MLS updates security

MLS updates security measures at all 20 stadiums

Image courtesy of Thefirsteleven.com

Major League Soccer announced on Tuesday that it will bring security measures at MLS events in line with those of other North American professional sports leagues, with new individual screening methods upon stadium entry beginning Saturday, April 23 at all Major League Soccer matches, Soccer United Marketing games, or United Soccer League matches played at MLS venues.

Under the new policy, all guests will be fully screened, either by use of a magnetic search wand or by a pat down. Each venue will make its own decisions regarding what protocols will be used at events to reach this baseline level of security. ...

See the whole announcement here, courtesy of MLS.

Kicking Back Comments: While this should have been policy from BANG! there are a couple of recent incidents that may have brought this forward. One significant one may be from DC United.

In this case as the story goes, a smoke bomb was set off in a tunnel outside the stadium. Ultimately as a result, at least one fan(atic) was suspended for a year by MLS. Now, this apparently was a fan who would drive (3) hours to see a DCU match and has substantial fan spirit to lead and take part in organized activities for DCU.

MLS has been roundly called out on this, using such images such as smoke bombs, flares, and confetti streamers thrown into the pitch to advertise how "global" the US game is. The above article and those linked do an excellent job of spelling out how hypocritical MLS is with respect to its advertising. There is even an open letter to MLS citing how capricious and arbitrary (my words) such bans are.

I can see this one both ways. You can't reasonably do something that can endanger another (e.g. ignite a smoke bomb in a tunnel) but at the same time MLS can't stand on the backs of these folks they are suspending to forward their marketing campaign to make MLS look more like the global game.

This is the US ... The Game may never have that type of flair in my lifetime .. sadly.

Here is the DCU updated security notice.

It was all going so well ... until the riot

Cedarville Meant No Harm, Parents Say After Arrest

CEDARVILLE -- The clash that ended with the arrest of their head football coach for inciting a riot started when his team lined up to shake the other team's hands, said Cedarville parents interviewed Friday.

Those parents were interviewed at the best spot in town to draw a large crowd -- a home football game for Cedarville High School. Friday, their team hosted Marshall.

Parents and players were in Elkins a week earlier. When they left -- their buses escorted by sheriff's deputies -- they knew the game had ended in a ruckus, the parents said. But they thought the incident was over. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Arkansas Online.

Kicking Back Comments: Take a look at the story, while full of opinion, there are a couple of things that stood out to me ... one very practical thing too.

I had to laugh out loud when I read the following from the article:

"The first sign of any trouble in Elkins was a mid-field incident while the game had less than a minute left to play."

Sorry, but I just don't buy that and while this may have been a sign for sure, I doubt it was the first. As referees we have to obtain a "baseline" of behavior fairly quickly regarding the contest we are refereeing. Intelligence professionals sometimes refer to a "baseline" as the regular happenings in a particular environment. It is when we start to witness excursions from this baseline we should take note.

Sounds cloak and dagger and honestly it sort of is as a substantial part of refereeing is reading people of all types and being able to take necessary action on issues that arise. Take the above as an example. What were the clues that could have indicated something was going to happen? Ask yourself:

Was this a significant match for some reason? 

If yes, what was the reason?

Were any of the participants in a "funk" and this includes the coaches (one of which who was later arrested)?

What is your plan to deal with that?

Even before the match started, what was your "mass confrontation" plan?

Meet as a group and take notes?

Actively try to separate players?

If things go really bad, what is the exfil plan?

Run like heck to the car?

Defend each other?

Call the police?

While this later part may be rare, it is good to think about as frankly when it goes wrong, you don't want to have to think too much, just react and follow a plan you have already previously considered.

Now for the practical tip ... if it's safe, take notes. Here we had a coach who crossed the field to engage the other teams players and as the report goes with racial epithets. This coach was subsequently arrested for his conduct and is up for his court date and possible dismissal from the school he works for. As a referee if we have witnessed something, we need to report it. Our duty to the players does not end until we have left the field and frankly any willful blindness to something like this is shirking one of our most important duties ... to protect the players.

Think about this too, the final act did not play out until the players lined up to say "good game." If you get a whiff that something bad is going to happen, why even have them shake hands? Yeah it's a nice tradition, but when trouble will follow, why do it?

Who said they can't sing

The song on Valentine's Day from English soccer fans



For any interested, the is a cover of Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden



Not quite "battle of the bands"... but not bad at all.

