You make the call ... monsoon version.

Special thanks to Elie for bringing this one forward.

So ... what's the call?

Up, Up, and Crap ... More Up

Well the time has come of one of my last events of the year, the first, and hopefully annual, White Mountain Gran Fondo.

Here is the really gross profile of the ride:

It is certainly one that does not favor me at all as I am way more at home on a flat, or in a sprint. In plain english, I am just too big to be effective in the hills.

That said, I will at least make a good show of it and throw myself against the hills and see what comes of it while riding for my team.

While I can't take claim to why I'm doing this with "... because it's there ..." as George Mallory famously did when he was asked why he was climbing Everest, I can say that I am significantly inspired to continue to progress without regard to where I am chronologically in my life.

As you may have guessed, this is a prelude into a bigger topic, as just today I received an EMail from US Soccer regarding what I would consider, significant changes with a serious impact to future referees.

Does this make it too easy to be, and stay, a youth referee, forever?

Is this good?

It makes me wonder ... and wonder I will as I slug it out in the mountains of NH Saturday.

I'll be "off line" until early next week ... but as JAFO has shown recently ... there is no shortage of controversy to discuss. Don't be surprised on an appearance, or just enjoy the archives on the right.

We'll be back at it Monday for certain.

Thanks for reading!
PK

I'm sorry ... who did you pick?

FIFA picks Boyce to lead World Cup ref selection

ZURICH -- FIFA has appointed Vice President Jim Boyce to chair its referees committee, which chooses match officials for World Cup duty in Brazil.

Northern Ireland official Boyce replaces another FIFA Vice President Angel Maria Villar, who oversaw training and selection of referees for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

FIFA is currently preparing 52 refereeing teams for the World Cup. It typically selects 30 for the tournament. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Miami Herald.

Kicking Back Comments: I almost immediately though of this hotel chain when reading this announcement:

Read mo
re here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/13/3559356/fifa-picks-boyce-to-lead-world.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/13/3559356/fifa-picks-boyce-to-lead-world.html#storylink=cpy

Now Mr. Boyce is certainly a seasoned sportsman based in his background when can be gleaned from this interview. No issues with him at EXComm as he certainly fits the bill by all accounts.

But like the above commercial for Holiday Inn Express, even if looking the part, does he have the technical expertise to choose World Cup Referees?

From all of his sporting history it would seem he is not educated in officiating at all, never mind at the very pinnacle of refereeing on the planet Earth.

Is this a good idea?

Now, he may have a technical staff appointed to him to actually make the decision for him, and he rubber stamps it, but if true, it would seem too great an opportunity for some collusion.

How many referees from Ireland are we going to see at the World Cup this year? In future years?

This is not to imply that these folks if selected don't deserve the honor, but it will beg the question from others, putting unnecessary doubt on a qualified referee, or in the alternative, sending potentially unqualified ones (like Koman Coulibaly) into the FIFA witness protection program. I mean we haven't even seen him on a milk carton.

Why even monkey around, get Massimo Busacca on the job? He is in Dubai right now training folks for 2014 ... it would seem like a reasonable choice to me.

Why is FIFA choosing someone who is not truly qualified for the job?

Maybe he makes a mean panini.

That Bites

Suarez refuses to say sorry and still believes Liverpool have betrayed him over broken promises

Luis Suarez's relationship with Liverpool will hit a new low this week when he refuses to apologise for his controversial attempts to engineer a move to Arsenal.

Sources close to the Uruguayan believe his relationship with manager Brendan Rodgers is beyond repair after the bitter transfer wrangle that has overshadowed the Merseysiders’ pre-season.

Suarez is training alone at Liverpool’s Melwood HQ, and Rodgers insists he will not be allowed to rejoin his team-mates until he apologises for last week’s public outburst, in which he made it clear he wanted to quit Anfield for the Emirates. ...

See the whole story here, from Mail Online.

Kicking Back Comments: With obvious sarcasm regarding Suarez biting incidents x2 (see below video), I have to tip my hat to managers as well. We talk about player management here a fair bit, but sometimes neglect the actual managers of these folks.

