The man in yellow

Sometimes you just know you’re right. And when you’re right, it’s easy to become annoyed with someone who defies your position. The rub comes when that someone is in an authority position.

I recently watched an Italian Serie A game between AC Milan and Catania. As my only connection to Italy is the Sicilian owner of a local Italian restaurant, I really have no vested interest in the match. I really just wanted to see a good soccer match, and didn’t care who won. I couldn’t help root for Milan, though, after watching several poor no-calls that should have gone in their favor. Several instances were so obvious that it bordered on bias.

I’ve lost count of the times I felt the referee had short-changed my son’s team. In the most recent incident, my son actually was awarded a free kick after being fouled…but he was fouled while passing the ball to a teammate, who immediately shot and scored. Instead of playing the advantage, the referee called the ball back for a free kick and didn’t allow the goal. (For those of you who are still learning the game, “advantage” may be given to the team fouled if that team gains an advantage from allowing play to continue.)

I don’t often become vocal toward the referees during a game, but couldn’t restrain myself this time. Several of us verbally piled onto the referee, letting him know he was too quick with the whistle, and should have played the advantage. Parents on the opposing team sat quietly with sheepish we-dodged-a-bullet-there looks on their faces. The referee retorted with some nonsense about my son not having the ball. Of course, that’s because he was passing it ahead when he was fouled. But he couldn’t placate me with his faulty game logic. After all, I knew I was right.

Ultimately, he was right too, when he said, “I’ve got the whistle.” That ended the heated but civil discussion. Although I know I was right, I also know he was right too. At least I didn’t say anything that I regret now.

It’s easy to make the call from the sideline, especially with a biased view. I try to keep this bias in mind, as well as the different angle and distance I have on the play. (Although I don’t agree with my state’s rules using two referees instead of the traditional crew of three…I’ll save that for another post.) So while I may occasionally become vocal about a “missed” call, I have no hard feelings after the match. These men and women who don the whistle have a tough job. And we wouldn’t have a soccer match without them. And even though I’d argue that bad call all over again, I have a soft spot for the man in yellow. After all, I have some experience there.

My expansive experience as a referee includes one volunteer U8 rec-league game. Yeah…that’s it. I was called on to volunteer when the scheduled ref failed to show up. The chain broke on his bike and left him stranded six blocks away…

No, my view of referees was shaped by my father. He refereed high school and college basketball for over twenty years…the man in black and white. Some of my fondest memories growing up are of the trips to colleges across the south where my dad called games. I got to sit in the stands during the game and listen to the occasional complaints, often suggesting optometric help. He even got punched once by a dissatisfied fan after a regional tournament. The complaints from fans rarely outweighed the accolades he received from coaches, though. Through the good and the bad, he absolutely loved being a referee.

I suspect most of our current soccer referees feel the same as my dad did. Most of them are out there because they love the game and want to stay close to it. And unless they stroll across a local lake to get to the game, they’re going to miss some calls. They’re prone to mistakes just like the rest of us. It’s just part of the game.

The center ref in the Milan game was Daniele Orsato. To work a game in the Italian Serie A league, he surely must have quite a bit of experience. I couldn’t find much information on him, though. After reviewing the questionable plays over and over—thank you, Tivo—I still think he was wrong on several counts. Of course, I have the advantage of half a dozen camera angles. Wish I had that at my son’s games.