Happy Valentines Day. Don't forget to thanks those who you love in supporting our passion.

Your Superbowl Referee ... Terry McAulay

So right on the heels of (3) US Referees being names to the 2014 World Cup, we have the announcement of Terry McAulay named to head the refereeing crew for Super Bowl XXXIX. His crew for the upcoming Super Bowl will be Carl Paganelli (umpire), Jim Mello (head linesman), Tom Symonette (line judge), Scott Steenson (field judge), Dave Wyant (side judge) and Steve Freeman (back judge).

In researching Mr. McAulay you get the pretty standard stuff. Was a high school and college official, married, couple of kids, went to LSU, and has a computer science degree.

Where I really got interested is his involvement was the fact that he worked (2) previous Superbowls (LXIII and XLVIII) and in "bottlegate" on December 16th, 2001. A match between Cleveland and Jacksonville. From Wikipedia:

"The Browns were driving toward the east end zone for what would have been the winning score. Browns' wide receiver Quincy Morgan caught a pass for a first down on 4th and 1. After quarterback Tim Couch spiked the ball on the next play to stop the clock, McAulay announced that they were going to review Morgan's catch, saying that the replay official had buzzed him, indicating for a replay review, before Couch spiked the ball.[7] 

In reviewing the play, McAulay determined that Morgan never had control of the ball, thus the pass was incomplete, and the Jaguars were awarded the ball. However, fans in the "Dawg Pound" began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects directed at and striking players and officials. McAulay then declared the game over and sent the teams to the locker rooms. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue called the game supervisor to override McAulay's decision, sending the players back onto the field after a thirty-minute delay, where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris.[7]"

If you want to see some crazy behavior, take a looks at the You Tube clip from that incident below:

So honestly I'm not sure what's worse about this whole thing from the following choices:

1. The fan(atics) pathetic and frankly dangerous behavior.
2. TV announcers of this clip making asses of themselves by not only thinking, but actually saying that "... the ref should take control ... of the fans ... by explaining his decision." Soon after saying the referee should end the game, then after he does criticize him for it. I don't even know where to start with that one.
3. A stunningly stupid move by then commish Paul Tagliabue in ordering his refereeing crew back out into the field, in a hail of beer bottles (yeah but there're just plastic says the announcers), and directly into harms way, to play the last seconds.

I was stunned somewhat speechless by this. 

Not the fan(atics) ... I almost expect this type of behavior at times. Certainly not be the announcers as a rule they spot drivel. However in the commish's decision was really poor to put teams and referees in harms way.

Now very interestingly, I actually read the rule on this (here) and was really surprised at what I saw.

From the law:

Under no circumstances is the referee authorized to cancel, postpone, terminate, or declare forfeiture of a game unilaterally.

Yipes!!

A referee must contact the comissh office to get direction. A referee can not do it on their own.

I can almost, almost, see the point when it comes to weather, but fan disorder like this, and you have to call a guy x miles away watching on TV and he says "get back out there."

That seems a little crazy, and even worse, distrustful of the assessment of the refereeing team. After all, they trust them with an outcome of the game, but not a decision to continue it or not?

As referees, do we have this authority? If so, where in the LOTG does it lie?

Well for those who did not know, we do, and it can be found in Law 5 which states a referee has the power to:

Stop(s), suspends or abandons the match, at his discretion, for any infringements of the Laws.

This is true for all levels of the match and it happens at nearly all levels of the match. Just take a look.
I would think this one ended well before the military helicopter landed on the field.

How far would you tell the commish to pound sand if they said "get back out there" in this case? 

These fan(atics) have a special place in his ... heart

Moms who saved soccer referee's life to get awards

The mothers of two Vandebilt Catholic soccer players will receive an award for saving the life of a referee who collapsed in the midst of a January game.

Tommy Manor, a longtime Houma referee and coach, collapsed during the Vandebilt girls Jan. 3 game against Lutcher. He survived, but officials said that was because of the diligent efforts by four moms who had been watching the game from the stands.

Manor spent several days at Terrebonne General Medical Center, and he said he has since made a full recovery. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of houmatoday.com.

Kicking Back Comments: A truly great story and one that continues to show there is still good in the world.

I have to say though, 5 weeks and he is back! Holy smokes! I'm not so sure I would be so brave, after so short a time. Good for him though ... no doubt doing what he loves.