Abuse of Referees

That is for the start of the game, not halftime. Do you think they do the coin toss at the start of the second half?

But its is irrelevant, because even if the ref got the restart procedure wrong, he was 100% correct in abandoning the game. So what were the other team complaining about?

And why do you start off with the line that "They dont help themselves sometimes .......".

The ref was correct.

" because even if the ref got the restart procedure wrong, he was 100% correct in abandoning the game."

Please explain how he was correct??

 "The Referee, facing the players, starts the game and restarts it after half-time, by throwing in the ball between two players from each team, who shall stand one behind the other in their own defensive sides of the half-way line. All other players shall be in their respective positions behind the 45m lines."

Because of the abuse and dissent, he got from the team. Failure to heed the instructions from a ref is dissent, and from the picture it would appear that the ref was getting plenty of verbal abuse so he was quite entitled to abandon the game.

It would appear that I am wrong in my reading of the rules, it does seem to suggest that players from both teams must be present to restart the game. As such, the team's failure to come out meant they effectively refused to return to the field of play and as such the game was abandoned. Did the ref give them enough warnings? No idea, I wasn't there, but the report certainly seems to suggest that they went way over the 10 minutes and when warned failed to take action.

This problem lies directly with the management and players for not having a clear read on the half-time rules. Before saying the ref made a mess the management and players need to take a long hard look at themselves and accept they messed up. They put the ref in the position and only have themselves to blame.

Ref was in a very difficult position. This is an obscure rule in how many refs would have dealt with such a situation recently to have full knowledge.

There is nothing in the rules to say you start a game or the second half with only one team present, so the ref was wrong. As mentioned above you report late fielding and the team is fined. I've been up and down it with intercounty referees and seminars and so on, there's no debate to it. However the coach of the team was also wrong to think they had 15 minutes for halftime (read that in the article on the match I seen). It never ceases to amaze me when I'm refereeing or watching games that players and coaches don't know the rules of the game they play. However you'd also be suprised how many referees don't know the rules fully either. I coach with the young lads team and the amount of times I've seen something done by a ref doubted myself and gone home to check the rule book or text another referee to ask a second opinion is unreal. If you're inside the fence in any capacity at a match you should know the rules.

Was it a league final Dublin v Cork in the 80's ended in a draw, Cork headed for the train thinking it would be replayed and the ref threw in the ball for extra time?

That is the match I was thinking about. I do not think it was a league final but I could be wrong. It might have been a SF. Dublin went down the field and scored a goal and the match was then abandoned and awarded to Dublin if I remember right.

Its not .....

Have you seen refs wait , and then count players at the start/restart of a game?

They are supposed to be in position before the ball is thrown in..

Have you examples ?

Found it

Nothing like visual proof

You said more than once ?

We have shown the one Zetec mentioned...

In Wicklow abuse of referees has left the County Board with a shortage of refs. They decided for u10 and u11 matches that the home team should supply the ref.

This just simply isn't working. The bias shown by hometown refs is beyond belief. Their general lack of knowledge of the rules or turning a blind eye to obvious dangerous play is going to end up with kids seriously hurt.

One match I attended resulted in the "referee" blowing for the first foul 10 mins from the end of the match. This was only as a result of parents going mad on the side line as one player got shouldered in the back as he went to pick the ball and when falling a second player came in from the side with a shoulder to the face resulting in an u11 spread motionless on the ground for5 or 10 seconds. "Ref" waved play on untill pulled up on it.

The wild pulling and chopping in hurling is been let go by refs who think they are letting the game flow. Again I saw a proper punch up of 2 u11 players as one was constantly being dangerously chopped and swung at. He asked the ref to blow for these fouls and was ignored. This ended up in another few wild chops before himself losing the rag.

This " ah sure you go on and ref this one" is putting the kids in danger by people who are incapable of controlling a game and sheer bias.

This is all directly as a result of trained refs being constantly abused from the sideline ( my own club included)

It seems the ref may have erred in throwing the ball up and allowing the game to restart, but it is only of academic import. Once the Balliagleary team refused to return to the field of play, despite the ref giving them ample opportunity, the game was ceded.

Ballinaglearly were trying to pull a fast one, looking to make their opponents wait on the field while they took advantage of extra time in the changing room. They looked for an unfair advantage and got rightly called up on it by the ref. THe bloody cheek of them to them complain to the ref that he had done something wrong, when they themselves had been acting like complete idiots show the contempt they have not only for the ref, but for their opponents and for the rules of the game and for the spirit of fairness.

So whether he let the other team have the ball to at least run down the pitch is irrelevant.

So they were arguing about nothing. Which is why I find the comment that 'they don't help themselves' seems like you are blaming the ref.

Does anybody honestly believe that had the ref simply abandoned the game, without the restart like he did, that Ballinagleary would have simply accepted the consequences and shook hands? THe ref was in an impossible situation and to point to the fact that he may have erred in the implementation of an obscure and rarely used rule, seems to be placing the blame on the wrong person.

Well done to the ref for sticking to their position. Ballinagleary had ample time to get back on the field, but decided to act the b0lli£ and got rightly called for it.

The match was an evening match. Referees tend to be stern over the time allowed at HT.

Depending on light conditions it can get dark very fast. I am not sure what time the start was but it can be getting dark on a dull evening after 9 pm.

I was involved a few years ago and it was not unusual for a Referee to say we will turn fast at HT( meaning stay on the pitch no going into dressing rooms) or on a dark evening ( more likely in April/ early May than now ask if it was ok to do 25 minutes/ side.

This was a league final and Ballinaglera decided they did not need to heed the referees Instructions.

Whether the referee was right or wrong it was up to Ballinaglera not to abuse him to continue the match and lodge any objections afterwards

Academic in that the game would have had to be abandoned anyway, given Ballinagleary repeated refusal to return to the field of play.

They did refuse. They were requested to return, numerous times, and they didn't. What is that but a refusal? It may have been in an attempt to get a longer HT, or in the erroneous belief that HT was 15 minutes, but they refused to accede to the Ref's request to return to the field.

Yes, it would appear the ref was wrong in throwing the ball in. But again, due to their refusal to take to the field, the game was already over so what he did once he blew the whistle was academic. The game was effectively over once the ref had decided that Ballinagleary had failed to return to the field of play.

It was a direct causation. The game should have been abandoned when the ref decided that Ballinagleary had been given sufficient time to return to he field of play. They can't just expect that everyone else needs to wait around until they are ready.

Ah yes, give them another 30 secs. Sure why not? He had already given them warnings, asked them to return, waited for them, and warned them again. But he should have waited another 30 secs? No, Ballinagleary should have sorted themselves out and got back on the pitch in time.

If every team is coming out late that is down to a lack of control by the ref. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be done in this case. Everyone else is doing it is not a defence. I agree that the ref inflamed the situation by throwing the ball in. He should have simply abandoned the game. Walked off. But inflamed is the key point. This is a situation completely at the feet of Ballinagleay. you continue to want to blame the ref, I don't understand why.

You seem to want to ignore the fact that Ballinaclealy refused to return to the field of play. Thus signalling they did not want to contest the second half. That is all the ref is privy too. He has no idea why they are not coming out, and neither should it matter. They were then given the opportunity to retake the field, but again refused. That they had a reason to refuse to return is not relevant as there were no safety of player welfare issues. Thus they had no legitimate grounds on which to refuse. But refuse they did. They refused until such time as they deemed they were ready. To hell with the rules ar the warnings from the ref.