Hamble and Friendly

I was the center referee for a high school match tonight. One of the players from the white team, in a situation where he could have easily challenged the opponent with his foot, intentionally bent down and used his head to contest the ball against a blue team player's foot. I blew the whistle for a foul. Everyone, including the blue team, thought I had awarded the white team a free kick, but I signaled for a free kick to the blue team instead. The white team's coach immediately erupted in anger, shouting at me in disbelief over the call. I explained to him, 'The one who creates a dangerous situation is the one who commits the foul. If your player could have used his foot to win the ball but chose to bend down and lead with his head, maybe you should be yelling at your own player. This is a warning – if I see that attitude again towards me, you'll be watching the game from your car.'

I used to make a point of shaking hands and being hamble and friendly with coaches before matches. But after a particularly unpleasant experience with certain coach from one of my daughters' old teams, I've learned a lot. Now, I no longer initiate any conversations with coaches unless they come to me. No matter how friendly they try to be, I keep my responses as cold as possible. That way, if any conflict arises during the match, I don't feel guilty about it.