I can't even begin to imagine the nightmare that is going on inside Liverpool right now with this issue. Also, I'm sure it does not help that there is more than a few rumors about the sale of Suarez, and for that matter Liverpool themselves.

While everyone in the organization is saying "... we're not selling ..." it would seem clear that with some of Henry's other deals, and the fact that Liverpool is not doing as well as was expected, I would not be surprised to hear Liverpool on the block soon.

Now, imagine a manager of that team ... out of control players, owners not happy, and a team not doing well.

Yipes ... makes looking like managing (2) teams for (90) minutes fairly pale.

We are the Borg ...

... come on, say it with me.

For any like me who are fans of Star Trek, we know the Borg as a ruthless culture that assimilates everything in its path. They usually entered with a greeting as shown from the below video.

I had this palpable thought that referees are going in this direction when I saw the video from the 2013 MLS all star game, seen below.



So lets take a quick tally:

• Beeper flags to get signals from ARs - check.
• Headset to communicate with ARs and Alternate official - check.
• Stereo microphone to record sound during the match - check.
• Headset camera to record video during the match - check.
• Goal line technology to indicate when a ball crosses the goal line - check (soon).

This is crazy folks ... are we referees, or are we simply puppets for all this technology?

Seriously though, do we really need all of this to manage a match?

I get that some of this, like the camera, is for entertainment purposes, for now. But when will we start using it for "instant replay" or even when it gets much better, real time discipline.

Don't think so? Just wait another 10 years and see what we get. By the 2022 World Cup, I think we will see less human, and more Deus ex machina.

It's funny too, FIFA and other cry, and cry for "less mechanical referees", yet right before our eyes we see the opposite. Just have a look.

We are the Borg ...

Locutus of Borg circa 24th Century

Professional soccer referee circa 2013

Laser focus ... at 16?

So as many of you know, I am an amateur bike racer on the weekends ... well actually a lot more given the amount I train ... but compete on the weekends.

I was at a local criterium series the other day, and in the race I compete in, there are usually a group of very talented junior teams. These kids, and they are kids, are 14 - 17 years old, and are already tremendous riders that are very well coached.

I was talking to one of the coaches in what they are looking for in a young rider, and attempting to glean a parallel to young referees.

I was not disappointed.

He mentioned the #1 quality was that of commitment. Not genes, not "raw athletic ability", not a fancy bike that was bought for them, commitment and a desire to get better.

I reflected on my own career growing up and how, at times, I was supremely un-focused at 16 years old with my refereeing.

It can be somewhat "unnatural" in have someone at such a young age, have such a laser focus, particularly for something that will take a very long time to develop, like refereeing.

For the referees out there who are youths themselves, I salute you. It ain't easy growing up, and being asked to have such focus at such a young age.

For the referees who are a bit more seasoned, and working with these young referees, take some extra time and look out for these younger referees.

You might just make their day knowing they have a friend who has been there.

Cheers to the FA!

FA anniversary friendly at Wembley will honour English referees

England’s friendly with Scotland as part of the Football Association’s 150th anniversary will also celebrate the high esteem in which English refereeing is held around the world.

The four officials all hail from nations where English referees have overseen World Cup finals. The FA has invited the German referee, Felix Brych, to oversee the first ever international in Europe with Hawk-Eye goal-line technology. Who said the FA does not have a sense of humour?

England are the only nation to have provided four World Cup final (or final game) referees: George Reader in Brazil 1950, William Ling in Switzerland 1954, Jack Taylor in West Germany 1974 and Howard Webb in South Africa in 2010. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Telegraph.

Kicking Back Comments: A fitting tribute for a talented group of referees.

It is an opportunity lost however for US Soccer in its own centennial year. How amazing would it have been to honor such greats such as Socha, Mauro, Angeles, Baharmast, and Hall among others ...

While the US does not have a World Cup final to its name, it has far less to do with ability than it does politics.

Too bad too, as US referees at that level are, measure for measure, some of the very best in the world.

