TOUCHLINES The Magazine of the Sutton Referees’ Society www.suttonreferees.co.uk January 2016

March Society Meeting now Wednesday 21st March

Says Fez…

January Meeting – Thursday 14th (upstairs in the Boardroom)

C o n t e n t s Hi, All. 2 Says Fez… Now that the festivities are over and a fair number of us have increased 3 Editor’s Notes numbers on the weighing scales, it is time to return to the middle and lose a few pounds. 3 From the Chair th 4 Sutton’s Super Refs My middles started on the 28 : a friendly of sorts between two teams down at Chipstead; u18 v u16. 5 Captions Please! One side had experience, the other enthusiasm. One had spent too long 6 Introducing January’s Guest Speaker nursing the hangover, the other too many chocolate bars. Deryll David – AFA Youth Council Chairperson 7 ..in the Referee’s Opinion The game started as expected with the elders putting the young Your thoughts, questions and comments. whippersnappers in their place. A sweet layoff down the right, electric pace past the left back and a sublime cross was met by a JT look-a-like. One nil with 8 You are the Ref only three minutes on the clock. Scenarios and responses from the members. The young ones fought on, back to their tiki-taka passing. Through the midfield 11 Fez’s Puzzle Page and passing the eighteen-yard line, a tremendous right boot shot the ball past Dust off your maths knowledge! the keeper before he had even woken up. The young tails were up - and they 12 Check the Net were playing the better football - but the sheer physical stature of the 18s forced Snippets from the World Wide Web. the ball into the penalty area... And with the striker ready to shoot.... My mind 19 Society Contacts flashed back to Match of the Day, with the pundits talking about the Stoke striker being held back as he shot where the referee was nonplussed and play 20 Dates for Your Diary continued. They had continued to berate the man in black with hindsight of Upcoming Events. super slooow-mo footage and they were right! The player’s shirt was tugged. In fact I recall it was more like a drunken attempt at a hug than a tackle, which failed miserably... So with that flashback it was easy to spot the arms around the waist and the gentle tug back through the deluge of players; Penalty! It's amazing at this level the cocky bravado some players have, thinking they've made it. The ball was planted on the spot and, with a laughing grin, he started his run up. From the result you'd never guess he played football! More of a player adept at kicking over Hs! At this point his whole team fell about in hysterics and that was the catalyst the 16s needed. And didn't they put on a show? The ball danced around the pitch from player to player, as if controlled by some magical force or magnets, and time after time the ball was begrudgingly fished out of the 18’s net. 9-2! This is what football should be played like and I had a closer than front row seat. Football played with respect and the understanding that a bad challenge could put careers on hold. Yes! This was a friendly (of sorts) but what a joy to be part of. My whistle hardly moved to my mouth. The result was irrelevant. I was just happy to be there, because I knew next week with 2016 that I'd be back to reality, watching teams slugging it out, taking chunks out of each other and not giving a damn if high studs made contact. Let's get our cards ready! So meet me in the boardroom on the 14th and tell me about your first game of the New Year. Happy 2016 to everyone.

TOUCHLINES is published by the Sutton Referees’ Society. Fez Editor: Mike Coen Email: [email protected]

The reproduction of articles and news is welcomed by the Society. Please, however, ensure to mention Touchlines and we would also like to receive a copy of those publications which reproduce any of our articles, either in whole or in part. Front cover photo: The opinions expressed in TOUCHLINES merely reflect the views Mike Coen, Declan Wyatt & Wayne Ingram: of the authors and are not binding in any way on the editor or Sutton Utd -v- Bromley – August 2015 any official. Photo courtesy of Paul Loughlin 2 Editor’s Notes From the Chair Hello Everyone!! Dear Colleagues, Happy New Year and I hope all enjoyed a good Christmas. Firstly I would like to open by wishing Some will have had a break from officiating while others of us will have all members and their families a very experienced a busy holiday period. happy new year. Personally, I saw both sides of the equation as my Boxing Day fixture The Christmas football programme is over in Essex was called off due to a waterlogged pitch but my game on very different for referees depending the Monday just went ahead, with the upon the level you officiate at, with notoriously damp Raynes Park Vale pitch having recovered from the local park referees having a period of worst of the prior week’s downpours. rest and probably over indulging whilst The touchlines were still pretty bad though, so I positioned my assistants more senior referees can find on the opposite sides, running right themselves having games in quick backs, where the surface was much better. Trying to remember to run an succession. opposite patrol path is always trying in those situations and the assistants I found it interesting to see a quote may have an easier surface but having to do everything with the from Howard Webb that he felt opposite hand is a whole different Premiership referees made less challenge. Confuses the heck out of the players as well, when they turn to mistakes on Boxing Day due to the check for an offside flag and don’t fact that they spent Christmas night at see the ‘lino’ on the expected wing! home instead of in a hotel and were On a completely different note, the numbers for the December meeting driven to their respective games on the were somewhat disappointing. A morning of the match. very good evening was still had by those who attended, with Fez having prepared an end-of-year quiz and I look forward to seeing you all at our various savoury and sweet snacks January meeting. being available (I still don’t agree that those sloths count as being green mammals though!!). We do have a guest speaker lined up for January, so please make every effort to attend on Thursday 14th. Grant Sheavyn See you on the park, Chairman or at Gander Green Lane. Mike.

