intent to play the ball.

Referee 2:

Ball to hand (or arm), not hand (or arm) to ball. Arm was not extended making the body bigger. No foul. Play on.

Referee 3:

Ignore them and continue playing. If they continue, consider warning them or giving them a 2 minute penalty for dissent.

Referee 4:

Player B13 was not attempting to play the ball with her arm, the ball was kicked into her. This is a no-call. Play on.

The Answer:

Did the defending player make themselves bigger with their arms?  No.

Did the player move hand to ball?  No.

So no call.  If this was an allowable play, the EPL and every other professional league would be manufacturing handling calls every week and getting PKs for it.  I would hazard this is also the non-call that should have been made during the World Cup where the crew called a PK when the defender had their hand in a normal playing position, and the ball was blasted in.  The defender in that case even tried to avoid the contact (you can see the hand start to pull back) before the contact.

We’re getting silly with VAR on some of these – but it is what it is.

The coaches comment was hysterical: “There are different rules in the Penalty Area.”  No, there aren’t coach.  He then said something that was abusive, and got sent off.  Too bad, so sad.

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Tags: AR, assistant referee, caution, dissent, Ejection, FIFA, foul, NCAA, NFHS, NISOA, push, red card, referee, soccer, soccer ref, Soccer Referee, sports, USSF, Yellow Card