RefCam: A Referee's Perpective

The following incidents occurred from the Referee's Perspective during the MLS All Stars match against Roma on Thursday 1 August 2013. The match finished 1—3, with 2 YCs.


Ref Cam: Sights and Sounds from the 2013 ATT MLS All-Star Game (YouTube)




Here's what Referee Hilario Grajeda looked like rigged up with the RefCam (which appears rather bulky).

 

From the start, Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic (red 15) appears to be one of those players who persistently badger the referee to give things in their favour. Experienced Referees can spot these type of players a mile away.

 

C'mon Ref, what are you doing?

Later, Pjanic (red 15) fouls MLS All Stars captain Thierry Henry (blue 14). Pjanic looks at the Referee apologetically to make sure that he is not booked.

 Nice, clear and firm signal to indicate a direct free kick

 Don't book me Ref! I'm a good boy ... honest ...

Notice also the big screen from the Referee's view. A simultaneous double whammy!

Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis (grey) catches the ball and Referee Grajeda raises his ams with all fingers splayed out. He waits a second or two and then gives two thumbs up. What is this signal? What message is the Referee trying to communicate and are players paying attention to him?

 

 Wait ... wait ... goalkeeper has the ball ... wait ... thumbs up ...

In the 54', Pjanic (red 15) fouls Landon Donovan (blue 7) and Referee Grajeda, who appears (at least from the RefCam perspective) to be quite a distance away, cautions Pjanic.

 Is it clear to the players, match officials and spectators who the Referee has given a yellow card to?

Donovan takes exception to Pjanic's unfair challenge.

The RefCam is a great experience that the MLS (or PRO?) is offering to soccer fans. Letting people see what the referee sees … or doesn't see … can only be a good thing if we want to provide a better understanding of the important and fantastic work that Referees do. Let's see more RefCams!


Related Post
Able Referee Assistants Must Assist Referees Ably

Major Law Screwup in an MLS Match

The following incident occurred during an MLS match between New York Red Bulls and Portland Timbers on 19 August 2012. The match finished 3—2. There was 1 YC.

In the 45', just before halftime with the score 1—2, referee Jason Anno awards a controversial goal to NY Red Bulls (white) to level the score. Here are the freeze frames:

 

 

 

 Referee Jason Anno whistles here for handball, just as Tim Cahill shoots from the rebound

 

 

Portland players (green) question referee Anno's decision. But Anno is adamant that the goal stands.

 

The videoclips can also be seen from:

Highlights: NY v POR (about 04:00 in)

Cahill strikes home controversial equalizer


Even the commentators believed the goal would not stand because of the whistle being blown before the ball entered the goal. Here's how the MLS Match Center described the play:

The Red Bulls then equalized through Tim Cahill just before halftime on a controversial play. Dax McCarty hit a shot that deflected off of defender David Horst’s outstretched arms and center official Jason Anno blew his whistle and signaled for a penalty kick before changing his call after seeing Cahill bury the rebounded effort.

Some questions posed:

1) What are the reasons for referee Jason Anno to award the goal? He clearly knew he whistled for an infringement (i.e. handball), so what was going through his mind?

2) What should the AR and/or 4th Official have done?

3) What are the possible restarts?

PK Position Permutations

Consistency amongst Referees within the same competition is crucial, especially if all match officials associated with the competition are to gain and retain credibility. The following penalty kicks in three MLS matches indicates that consistency, and hence credibility, is missing. 

PK Incident One

This is the penalty kick during the MLS match between Chicago Fire and FC Dallas on 23 May 2012 (video highlights here). Here are the freeze frames:

Outcome: Goal allowed by Referee Hilario Grajeda.

A goal was scored by another player (red 16) after the PK was initially saved by the goalkeeper. What should have been the proper decision?

PK Incident Two

This is the penalty kick during the MLS match between San Jose Earthquakes and Columbus Crew on 19 May 2012 (video highlights here). Here is the freeze frame:

Outcome: Goal allowed by Referee Juan Guzman.