3

Sutton’s Super Refs

Neil Sitch Foundation Game Chelsea Foundation -v- Tottenham Hotspur Foundation (Assistant)

Mike Coen FA Youth Cup 3rd Round Worthing U19 -v- Middlesbrough U19 (Assistant) Wed 9th Dec Women’s FA Cup 2nd Round Crystal Palace Ladies -v- West Ham Utd Ladies Sun 10th Jan

4 CAPTIONS PLEASE !!!

Thanks to Declan Wyatt for this month’s picture.

H a v e y o u an a m u s i n g c a p t i o n f o r t h e p i c t u r e ? Email your thoughts to me and I’ll put the best efforts in the next issue.

… a n d L a s t M o n t h ’ s O f f e r i n g s

Neil Sitch - You’ve gotta pick a pocket or two! Mike Coen - No! I said, ‘Next year we should use a stepladder!!’

5

Introducing January’s Guest Speaker Deryll David – AFA Youth Council Chairperson

Deryll David – Age 19.

Back-to-back promotions from the age of 16:

• Level 6 in 2014

• Level 5 in March of 2015

• Going for promotion to Level 4 next promotion season.

Some big accomplishments include:

• Lining at the Emirates,

• Best Level 7 of the Year in 2013/14 season,

• Best Level 6 of the Year of 2014/15 season,

• Most Promising Newcomer on Spartan & South Midlands Football League 2015,

• Youngest level 5 in AFA,

• Secretary of Burnt Oak Rangers FC at the age of 16,

• Chairperson of the AFA Youth Council at the age of 18.

I will be taking about my journey so far and what I have done in my refereeing career to date.

I will also be talking about the use of resources around us and other entities within refereeing that we as referees can use to develop ourselves. 6 .…in the Referee’s Opinion…. Your Thoughts, Questions and Comments

This picture was under the headline: Fifa crisis: US charges 16 more officials after earlier Zurich arrests. Surely it should have been a straight red!!!

Neil Sitch

Concussion! At what point does the referee take responsibility? I was recently lining on a senior game – so we had the full complement of bench personnel, including physios – where a home player was caught in a challenge between his goalkeeper and an attacking forward. He took a strong blow to the head and required almost 4 minutes of treatment before he could be helped from the field. His team had already used their full set of substitutes, so played with 10 men for about 10 minutes, after which time his coach announced that the player was ready to return. I was on the far side of the pitch from the benches, so it was difficult to know exactly what was happening but there was clearly some disagreement with the away manager and the referee needed to attend in order to sort it out. The player lasted only a few minutes before suffering a complete collapse and a further lengthy stoppage culminated in the player being carried from the field on a stretcher and an ambulance having to be called (we later heard that the player was allowed home from hospital later that evening). The referee received a further haranguing from the away manager during this stoppage and it was clear that his issue had been that he had not considered it safe for the player to have returned. It later transpired that the home physio had not been happy with the player’s returning to the game but had been overruled by the home coach. I was unable to determine, in later conversation, whether the referee had been made aware of the physio’s reluctance before the player came back onto the pitch (the conversation was very one sided and mainly consisted of the referee insisting that he did not have the necessary medical qualification to overrule the coach’s decision). It’s a difficult one and certainly easier to consider in hindsight but, should I find myself reffing in a similar position (or indeed assisting on the bench side), I will make it my job to seek out the physio and assure myself that he/she is convinced of the player’s fitness to return. Should I be reffing at a level where no such medical opinion is available (i.e. a parks game), then I will not be allowing a player who has received a clearly serious head injury to return to the game, regardless of what that player, or his manager, has to say about it. Later in this edition, I have included an article from the FA, which covers this whole subject in a lot more detail (see Check the Net). Mike Coen 7 A winger trips and falls over the touchline. As he climbs to his feet, still off the pitch in an offside position, the ball is punted upfield towards him. He lingers just long enough for the ball to pass him before re-entering play, racing through and scoring. Goal or No Goal?