Gotta Talk

I caught this video when I was doing research for an article regarding the (mis)use of referees in commercials. (I am getting bored of the Axiron TV Commercial using a baseball ump for low testosterone treatment)

In it, it is clear just how much communication is necessary to effectively manage players.

When listening, ask yourself, do you talk that much during a match to manage things?

Should you?

Law 11 Redux ... courtesy of US Soccer

U.S. Soccer’s Platinum Program

First Three Officials Graduate from U.S. Soccer’s Platinum Program to Join Professional Ranks 

CHICAGO (July 8, 2013) – The U.S. Soccer Federation has announced the graduation of the first three officials from the Platinum Program: Katja Koroleva, Christina Unkel and Robert Sibiga. All three have moved on to the professional ranks as PRO officials after a successful year in U.S. Soccer’s intensive training program for select officials.

The Platinum Program provides select up-and-coming male and female officials with up to three years of personalized training in preparation for assignments at the professional and international level. Training is provided through a number of national training events, instructional webinars and through the support of mentors.  ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of US Soccer.

Kicking Back Comments: Congratulations to all, and a significant accomplishment to be sure. Even in "my time" as one of the first in a generation to go "coast to coast" from youth to amateur to professional, the programs and available resources have become so much more advanced and structured to allow referees to flourish.

Long gone are the days of being "discovered" in a Sunday "ethnic league" match. While certainly that experience is absolutely necessary to be able to survive at the international level with resources such as those created by Dr. Silva, these modern day referees have some of, if not the best, training in the world today.

Last ... but not least

On July 2nd I posted the Region I Massachusetts Youth National Appointments.

I did neglect to post one announcement however, which was Randall Kelly, who has been invited back to Nationals this year.

Well done Randy!

There are bad days ... and there are BAD days

Many thanks to regular readers Matt A. and John U. for bringing these articles forward (oddly coincidentally) on the same day.

First is a local (to me) referee assault.

Alleged attack on referee lands soccer player in court

LYNN — A judge released but ordered an East Boston man to stay away from his soccer league after police said the man and his two brothers attacked a referee after he issued a red card.

“I think he really enjoys the league, but understands,” court-appointed defense attorney Daniel Werner said when the judge issued her ruling. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ItemLive.com and here, with a video interview with the referee from WHDH.

Kicking Back Comments: Foremost, Kicking Back wishes Mr. Garcia a speedy recovery. Cowardly assault on the referee aside, I applaud the trial courts decision here. I agree it is unusual to set a cash bail for such an event, even one as heinous as putting a referee in the hospital for a couple of days for a mass confrontation  but I suspect the judge, and both attorneys knew that (a) the suspects would deny everything, and (b) there is little chance of actually getting them back in court.

I also applaud the judge for recognizing the role the referee was acting in for the match. Check out the article for the particular quote.

So where are we now?

We have a referee who will never, on his own admission, referee again, with a broken facial bone, players who have allegedly committed assault and battery on a referee, likely never to show up in court, and a league that should take and face, some significantly stern action.

What can US Soccer do? How about Mass Soccer?

Likely nothing, as on a cursory look, the U.S. Latin Soccer League is not affiliated with either.

Take a look here for the affiliated adult soccer leagues in MA.

A word to the wise, unless the league is affiliated, there are few remedies outside those at law that can be brought to the bad actors. Also, it is far more difficult to assure compliance to common sense safety rules (e.g. having a detail officer at every match) and compel a league to take such action. Further, while US Soccer has an insurance policy that would cover (I am guessing) some of the damages that have occurred here for the referee, it would not apply, even if the referee was a registered US Soccer referee, as (and again I am assuming based on info to date), the league is NOT an affiliated US Soccer league.

IN SHORT, DO NOT EVER REFEREE AN UNAFFILIATED MATCH. THERE IS A HEAVY PRICE TO BE PAID IF THINGS GO WRONG.

Here is where there "rubber meets the road" for these referees however, and they should group together and take the issue to the league, and refuse to work another match until life suspensions are handed down to each player involved, and the team is tossed from the league from the rest of the season. Or maybe a petition to the Lynn board of parks to show what this league has been up to and pull their current field permit?

Just a thought ...