A goal was scored by Quakes penalty taker (black 8). What should have been the proper decision?

PK Incident Three

This is the penalty kick during the MLS match between Chivas USA and LA Galaxy on 19 May 2012 (video highlights here). Here are the freeze frames:

Here is the penalty kick from another camera angle:

Outcome: The penalty is scored but Referee Mike Geiger immediately disallows it and points to the culprit who encroached. 

The penalty kick is retaken, and this time all players stay out of the area. Here is the freeze frame:  

Notice how players this time are staying out of the penalty area

Referee Mark Geiger displays confident, credible and commanding officiating. 

NOTE: Here is the incident that led to Geiger's penalty decision. It is a classic DOGSO by hand. Here are the freeze frames:

Question: Did Referee Mark Geiger have a clear view of the incident? Or was he assisted?

LA Galaxy's David Junior Lopes (white 3) demonstrates a lack of respect, and an ignorance of the rules, by continuing to argue against his send off. Disgraceful behaviour. Here are the freeze frames:

Referee Mark Geiger displays confident, credible and commanding officiating. 


If the positioning during penalty kicks of some MLS Referees is any indication, then PRO general manager Peter Walton has work to do to establish consistency and credibility.

Related Posts 

Able Referee Assistants Must Assist Referees Ably

Able Referee Assistants Must Assist Referees Ably Part 2

Able Referee Assistants Must Assist Ably Part 2

The observations here are linked to the previous post about ARs in the MLS, and the impressions raised by some high-profile errors.


The following two incidents occurred during the MLS match between Portland and Real Salt Lake on Saturday 31 March 2012. The match finished 2—3.

Incident One Wait and See Principle Applies Not Just To Offside

In the 18', from a Portland (white) throw-in the ball bounces into RSL's half. Here are the freeze frames:

Yes, there is a push in the back on a Portland defender (white) by an RSL defender (red) but the ball carries on forward

Portland coach obviously not happy with the decision

AR1 is in a great position to spot this foul, but that should not be the only thing he should be focusing on

Because AR1 immediately flagged for a foul—coupled with the simultaneous fact that Referee Jorge Gonzalez was perhaps not in tune with the unfolding situation—the opportunity to play advantage was lost.

Furthermore there was no 'wiggle' so when AR1 raised the flag straight up, on first take, it wasn't immediately clear what was being signalled (i.e. a foul, an offside?).


Incident Two Handball Inside the Penalty Area

In the 38', Portland defender Rodney Wallace (white 22) handles the ball in the penalty area. Here are the freeze frames:

It is handball inside the penalty area and the Referee must also consider whether the situation warrants a red card for DOGSO

Following the Referee's penalty call (who called it, the R or AR2?), RSL midfielder Javier Morales (red 11) approaches the Referee and vehemently demands a send off. This is unsporting behaviour and may actually have an unintended effect in that it distracts the Referee from correctly applying the Laws.

In the end, Referee Gonzales only cautioned Portland's Wallace for deliberate handball, instead of showing a red card for DOGSO. Did AR2 assist the Referee ably?


Incident Three Gaining an Advantage From Being in an Offside Position

The following incident occurred during the MLS match between New York Red Bulls and Montreal Impact on Saturday 31 March 2012. The match finished 5—2.

In the 89', a New York player (white) shoots at goal and the Montreal goalkeeper fumbles the save allowing Red Bull's Thierry Henry to score his hat-trick. Here are the freeze frames:


Just as Incident One in the previous post, an attacker (here, Thierry Henry) gained an advantage from being in an offside position and subsequently scored.


SUMMARY

In watching some recent MLS highlights, the initial impression is that ARs need to be trained and encouraged at least as much as Referees. While MLS Referees will benefit from initiatives like PRO in North America (in a similar way as EPL Referees benefit from the setting up of PGMOL), training and development of ARs in the professional leagues of North America should not be overlooked. Initiatives to help ARs must also be set up and be in synch with the demands of the modern game.