Wayne Ingram: “I say offside. Happened to Jermaine Defoe last night.” Rod van Niekerk: “No goal, Offside.” Peter Watson: “No goal - Offside - gained an advantage.” Mike Coen: “Even if off the pitch, for the purposes of offside, the player’s position is determined as being on the closest point of the touchline to him. Therefore he is in an offside position and becomes active as soon as he attempts to affect play. No goal. Indirect free kick from that point on the touchline”. John Martin: “This is the classic dilemma for an official. The ruling is that the player is given offside, because he is seeking to gain an advantage, regardless of the fact that he is not on the field of play. (I hope).” Fez Barnard: “So the player trips over; must be the result of too much partying. The player’s off the FOP. It doesn't matter. He gained an advantage. He waits for the ball to pass him before he continues his run but offside is determined when the ball is kicked and not when it passes a player. Interested what the AR was doing when the striker raced through and scored! If the AR had been doing his job correctly, I guess you wouldn't have had a question to ask! I would disallow the goal for offside and have a good word with the AR after the game.” Neil Sitch: “No goal for me and unsporting behaviour!” Alan Donovan: “No Goal offside free kick from where he enters the pitch.”

Keith Hackett says: “No goal. The offside is judged from the moment the ball was played, not when the attacker receives it. So, on the basis that the player was in an offside position when it was punted upfield – even if he was temporarily behind the touchline – he becomes actively offside as soon as he plays the ball. Restart play with an indirect free-kick from the touchline where he entered the field.”

A panicking defender, under pressure inside his own area, tries to hoof the ball behind, only for his keeper to dive and stop it with his hand, preventing the corner. Attackers scream, “Backpass”. What do you do?

Rod van Niekerk: “Play On.” Peter Watson: “Not intending to try and read the defender's mind but he tried to kick the ball off the field and not towards his goalkeeper who had to DIVE to prevent the corner - Play on.” John Martin: “Not an intentional back-pass, play on.”

8 Continued on Page 9...... Continued from page 14 Mike Coen: “No offence unless the keeper handles a ball that has been deliberately passed to him by a team-mate. This does not sound deliberate, so no offence. If, however, this becomes a common occurrence in the match, I would be asking myself if it might be some form of trickery and might mention it to the skipper in such circumstances.”

Keith Rodger: “Play on. There was no intent to play the ball to the goalkeeper (i.e. not an intended or deliberate back pass).”

Fez Barnard: “I always thought back passes has to be deliberate but in this instance the defender has tried (not very successfully, as the ball should have gone upfield) to clear the ball. The quick- thinking keeper has to stretch (see photo) to get to the ball to prevent a corner. This is obviously NOT a deliberate attempt to pass to the keeper. So a shout of 'play on' would be good and, if they continued to argue, yellow for dissent!”

Neil Sitch: “I'm sure it has to be deliberate so no back pass for me.”

Alan Donovan: “This sort of thing happens often; just play on and say, ‘No intent’.” Keith Hackett says: “To penalise a team for a goalkeeper handling a pass it has to be a deliberate action – and this was clearly never intended as a deliberate backpass. There's no offence here. Tell the attackers to cool down, explain the law if necessary, and allow play to continue.”

As a red team striker dribbles into his opponents’ penalty area, you suddenly notice a major disturbance at the other end: Two red team defenders, punching each other inside their own penalty area. What do you do?

Grant Sheavyn: “I would stop play immediately and deal with the fighting by the way of red cards.”

John Martin: “Stop play (should a goal be scored, the situation would be difficult to manage and explain). Send both players off and restart with an indirect free kick at the point of incident.”

Peter Watson: “To prevent the disturbance from escalating, stop play, dismiss both players and award indirect free kick to opponents where the disturbance occurred.”

