SOCCER

Common Sense

 

• 4a. It's up to the individual Referee, as to which touchline his Assistant Referees run. There is nothing in the Laws to stipulate otherwise.
  
  The Referee will normally run a diagonal from one corner flag to the other, diagonally across the field of play during the game. The Assistant Referees will be asked to run respective touchlines, depending on which diagonal the Referee runs during a game.
  
  Most Referees like to keep their Assistant Referees patrolling the same touchline in both halves of the game. But some Referees ask their Assistant Referees to swap touchlines in the second half, and some have been known on the odd occasion to make their Assistant Referees run the far end of the same touchline that they patrolled in the first half. The general method is to keep Assistants on the same touchline throughout the game - the senior Assistant normally takes the 'Bench' side (because he is more experienced in dealing with unruly 'bench' occupants.)
  
  Some points for the Referee to consider before deciding which touchline his Assistants should run are:
  
  Look for the 'geography' of the respective 'Benches' during the pre-match pitch inspection. Is the technical area marked?

  Are the 'dug-outs' near to each other? Are they big enough to contain the permitted occupants - if not, where will the occupants stand? Are they allowed to stand? Is one bigger than the other and better equipped thus giving an advantage to one team? Will the Assistant Referee run past the 'benches' on his allocated touchline or near enough to control and keep an eye on them?
  
  

• 4b. Be courteous at all times to both substitutes and officials (and the crowd), even in the face of extreme provocation. A polite : -"Hello, everything OK? - let me know when you want a sub. on", will allow you the first chance to use your man-management skills in making a first impression before things start to go wrong. Do not create any ill-feeling or conflict by trying to be officious or petty with 'Bench' officials.
  
  

• 4c. Treat any proper enquiry's from the ‘Bench’ in a polite way - but be firm when the queries become heated or vigorous. Beware of constant requests for "How much time left linesman !" You could also ‘glower’ at any perpetrator, or inform the occupants that you have reached the end of your tolerance, and will bring to the Referee’s attention, any further trouble. Tell them that the Laws of the Game state that they must behave in a responsible manner, this also refers to officials and substitutes congregating around the field of play when there is no recognized ‘Bench’.
  
  

• 4d.You can usually ignore most of the usual ‘Bench’ banter, but you ignore ALL comments at your peril. Don’t ignore challenges to your authority because they can destroy a game. Try and stamp down on bad behavior as soon as you can, by acting firmly with any culprit. This will prevent any escalation. Do not tolerate threats of any kind - bring these to the attention of the Referee as soon as you can.
  
  

• 4e. There are a lot of genuine, responsible good humored officials who are prepared to work with us and not against us. These will give you no trouble, and can sometimes add to the enjoyment of the game, so try to remember that it is not all doom and gloom - keep your sense of humor.
  
  

Courtesy Julian Carosi