Now as a second thought, MA Soccer and US Soccer should be at least "made aware" of this stuff, by what mechanism I have no idea, as should USLSL seek membership in the future, they might want to be aware of what history it carries.

But, with every ying, there is a yang, and as the title of this blog entry implies, there was a referee who had an even worst day.

As gruesome as it is, please check out Brazil soccer referee killed during match; his head displayed on stake midfield from Fox News. 

Fox does draw a poor comparison at the end of the article however, somehow thinking (other than causing death) that the stoning, quartering, and beheading or a referee, is in the same realm as the shooting death (~100 bullets were found in Mr. Escobar I believe) of a player who scored an own goal ... and as speculation has it, was killed by gamblers for not making the point spread.

Somehow I'm just not seeing the two as similar.

The untimely passing of Rogerio Barbara

Soccer Friends,

We have just learned of the passing of one of our colleagues, Rogerio Barbara, after a brief struggle with throat cancer.  Rogerio was 59.  

Rogerio had been a referee since 1984 and hung up his cleats in 2010 after 25 years.  He was a State Assessor and had been assessing for over twenty years.

Funeral services will be on Wednesday morning in Taunton, MA.  Details can be found here:  http://www.currentobituary.com/Memory.aspx?Memory_ObitdID=127302

I personally have had the opportunity to work with Rogerio as a referee, assessor, and peer and found him to be a gentle soul always with a kind word ready.

I will miss him, as will The Game.

Somehow this has to be the referees fault. No?

Kicking Back Comments: Ouch. Take a look at the number of related videos too.

Here's one for you all however on a serious note. Does a referee use this later in the match if that player, or others, give a referee grief about a decision?

Fair game?

Sad, and True

Which Calls (or Non-Calls) Create the Most Disagreements Between Football/Soccer Players, Fans & Coaches and Referees

Offside, Handling & "I was Going for the Ball"

Football (or in the U.S., soccer) players, coaches, and fans suffer from a number of misconceptions about laws or interpretations that cause unnecessary dissent, delay or distraction to ongoing play in matches. ...

See the whole article here, from Yahoo!

Kicking Back Comments: I have to agree with the author here. At the youth level, I would say these are the top 3.

Refereeing Happens Before, During, and After a Match

Take a look at this 2005 clip form Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira.



Even before the match, the referee was right there and rightly involved himself in the discussion to make sure things did not get any further out of hand.

You may wonder too why referees warm up inside the field, and at times chat with players. This is a good reason.

Refereeing is less about "controlling" the match at this level and more about managing the people involved. This clip is an excellent example of the latter.

Soccer violence: Referees under siege

(CNN) -- In the U.S., a referee is punched and later dies. Meanwhile In Europe, a Dutch volunteer linesman is beaten to death, a teenage Spanish referee is violently assaulted, and in Germany a match official is hospitalized.

They are almost as essential to the functioning of the game as the ball they bring onto the pitch for kickoff, but soccer referees across the world are feeling under siege.

Subjected to vulgar insults, threatened, chased off the field, attacked, hospitalized and, tragically, killed.

Read: Referee punched in face by teen player dies

In the most recent incident, 46-year old Ricardo Portillo -- refereeing an amateur game in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville -- was punched on April 27 after booking a player. He died from his injuries on Saturday. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of CNN.

Kicking Back Comments: A very worthy read. The author is right on many level in this piece. While I am not a fan of Zero Tolerance as defined in many youth leagues around here, such referee abuse is the largest reason for it to stop it before it even starts.

My earlier question still stands in how far we as referees can go to (physically) stop such an incident before it turns deadly?

Massachusetts selections to the 2013 Region I Championship Tournament

** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM THE MSRC ***

With special thanks to the Massachusetts State Referee Committee, and SYRA Brian Treanor, I am pleased to relay the last of three announcements appointing referees to the 2013 series of Regional tournaments for Massachusetts!