Neil Sitch: “Good question. You would need to stop play and send off the two players concerned. I'm thinking that the restart of play is an indirect free kick from where the incident took place, so in the reds’ penalty area. Manager would not be best pleased!”

Mike Coen: “Tough on the red attacker but his defending team-mates have just cost him the chance to score. Stop play straight away (be prepared for howls of dismay) and hotfoot it back to the far end of the pitch. Dismiss both defenders (try to engineer a gap between red cards, so as to prevent them walking off together and squaring up again). Restart is an indirect free kick to the opponents at the point where punches were being exchanged (it’s not a penalty as the offence was not against an opponent).”

Alan Donovan: “Stop the game. Award an indirect kick against the reds where they were fighting and, if you saw both players throw a punch, send off both players. I have sent players off before for being abusive / offensive to their own players.” Continued on Page 10... 9 …Continued from Page 12

Keith Rodger: “Stop play and show red cards to both defenders for violent conduct. I'm not sure about the restart but, as there has been no offence against the attacking team, I would restart with a drop ball from where the ball was when play was halted.”

Rod van Niekerk: “Stop play. Send off both defenders. Restart with a drop ball where play was stopped.”

Keith Hackett says: “Stop play immediately and send off both defenders for violent conduct. The striker has been badly let down by his colleagues here – their idiocy has denied him the chance to score. And not only that, they have also handed the opposition a great chance, as you have to restart play with an indirect free-kick from where the defenders were fighting, inside their own penalty area.”

Don’t Forget - Original YATR scenarios may be found every Friday on the Guardian website, showing the questions that will appear in the Observer the following Sunday. The answers then appear on the Monday. www.guardian.co.uk/football/you-are-the-ref

A referee had received the first European appointment of his career but it clashed with an important work function that his wife wanted him to attend.

The argument escalated and eventually they were giving each other the silent treatment.

After a full week of silence, the referee realised that he’d need his wife to wake him at 5am for his early morning flight to Hamburg. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence, he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please wake me at 5am.”

The next morning, he woke up only to discover that it was 9am and that he’d missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn’t woken him when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. It said, “It’s 5am. Wake up.”

Bill and Mavis are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary. Bill says to Mavis, “You stay in bed and I’ll make your breakfast. What would you like?” “I’d like a nice cup of coffee with thick cream on top,” replies Mavis. “But write it down. You know what your memory’s like.” “OK,” says Bill. “Don’t worry. Do you want anything else?” “Oh yes,” she says. “A nice bowl of muesli with fruit - but write it down. You know what your memory’s like.” “OK,” says Bill. “But don’t worry. Anything else?” “Yes,” replies Mavis. “A piece of anniversary cake and ice cream – but write it down!” Off goes Bill to the kitchen and comes back with fried bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes. Mavis stares at the presentation and asks, “Where’s my toast?” 10 Quiz from Fez

It’s a little known fact but Pythagoras was a keen soccer player in his day and, for a short time, played for Bolton Wanderers in what was the top division of those days.

His famous theorem actually came to him one Winter’s evening away to Newcastle while he was attacking up the left wing at St James’ Park!

Cutting inside, he advanced to the corner of the penalty area, at which point he realised that it was possible to accurately calculate the angle of view that he had of goal (the angle between the blue lines).

He managed this while beating the right back (although his shot went over the bar)!

Can you do the same calculation

without such distractions?

. ’ 10 is 35 - 45 So

35 to up that Round . 69 . 34 is 69 . 0 of tangent

inverse the And . 69 . 0 = 26 / 18 . 26 is which B to side adjacent by divided 18 is B angle Opposite

. yards 26 That's

. area penalty the of edge the to get to 18 add wide, yards 8 is goal The . opposite/adjacent of

tangent inverse the is angle the then SOHCAHTOA, using but tricky, little a is B, angle second The

' 45 is angle first the so line goal the from out yards 18

you're and stick left the from yards 18 is penalty The . A Angle . simple is out work to angle first The

: SOLUTION

11 Check the Net !!! Snippets pulled from the World Wide Web

FA Releases New Concussion Guidelines Spotted by Mike Coen

http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/news/2015/11/ 26/fa-releases-new-concussion-guidelines/ Safety first the key message from the FA’s new concussion guidelines for across the whole game

