Know the rules - It's a Judgment Call
by Jeff Durgan, Emerald City Coaching Director

Did you know that a soccer referee has more freedom to interpret the rules of the game than officials in almost any other port? It's true. While the rules of the game are clearly defined, how and when they are to be applied is most often left up to the discretion of the game official.

A referee must determine when stopping play for an infraction will actually benefit the team guilty of committing the infraction in the first place. In this instance, the referee is allowed to let play continue so as not to interrupt the flow of the match or to prevent a team from capitalizing upon an advantage. For example, just as a player passes a ball to teammate, she is kicked from behind and tripped. The ball is advanced to her teammate who is breaking on goal with only the goalkeeper in front of her. Were the official to blow the whistle at this moment to penalize the opponent for tripping, an obvious scoring opportunity would be lost. While an infraction of the rules has occurred, it is within the referees authority to allow play to continue. Furthermore, he may stop play after the scoring attempt has been completed and go back to deal with the offending player, or he may simply have a word with the guilty party at the next break in action. Either way, the team with the advantage was not penalized for a foul committed by their opponent.

This is the essence of the authority and discretion granted the soccer referee. While the intent of this rule is obvious and its logic is unquestionable, in practice the proper application and interpretation of this authority can sometimes be questionable. It is in these questionable moments that we as coaches, players, parents and fans must realize and accept the subjective nature of such authority. Referees are trained to call a game in as unobtrusive a manner as possible. Sometimes, in an effort to allow the game to flow, they will let play continue even after the occurrence of an obvious foul. Before you jump up and down, yell and scream, gesture and gyrate, take a look at the situation and determine if allowing play to continue was the right call, "not to make."

The alternative is to have whistles blowing every twenty seconds for every infraction and thus disrupting the flow and rhythm which is the beauty of the game. Before you know it, soccer will begin to resemble an NBA basketball game where the officials take center stage and often influence the outcome of a game by the calls they make. I say let the players determine the outcome.