Gamesmanship After The Game Has Finished
Gamesmanship does not limit itself to the match itself. Referees should be aware of the following:
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(a) Players (and sometimes Team Officials) have been know to approach the Referee after the match has finished, requesting that any cautions or sending-offs issued in the game against them, are not reported. Players usually adopt an 'over-friendly' attitude that goes something like this:
"You're not going to sent those reports in are you Ref.? It's hardly worth it for that."
The Referee can consider including details of such requests in his report - or writing a separate report if the level of persistence warrants it.
A Referee who does not send in discipline reports is creating a very difficult scenario for the colleague who officiates the same team the following week. Referees MUST send in reports if they have disciplined players during a game. The Football Association will deal strongly with any Referees who do not complete and send in reports properly.
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(b) Referees very often receive a host of unpleasant comments after games. Most of the comments should just be ignored. But do not ignore all the comments at your peril. Any indiscipline that exceeds the bounds of normality should be reported accordingly.
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(c) Although Referees should accept any apologies from players' who have committed offences in the game - they must be accepted in the manner in which they should be offered. Beware the hypocritical player who was a monster on the field of play, but who after the game transforms into a 'groveling toad' by trying to 'suck up' and lessen the impact of his sending-off in the eyes of the Referee. A sending off is a sending off and nothing less - and the report should not be influenced by duplisit propositions made after the game has finished.
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(d) Snubbing of Referees in the 'bar' after the game, is a negative form of gamesmanship that can do football clubs no favors at all. Football is just a game. It is a sad state of affairs when players and Referees cannot mix together in the 'bar' for a social drink after the game has finished. A Referee who sticks to his principles will particularly wish to make an appearance in the 'bar' after the game - if only for a quick drink.
"The worse a game that the Referee thinks he has had - the more effort he should expend in making an appearance in the 'bar' after the game."
In other words, hold your head up high and accept that you officiated to the best of your ability in that particular game. And be brave enough to stand up to your critics.
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(e) Conversely, a Referee who has had a good game (as far as one team is concerned) may be approached by fawning players and Team Officials whose only aim is to 'get the Referee on their side, especially if the same Referee is officiating against them in a few weeks time.
"In a game, it only takes a second for a fawn to change into a frenzy!"
Courtesy Julian Carosi