If in doubt, sit them out. That is the key message in the Football Association’s new guidelines for managing head injuries at all levels of the game. Any footballer suspected of having sustained a concussion, whether during a game or training session, should be immediately removed from the pitch and not allowed to return until the appropriate return-to-play protocols have been followed. Adult players suffering a suspected concussion should not return to play until at least 19 days after the injury, with a 23-day minimum for those aged 19 or under, although in all cases it is recommended that a player is referred to a medical professional for diagnosis and advice. The FA’s new guidelines – a downloadable 17-page document (PDF) [http://community-news-images.s3-eu-west- 1.amazonaws.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/the-fa- concussion-guidelines-2015.pdf] – outline what concussion is, how to recognise it, what to do next and how and when to return to play. Also available as on online resource [http://www.thefa.com/my- football/coach/concussion], the guidelines are based on evidence and best practice from around the world are designed for those who manage head injuries in professional and grassroots football – from clubs and schools to parents and doctors. Dave Reddin, the FA’s head of performance services, said: “We have been very fortunate and I am very grateful that we have had the combined expertise of an international expert panel in reviewing and revising our guidelines.

“This allowed us to take viewpoints from inside and outside the game, especially referring to those sports with a longer period of experience in dealing with concussion. As a result I feel we have a really comprehensive set of guidelines for all levels of the game which will help to keep football safe.” Last year the FA used England players to raise awareness of head injuries in football, but this is the first time they have published a set of dedicated guidelines in a single document setting out how a concussion should be managed from the time of injury through to a player’s safe return to football. 12 Continued on Page 13... …Continued from Page 15 The FA’s head of medical services Dr Ian Beasley believes the guidelines will help to ensure better management of head injuries across the game in England, thereby making it safer for more players at every level. “The paramount priority for the FA is player safety,” said Dr Beasley, “and so the publication of these concussion guidelines is integral to achieving an unprecedented high level of care and safety for players at all levels.” The FA setup an expert panel to advise on head injury in April, following a long-running campaign by the family of former West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle, who died in 2002, aged 59, from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a degenerative brain condition normally linked to boxing. Dr Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, found that Astle, who was famed for his heading ability, had suffered repeated concussions during his career. Now a member of the FA’s expert panel, Dr Stewart welcomed the new guidelines, saying: “They are a fantastic development and a good example of the FA’s commitment to providing a safer game for participants at all levels. Hopefully they have the potential to impact on sport in England as a whole.” Earlier this month, United States Soccer announced a total ban on heading for all under-11s amid concussion fears, whilst it also restricted the number of headers 11- to 13-year-olds can make in training. Goal conceded while returning ref’s red card Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication http://www.espnfc.co.uk/blog/the-toe-poke/65/post/2689355/german-team-concede-trying-to- give-red-card-back-to-referee? Spare a thought for poor old FC Viktoria Koln, who not only found themselves getting well and truly thumped by Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup on Wednesday evening, but also suffered the ignominy of conceding a goal under entirely ridiculous circumstances. Viktoria were thrashed 6-0 by Leverkusen on the night, but the fifth goal proved to be something of a slapstick classic. Noticing that the referee had dropped his red card in their penalty area, Viktoria defender Lukas Nottbeck attempted to return it to the official, only to be immediately (and slightly cruelly) caught out of position by Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling.

Nottbeck picks up the mislaid card Only to find himself out He throws the card of position away in disgust having conceded a soft goal Sometimes you just can't do right for doing wrong. 13 Serie D Crossbar Set Too Low Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication http://gazzettaworld.gazzetta.it/off-the-ball/serie-d-crossbars-low/ An Italian official delayed a match in the fourth tier for seven minutes after noticing the irregular crossbar and ordered the pitch be dug up.

A match between Correggese and Sammaurese in Serie D was temporarily suspended after the referee ordered one of the goalmouths to be dug up. During an unusual sequence of events in Reggio Emilia, the official in charge, Marco Stampatori, halted the beginning of the game after he suspected that one of the crossbars was too low to be used.

