Note: whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the content of this book is as technically accurate and as sound as possible, neither the author nor the publishers can accept responsibility for any injury or loss sustained as a result of the use of this material. Note: whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the content of this book is as technically accurate and as sound as possible, neither the author Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc nor the publishers can accept responsibility for any injury or loss sustained as a result of the use of this material. 50 Bedford Square London WC1B 3DP Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc www.bloomsbury.com 50 Bedford Square London WC1B 3DP Copyright © 2013 Paul Trevillion and Keith Hackett www.bloomsbury.com ISBNelectronic (print): 978edition 1Paul 408 1Trevillion 5886 9 and This published 2013 Copyright © 2013 Keith Hackett
ThisISBN electronic edition (Epub): 978 1 408published 1 8171 3 2013
(EPDF):978 97811408 408115886 817096 ISBN (print): ISBN (Epub): 978 1 408 1 8171 3 All rights reserved. of this ISBN (EPDF): 978 1 No 408part 1 8170 6 publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the prior permission in writing of the publishers. Keith Hackett and Paul Trevillion assertedmay their under in theany Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988, to beor identified as the authors of this All rights reserved. No part of thishave publication berights reproduced form or by any means – graphic, electronic mechanical, including work. photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the prior permission in writing of the publishers. A CIP Hackett catalogue record this book is asserted available their from rights the British Keith and Paul for Trevillion have underLibrary. the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the authors of this Acknowledgements work. AllCIP illustrations Paul for Trevillion 2012 A catalogue © record this book is available from the British Library. All text © Keith Hackett and Paul Trevillion 2012 Acknowledgements Commissioning Editor: Croft All illustrations © Paul Charlotte Trevillion 2012 Edited JustynHackett Barnesand Paul Trevillion 2012 All textby: © Keith Project Editor: Sarah Cole Commissioning Editor: Charlotte Croft Designer: Watson Edited by: James Justyn Barnes Project Editor: Sarah Cole Note: throughout the book players and officials are referred to as ‘he’. This should, of course, be taken to mean ‘he or she’ where applicable. Designer: James Watson This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes environmental regulations of the countrybe oftaken origin.to mean ‘he or she’ where applicable. Note: throughout the book players andconform officials to arethe referred to as ‘he’. This should, of course, Typeset in11.7pt on 9.75 pt Din regular Jamesfrom Watson This book is produced using paper that by is made wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The 1 0 9 8 7and 6 5 manufacturing 4321 logging processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. Typeset in11.7pt on 9.75 pt Din regular by James Watson 10987654321
CONTENTS Foreword by Howard Webb Introduction A brief history of a cult football classic
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14
THE REFEREE MATCH DAY PROCEDURE THE ASSISTANT REFEREE MANAGEMENT SKILLS COMMUNICATION SKILLS DECISION MAKING Restarts THE THROW IN INDIRECT FREE-KICK DIRECT FREE-KICK MANAGING FREE-KICKS THE CORNER KICK THE PENALTY KICK THE OFFSIDE LAW
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6 8 10
12 22 34 44 58 66 76 84 90 96 102 106 110 118
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
HANDBALL SIMULATION Strong arm of the law DISSENT MASS CONFRONTATION Injury time Unsporting and bizarre The difference Reffing marvels The future ball or the player
About the authors Acknowledgements Index
124 132 136 140 144 150 154 160 164 182 188 204 206 207
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6
YOU ARE THE REF
Foreword
The 1981 FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur always sticks out in my memory. I was only nine at the time, but I vividly recall that pulsating final played out over two games, and of course the amazing solo match-winning goal scored by Ricky Villa. But that wasn’t the only thing I remember about that final. What also sticks out in my mind was the imposing figure cut by the match referee, Keith Hackett. Keith was everything that a referee should be – tall, powerful, no-nonsense. I wasn’t the least bit interested in refereeing in 1981 but Keith Hackett made such an impression, my mind was changed. When I started refereeing in 1989 I desperately wanted to be like Keith Hackett. I had the build, the height and his South Yorkshire accent. But of course what I didn’t have was the experience and expertise that he had built up over many years at the highest level of the game. It wasn’t until some 21 years later that I had the privilege of having Keith as my coach on a referee development team, aimed at turning raw enthusiastic Football League referees into Premier League models. That was my opportunity to work alongside this giant of refereeing, to tap into his experience and knowledge of what makes a top referee. Keith Hackett
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FOREWORD
7
was instrumental in moulding me into a Premier League referee, ultimately guiding me all the way to the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa. I’m delighted that he is now sharing his knowledge, experiences and expertise in the art of refereeing, in this truly wonderful book. And who better to bring Keith’s words to life than the amazing talent that is Paul Trevillion. The term ‘genius’ is probably over-used, but, in Paul’s case, it doesn’t do him justice. For many years I’d seen Paul’s work in ‘You are the Ref’ strips and marvelled at what he produces. To have recently had the chance to meet Paul, to see at first hand the passion he has for his work and football, was a genuine privilege. Paul is a special man with a special gift. Whether you are an aspiring Premier League referee, a lover of football, admirer of great art or a combination of all three, I know you will enjoy owning, reading and learning from this amazing publication.