The final tournament to be announced is the preeminent event for teams and referees in Region I. The Region I Championships bring together the winners of the State Cup tournaments held throughout the 15 state region consisting of state associations from Maine to Virginia. The teams at this tournament are vying for the title of Region I Champion which earns them the right to compete at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Overland Park, Kansas. Referees attending the regional tournaments must be at the top of the youth soccer ranks. This 5 day tournament is a demanding journey that tests a referee's fitness, endurance, refereeing ability, and the ability to acquit themselves well off the field. Referees who do well at "Regionals" may be selected to work as a Referee or Assistant Referee at the 2013 US Youth Soccer National Championships.

Without further delay, here are the members of this year's delegation:

Referees:
Thomas Belanger 

Anthony Brossi
Erin Cappellucci
Jordan Cavaco
Nikolas Coelho
Nathanael Dewhurst
Nicholas Grimard
Scott McGrail
Ian McKay
Max Perkins
Eric Schreiber
Igor Senic
Kristin Sundberg 

Assessors:
William Carey 

Elie Nassif
Ed Rae 

Alternates:
Alex White 
Karl Sundberg
Alex Fusco

Brian Treanor will be leading the delegation once again this year as the head of delegation without a role as referee or assessor.

Another youth soccer player commits homicide on a referee

Back in December of 2012, Richard Nieuwenhuizen was a volunteer linesman for his son's match in the Netherlands when he was beaten to death by a group of 16 year old thugs at the conclusion of the match.

I gave my opinion here in how these criminals should be treated.

For Richard, there were moments of silence, tears, armbands, and platitudes from FIFA on respect.

It has now happened again, where a U-18 thug from Utah has caused the death of Utah soccer referee Ricardo Portillo by reportedly punching him in the head and neck area. One account of the incident and detail about the Mr. Portillo can be found here, courtesy of CBS. Take a look at the video, it is well worth it.

My question here is not what should happen to this animal who (in the daughter's account) sucker punched Portillo. My question is ... to what limit should the referee go to defend themselves?

Assuming the referee was able to see the strike coming, can they strike first? Should they strike first if they feel they are in imminent mortal danger?

Should it make a difference (as in the 2 cases here) they are youth players? Is there any less danger here?

Here is where folks in the international and professional levels are spoiled, as generally speaking, everyone know they have to get up for "work" the next morning, even if that work is playing soccer. That alone, keeps these surreal things from happening, as well as strong measures from the respective leagues in what would happen should these players batter a referee.

Amateur leagues, youth inclusive, are another matter completely, and are akin to the wild wild west at times. I have been lucky in my career and only hit or spit on a few times by players. While I have been lucky to have others, and generally sympathetic players, come to my aide, if that was not the case, what do you do?

The title "Could This Happen to You?", from the other day was no accident. It is something visceral we as referees need to prepare for.

This could happen to you ... How are you preparing ... and what would you do?

Please also see Paul Levys' piece, In memoriam: Ricardo Portillo, who gives a far more eloquent analysis. I'll be honest, I am just livid and so disheartened at the loss of life over a youth soccer game. While I am clearly not espousing violence of any kind, I do believe that this scenario is one referees must consider.

Kenyan referee claims sex life ruined by attack

Remember Could this happen to you, from the other day, where a referee was attacked by a youth player?

Well here we have something more extreme by way of damages. Take a look at, Referee sues after coach squeezes his testicles during pitch invasion, courtesy of The Guardian, where a referee was attacked by a youth coach in a particularly gruesome way.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the refereeing association is saying they have no responsibility whatsoever in this case.

It is an interesting point, and one that may hold water in many US jurisdictions. While US Soccer does govern our activities, are we employees, or independent contractors?

What type of protections, if any, do we receive as part of being part of the federation?

What is that yellow slip of paper we get with our registration every year that talks about "insurance?"

These are important questions to think about, as if you find yourself the victim of a battery courtesy of a participant in a match, it is unlikely you will find US Soccer or a local association coming to your aide with the exception of sanctioning the player or club with a suspension or possibly a fine if defined in their bylaws.

Everything else, you are likely on your own for, and is between local law enforcement, the courts, and you.

Something to consider next time you go out?

How can you prepare for something like this?

Stay tuned, and I'll toss some ideas out there for thought.