After taking the necessary measurements, his earlier predictions were indeed correct and he subsequently instructed the home side to raise the ground underneath the crossbar by a couple of centimetres until the height was correct. Once the essential manual labour was complete, the game was allowed to begin after a seven minute delay and eventually finished in a 2-2 draw. Malaysia – Ref allows restart while scoring team still celebrating Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/crazy-scenes-in-malaysia-as-kedah-players-celebrate- for-too-long-ref-allows-pkns-to-restart-equalise-video/ Crazy scenes in Malaysia as Kedah players celebrate for too long, ref allows PKNS to restart & equalise. 1) Kedah celebrate Last week in Malaysia, Kedah were held to a 1-1 their goal. draw at home by PKNS The home crowd got off their seats when they watched their side score a terrific free-kick. After the ball hit the net, Kedah’s players gathered on the sidelines to energetically celebrate their 2) Referee goal. amazingly allows restart and PKNS PKNS, however, were eager to restart the match, equalize. and amazingly the ref gave the green light for the kick off while the Kedah players were still celebrating, which allowed the visitors to score a simple equaliser. 3) Kedah complain at some length but Watch the incredible footage online. to no avail. 14 Thai referee attacked by fans is banned for six months! Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/dec/02/thai-referee-pichit-thongchanmoon-attacked-fans- banned-six-months • Pichit Thongchanmoon punished for poor performance • Satun United given a three-year ban over incident

A Thai referee, who was attacked by angry fans of a local third division club following a defeat, has been banned for six months for his poor performance during the fixture.

Pichit Thongchanmoon was set upon by supporters of promotion-chasing Satun United following their 1-0 home loss to Khon Kaen United on 22 November, with fans believing the match officials were biased.

Satun were given a three-year ban last week for the incident but the Football Association of Thailand’s referees’ committee said Pichit had made several mistakes during the match and banned him for six months, the Bangkok Post said on Wednesday.

The committee said Pichit should have awarded Satun a penalty and that the referee had been out of position on several occasions.

(See the video online).

Roma’s Edin Dzeko sent off for foul mouthed English rant at ref Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication http://www.101greatgoals.com/101ggvideos/romas-edizn-dzeko-sent-off-for-foul-mouthed- english-rant-at-ref-video/

It seems that the age old trick of swearing at someone in another language, is no longer useful, especially when that language is English. Former Man City striker Edin Dzeko probably thought he could get away with swearing at the referee during Roma’s 2-0 Serie A victory over Genoa. The problem for the Bosnian, is that English is kind of a universal language, so when hearing the expletives being shouted in his direction, the referee had no problem with giving Dzeko his marching orders.

15 Deliberate handball is not always simple Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/sport/football/14140552.Referee_s_column__In_The_Mid dle_with_Dick_Sawdon_Smith/ SWANSEA City felt they were robbed when they lost their game against Liverpool by a penalty for handball. Garry Monk, their former manager, said at the time Swansea’s Neil Taylor had his back to the ball, so how could it be deliberate as demanded by the Law?

In Law 12, handball is one of only two direct free-kick offences that has to be deliberate (the other is spitting) to be penalised. The law interpretations describe deliberate as ‘the movement of the ball towards the hand, not the ball towards the hand’. That in itself is simple, does the player move his hand to play the ball? But it also says that the referee must consider the distance between the opponent and the ball (the unexpected ball).

Pundits often talk about, ‘the hand or arm in an unnatural position’. This doesn’t appear in the Law on handball or its interpretations. What it does say is ‘the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an infringement’. So if the ball is kicked at an opponent from a very close range or bounces or deflects unexpectedly, giving the opponent no time to think about handling the ball, it shouldn’t be considered deliberate if it hits his hand. The fact is that Taylor, seeing his opponent about to cross the ball into the goalmouth, threw his body in front of the ball with the intention of blocking it. In doing so he turned his back to the kicker but his arm was spread out sideways and it stopped the ball. Although Taylor was not sure exactly where the ball was going from the kick, his action would be considered to have moved his arm/hand towards the ball. Had he been just a yard or two in front of the kicker and flinched when the kick was taken, turning his back, and the ball hit his hand, the decision would have been different. Deliberate or accidental? Not always a simple call

The Incredible Dancing Assistant! Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication http://talksport.com/football/video-watch-assistant- referee-dancing-touchline-during-match-151124175412

Mathew Cheeseman, an assistant referee in Australia's A-League, got a litle bit bored during a match and decided to dance along the touchline - much to the delight of the crowd. Check out the video online! 16 Players comfort referee who was reduced to tears after abuse from supporters Spotted by Neil Sitch

http://metro.co.uk/2015/12/29/players-comfort-referee-who-was-reduced-to-tears-after- abuse-from-supporters-5589611/ A Tunisian referee was reduced to tears during a match by football supporters after they reportedly insulted his mother. In a hotly contested Ligue 1 match between CA Bizertin and Marsa, emotions reached boiling point as just one point separated the two sides in the league when they met in Bizerte.