If the referee’s position impedes your run to the ball and you do not use excessive force – hand off – then it’s a goal
Howard Webb MBE Referee, 2010 FIFA World Cup Final
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8
YOU ARE THE REF
Introduction
Refereeing has given me a great deal of pleasure over the years and I have been fortunate to officiate in many famous stadiums around the world. There’s no better venue than Wembley, and the Football Association allowed me to fulfil my ambition of refereeing an FA Cup final there in 1981. Shortly after the final I was promoted to the FIFA list of International Referees where I stayed for 10 years until the compulsory retirement age of 45. When the Premier League was formed I had the pleasure of refereeing in that competition and watching its formidable growth with games now shown in 211 territories around the world. After 35 years of active refereeing, I retired and took up a post with the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, becoming its general manager in 2004. I continue to be the Premier League referee ambassador travelling the world under the banner of Premier Skills Introduction to Refereeing programme, a joint initiative run by the Premier League and the British Council, working with young people around the world encouraging them to become match officials. I am also a member of the UEFA Referee Convention Panel and a UEFA referee observer.
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Refereeing at the highest level is more demanding than ever before. Blanket television coverage, the huge financial rewards at stake, and the relentless rise of social media means that every decision is intensely scrutinised. A referee in a World Cup game enters the stadium knowing that he will be operating in front of a minimum of 22 cameras with the game beamed to over 200 territories around the world with billions watching. Crucial, gamechanging decision can be replayed or viewed from an angle often not afforded to him or his colleagues, leaving him open to criticism and, even, vilification. Thankfully, the International Football Association Board has approved the introduction of goal-line technology which I believe is a great advance. Post-match analysis using Prozone technology also provides detailed information on the technical and physical performance of referees and assistant referees. This is welcomed by officials, managers, coaches and players alike because it allows officials to constantly evolve in their demanding roles. I have channelled all of my experience of refereeing, coaching and managing referees for over 50 years into this book, and Paul Trevillion, the world’s finest football
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INTRODUCTION illustrator, has assisted me in bringing to life the everyday match situations that I describe. I first met Paul in 1981 having been asked by Peter Stewart, the Editor of Shoot! magazine, to follow in the footsteps of Stanley Lover and Clive Thomas to provide answers to readers’ refereeing queries via the cult classic ‘You are the Ref’ strip. The questions have continued to flow ever since and Paul’s dynamic drawings make sometimes complex scenarios much more easily understandable.
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9
My aim with this book is to highlight how referees at all levels can improve in every aspect. And for those of you who are spectators or players, I hope it will increase your awareness of the Laws of the Game and what it takes to successfully officiate a football match.
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10 YOU ARE THE REF
You are the Ref
a brief history of a cult football classic ‘You are the Ref’, celebrating 60 years and now a national institution, is the brainchild of sports artist Paul Trevillion. Showcasing Trevillion’s incomparable illustrations and written by top referees, the strip has been entertaining football fans since its newspaper debut way back in 1957. It features a series of awkward refereeing dilemmas, putting you at the heart of the action and demanding that you react instantly and accurately to the tricky – sometimes bizarre – situations that can arise during a match. How well do you know the Laws of the Game? The genesis of the strip came in 1952 when Paul, aged 18, sent a general sports quiz to Tottenham Hotspur’s magazine, The Lilywhite. Readers loved it, particularly the one question about a tricky refereeing decision. By 1954, the quiz of 10 questions included more than half on referees. It set Paul thinking and three years later, after a struggle to convince the national press that the idea would work, the ‘Ref’ brand was born, commissioned by The People, under its original name ‘Hey Ref’. But it wasn’t until the 1958
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YOU ARE THE REF 11 FA Cup Final, when Bolton’s Nat Lofthouse bundled the ball, still held by Manchester United keeper Harry Gregg, into the back of the net for his side’s second goal, that it became a regular feature. By the late 1950s and early sixties, with Paul also drawing comic art realism stories for Roy of the Rovers, the feature appeared in a new, larger format in the Roy annuals under the title ‘If You Were The Ref’. In 1969 the strip moved to the newly launched Shoot! magazine and took on referee Stan Lover, head of the London Referees’ Association, to provide the answers. Over the next two decades, working with Stan, Clive ‘The Book’ Thomas and finally Keith Hackett, the strip became a cult classic. After a few years’ hiatus, The Observer newspaper contacted Paul and Keith to see if they’d be prepared to bring the strip back to life. Both jumped at the chance and, in January 2006, ‘You are the Ref’ was reborn. The enormous success of the weekly strip created the demand for a You are the Ref football annual, which was published by Observer Books in 2009. The 2010 World Cup presented an opportunity for another You are the Ref annual, which became a bestseller, reaching number seven in the Amazon sports books of the year.
