Gameday notes (adult league, 4/14/2023)
Gameday notes (adult league, 4/14/2023)
The combination of not getting enough sleep and a painful blister led to a blown call...
I worked my weekly D1 Men’s 7v7 adult league last night. Both games were hard-played and had temperature fluctuations but overall went well except for one gaffe by yours truly.
Here’s what I’m keeping with me moving forward!
Fatigue
Yesterday’s games were just the same as most other games I work except for one difference…
I was tired. And I could feel it.
I hadn’t slept very well the night before. Probably just a mix of some mild anxiety and having a lot on my mind. I only got 3-4 hours of sleep.
I was able to nap yesterday for ~1.5 hours but it didn’t fully recharge me.
This led to me starting the game in a sluggish state of mind.
A damn blister
Last night was my second day in a row working games. The day before, I’d worked one Middle School game.
Problem is the new turk shoes I’d gotten were a little tight. Probably one size too small.
I’d noticed it when wearing them but thought I just needed to wear them in a bit.
Well I got a blister during that Middle School game on the back of my left foot.
And during last night’s game, I stupidly thought wearing the same boots again would be a good idea.
During the first few minutes of play, the blister started to really hurt and the pain zapped a lot of my concentration. I could feel it stopping me from maintaining happy feet all night too.
Being tired + pain = a bad call
About 10 minutes into my first game, when I was still sluggish from lack of sleep and in pain because of my blister, I made a pretty bad call on the field…
On a goal kick, I was backpedaling a few steps to get back into position and turned my head around briefly to check if there was a player behind me. Obviously I want to avoid running into a player, stepping on any feet, etc!
When I looked back up to reengage in play, the goalkeeper was putting the ball down quickly to get the ball to a teammate.
Only he miss hit the kick and an attacker was able to stretch out and intercept the pass. He had a 1-on-1 opportunity with the keeper which he scored.
The problem was the attacking player was just inside the penalty box.
It’s also important to note that we play these games on multi-use turf fields. Because there are American football lines on the field that also dictate the penalty area on half fields, it’s difficult to always be able to easily distinguish exactly where the penalty area is. Not using this as an excuse at all but it was a factor.
I allowed the goal even with the defending team protesting (this made the game 2-0).
I got this LOTG wrong when applying it
So here’s the quote from the LOTG I was thinking about (and what I didn’t think about) while this play was happening…
“If, when a goal kick is taken, any opponents are inside the penalty area
because they did not have time to leave, the referee allows play to continue.”
I was hyper-focused on the quick restart. When I brought my eyes back to the goalkeeper, all I saw was him taking the goal kick quickly and it immediately made me think about this law.
Problem is, I didn’t know the law well enough.
“Because they did not have time to leave” makes all the difference here! This suggests they’re actively leaving the penalty area. In this case, the attacking player was simply lurking around the top of the penalty area.
Yikes.
The very next part of the law states:
“If an opponent who is in the penalty area when the goal kick is taken, or enters the penalty area before the ball is in play, touches or challenges for the ball before it is in play, the goal kick is retaken.”
To be honest, I just goofed it.
A positive resolution
The first 5 minutes after the play happened, I’d convinced myself I’d made the right call.
Then I started second-guessing myself and the thoughts started creeping into my head that I’d gotten it horribly wrong.
Making a bad call after a game-changing play that allows or disallows a goal incorrectly; a referee’s worst nightmare.
I also think it’s important to note (I believe) my change in thinking came from fully understanding the play and being honest with myself that I’d gotten the call wrong, not from players complaining about the call. I tend to pride myself on being open to changing my mind when new data is available and admitting when I honestly get something wrong and I think this was simply a case of that.
So here’s what I did…
As soon as I blew the whistle for half-time, I ran over to the goalkeeper who had gotten scored on. He didn’t seem upset or flustered but was open to talking about that play. We ended up both agreeing that the goal shouldn’t have counted and it was clear his teammates (and the players on the opposing team) agreed.
I told both teams at halftime that instead of the scoreline being 4-0, I was amending it to 3-0 and chalking off that goal.
I didn’t get one iota of push back. Everybody agreed it was the right decision.
My takeaways
Obviously, this is not something I could or would ever do in a serious game. If this had happened in, say, a USSF-certified game, I would have had to allow the goal once play restarted with a kickoff. That being said, I thought it was the appropriate action to take in this small-sided friendly.
I’m actually glad this happened! Better for mistakes like this to happen in this game than in a more serious game. It’s one of the reasons I work these games, actually. I get to simply gain more adult-league experience without all the external pressure.
When backpedaling on goal kicks, only glance back when it’s clear the goalkeeper is not about to play the ball.
Always show up to work in what’s comfortable. Don’t make stupid decisions that risk physical harm to yourself. When I got home from this game, I did 2 things: submitted my game report (detailing this incident) and bought new sized-up boots (laceless, baby!)
Sleep is so, so important. Always keep it a high priority because it has a direct impact on performance.
I need to continue being hardcore in my studying of LOTG. Don’t get over-confident in thinking you know them. There’s a huge difference in knowing them at a basic level and understanding every single word and how that wording translates to in-game situations. This is also important because the LOTG change every year!
Know a soccer ref? Feel free to share this with them 💙