The match took place on Christmas Eve but the home supporters weren’t feeling particularity festive when referee Yassin Hroh failed to award a penalty to Bizertin and started to chant abusive songs about Hroh’s mother during the game.

‘Hearing of such insults, it’s hard to hold back tears. No one likes to hear his mother insulted. God bless my mother,’ the referee said after the game.

The league clash ended with a 1-0 victory for home side CA Bizertin but was halted for a few moments while players from both sides took time to comfort the upset official.

(See the video online) Offside – Wait and See technique Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication

http://www.proreferees.com/news-play-of-the-week-2015-week-19.php Looking at the importance of the use of the Wait and See technique when making offside decisions. The play is from New York Red Bulls versus New England Revolution, in the 37th minute: Revolution’s Lee Nguyen receives the ball from Teal Bunbury and moves into the Red Bulls' penalty area. He then crosses the ball over in the direction of team-mate Charlie Davies, who is poised to play it. Assistant referee Sean Hurd, who would be primarily focused on Davies, raises his flag when it going to play the ball. seemed obvious that Davies was At this stage, however, New England's Andy Dorman surprises both Davies and, more importantly, Continued on Page 18... 17 …Continued from Page 15 Hurd by appearing from an onside position to slot the ball into the goal Immediately realizing his error in raising his flag, Hurd summons referee Alan Kelly over to him for dialogue. In the meantime, Hurd explains to Nguyen that he made an error by anticipating and raising his flag too quickly and is going to inform the referee. You can see by Nguyen’s body language that he appreciates this and thanks Hurd. Following the dialogue, referee Kelly correctly awards the goal This incident reinforces how vitally important it is for ARs to always wait and see before raising the flag and not to anticipate, no matter how obvious the outcome may seem. By keeping the flag down by just a second, Hurd would have realized that Davies did not play the ball and Dorman had arrived from an onside position. The most important aspect to this play is that Hurd, when realizing his error, ensures that eventually the correct decision is made. However, by not utilizing the Wait and See technique, the AR missed the opportunity of making a classic decision

(Watch the video online) Australian A-League referee replaces coin toss with cracker pull Supplied by Mal Davies as part of his weekly links communication

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/australian-a-league-referee- replaces-coin-toss-with-cracker-pull-a6787436.html

A referee in Australia’s A-League spread some festive spirit yesterday by replacing the pre-match coin toss with a cracker-pulling competition. Benjamin Williams, who officiated Sydney FC’s clash against Central Coast Mariners, decided to do away with sporting tradition and instead follow standard Boxing Day practice by making use of leftovers from the day before. The two captains, Sydney’s Alex Brosque and Central Coast’s Nick Montgomery, formerly of Sheffield United, seemed somewhat bemused by the stunt but joined in nevertheless, with Brosque winning the pull for this team. 18

CONTACTS – 2014 / 2015

President Grant Sheavyn [email protected]

Vice President John Kasey 020 8394 2968

Vice President Peter Watson 020 8393 9989

Chairman Grant Sheavyn [email protected]

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Hon. Treasurer Keith Rodger 020 8786 7410

Training Officers Peter Watson 020 8393 9989

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Dolapo Odujinrin

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Dates for the Diary

January, 2016 Thu 14th @ 7:30pm Sutton Society Meeting @ Sutton Utd FC Guest Speaker: Deryll David – AFA Youth Council Chairperson Wed 27th @ 7:15pm Surrey County Level 3 & 4 Referee Training @ Leatherhead Register with Tim Lawrence at County Office

February, 2016 Thu 11th @ 7:30pm Sutton Society Meeting @ Sutton Utd FC Guest Speaker: David Crick

March, 2016 Thu 11th @ 7:30pm Sutton Society Meeting @ Sutton Utd FC Quiz Night

April, 2016 Thu 11th @ 7:30pm Sutton Society Meeting @ Sutton Utd FC Open Forum

May, 2016 Thu 10th @ 7:30pm Sutton Society Meeting @ Sutton Utd FC AGM