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16 YOU ARE THE REF
Refereeing essentials
The referee will need: • Two coins • Two whistles • Red and yellow cards • A notebook and pencil(s) • Two stopwatches • Clean handkerchief – useful to get mud out of players’ eyes • A pair of flags – in grassroots games where you do not have qualified assistant refs and need a couple of volunteers to run the line for you. The referee must: • Keep a record of which team kicked off • Keep a record of the score of the game – at grassroots level only (at professional level, you only need to record the score in a penalty shoot-out in your notebook) • Record the name of the player, the team, the time and nature of the offence when issuing a yellow or red card • Record any events that take place that need to be reported to the authorities.
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Use of the whistle
• Give the whistle a loud blast for serious fouls • When controlling players from a distance, short bursts will help get the message across • If a group of players are in conflict, keep blowing the whistle in order to regain control.
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THE REFEREE 17
The ball
One of the first things a referee should do upon arrival at the ground is to check the pressure of the balls that are to be used. Where the multi-ball system is used, it is likely that there will be a minimum of 10 balls in the possession of the ball boys. When the ball goes out of play the ball boy quickly replaces it with the ball to hand. At grassroots level this ball is often handed to you just prior to kick-off. You are then responsible for it and at the end of the game you need to ensure that it is in your possession so that you can hand it over to the secretary of the home team. This is often a must at grassroots and you should hold onto it until you have been paid your match fee and expenses. Through experience the referee will, by pressing two thumbs into the ball, get a feel that the ball complies with law. However, some referees always carry a pressure gauge to ensure that, if there is a query, they are able to demonstrate that the ball complies with the law. During the Centenary FA Cup Final in 1981 between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, the match ball lost pressure and I had to call for a replacement. I was
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given a ball by a different brand. At half-time I was met in the tunnel by the representative of the original ball’s manufacturer wanting to know why I had replaced it. I explained, but unsurprisingly the supplier was unhappy because their ball had become defective during the game. Now, at the top level, you will always have multiple balls of the same brand available.
SPHERICAL CIRCUMFERENCE 60-70 cm 27-28 inches
WEIGHT 410g-450g 14oz-16oz
LEATHER Or other suitable material ATMOSHERE 0.6-1.1 atm 8.5-15.6 Lbs/sq.inches
Law 2: The ball
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18 YOU ARE THE REF
Offences
• The referee must punish the more serious offence when a player commits more than one offence at a time • The referee must take disciplinary action against players who commit cautionable or sending-off offences
Taking advice
The referee can act on the advice of the assistant referees and the fourth official on incidents that he has not seen. They can also assist him in his duty to ensure that no unauthorised person enters the field of play. At the top level of the game the stewards and police have contingency plans in place should this happen and match officials are advised to let them deal with such situations.
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THE REFEREE 19
Team officials
The referee is allowed to take action against team officials who fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner. In senior-level games where there’s a fourth official, the fourth official has the ability to manage the technical area and advise the referee if any occupants are guilty of irresponsible behaviour. Incidentally, while the referee would show red or yellow cards to substitute players occupying the benches, the management team are not shown a card but would be removed and reported to the authorities for misconduct.
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02
MATCH DAY PROCEDURE
Here grassroots to international matches it is essential that officials fully prepare for the game ahead. Correct physical and mental preparation will enhance your performance. The time spent with your assistants before kick-off will help you to work as a team to produce a seamless performance. For instance, prior to a top-level game with a communication kit in use a referee can give a simple pre-match instruction about handling free-kicks. He can instruct his assistants to alert him if the kicker moves the ball backwards or sideways in an attempt to gain an advantage while he is walking forward to get the wall back the required 10 yards. Without a communication kit, a referee must walk backwards or sideways keeping an eye
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on the ball himself to ensure it is not moved. (For more information on the communication kit, see chapter 3.) A standard match day procedure to follow would look like this: • Arrive at the ground between one and three hours (for a top-level game) before kick-off. • Notify the club secretary of your arrival. • 90 minutes before kick-off (at a top-level game): inspect the field of play to ensure that the playing surface is suitable and that all field markings comply with law requirements. Check the corner flags and the goal posts during this inspection of the field of play, ensuring that the goal nets are secure and there are
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MATCH DAY PROCEDURE 23 no unwanted microphones attached to them – this can happen in top professional games. Just prior to kick-off, the nets will need to be inspected again. If television companies fit any microphones in the nets you should ask that they are removed. Also, check TV cameras do not present a problem and that there is no advertising in the technical area.
• You should consult with the head groundsman if you have any doubts about the playing surface conditions. • 75 minutes before kick-off: safety and security briefing.
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• 60 minutes before kick-off: receive and check team sheets. • 30 minutes before kick-off: warm up on the pitch for approximately 15 minutes. Officials should return to the dressing room at least 10 minutes before kick-off. The communication kit (if in use) is checked during the warm-up and any adjustment made upon return to the dressing room. If there is a system failure, the officials will revert to traditional methods of communication using solely flag signals. Make sure the substitute boards are charged up. • 7 minutes before kick-off: inspection of players’ equipment in tunnel area by the assistant referees, checking that no jewellery is been worn, footwear is legal and that any taping is of the same colour as the stockings. They will also ensure that undergarments are the same colour as the shirts/shorts. • 6 minutes before kick-off: entry onto field of play. • Kick-off.
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40 YOU ARE THE REF
Flag signals
Assistant referee’s initial alert for any offence before giving the precise signal
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Offside near
Offside middle
Offside far
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THE ASSISTANT REFEREE 41 This signal is used by PGMOL officials to indicate that an offence by the attacking team has been committed inside the penalty area and that a penalty kick should be awarded
Throw to attacker
Throw to defender
Corner kick
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Penalty
Substitution
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06
DECISION MAKING
The referees who reach the very top of officiating are excellent decision makers. Earlier in this book, with the help of Dr Matthew Weston, I highlighted how referees can change their lifestyle and achieve a level of fitness that enables them to be in close proximity to play and have the agility to obtain or create an optimum viewing angle. Over the years, when I have analysed errors by officials it really boils down to the fact that the official did not see the incident. When this occurs, both his assistant referees and the fourth official should come to his rescue if they had a clear view.
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DECISION MAKING 67
Factors which may improve decision making • • • • •
The ability to communicate well The ability to handle and deal with conflict Mobility and fitness Being proactive rather than reactive Good knowledge and accurate implementation of the Laws of the Game • Good management of people and events • Experience: there’s no doubt that the more games a referee officiates, the wiser he will become in his application of the laws.
When assessing foul challenges, referees need to be able to judge the difference between those challenges that are fair from those that are not, and to recognise when an unfair challenge is careless, reckless or committed using excessive force.
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68 YOU ARE THE REF
Four principles of decision making
RECOGNISE
See
THINK
SEE
For instance, the referee must hold his gaze on a full-back clearing the ball upfield, while also keeping an eye out for a reckless, late challenge from an opposing player closing him down. The referee’s reading of a game will improve with experience – the best referees anticipate the next move.
Recognise It is important to look out for messages from players. Is the behaviour of the players good? Are they responding in a positive manner to the referee’s control? Or is there heat in the challenges and a sprinkling of dissent and disrespect being shown towards the referee?
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Monitoring players’ reactions is also crucial. If players come rushing in, then a referee has to take some firm action to ensure that his control is maintained.
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DECISION MAKING 69
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70 YOU ARE THE REF
Think Just like great midfield players, a top referee appears unflustered in making decisions because he has the ability to accurately anticipate the likely outcome of any challenge. By working hard to get in the right positions at the right time, he creates time to process factors such as speed of challenge, severity of challenge, whether it is fair or foul, and ensure better decision making.
Act The referee should use his whistle, arms and voice to indicate his decision. He should exude an air of confidence and calmness, and be firm but fair in his correct application of the law.
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DECISION MAKING 71
Different challenges
Careless challenge A player challenges for the ball in close proximity to an opponent, puts a great deal of honest effort into the challenge, but mistimes it and in doing so catches the opponent. Correct decision: Direct free-kick or penalty kick (depending on whether the incident occurred inside or outside the box) only.
Reckless challenge A player makes a challenge in a manner where there is a disregard to the safety of an opponent and pays no regard to the possible consequences and/or welfare of an opponent. Correct decision: Direct free-kick or penalty kick and issue a caution.
Challenge using excessive force A player makes a challenge which appears malicious or violent and may be designed to hurt or maim an opponent. Correct decision: Direct free-kick or penalty kick and send off the offending player.
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