Wall management

Let's talk a bit more about FK wall management. When there is a wall and the attacking team has 2 or more players ready to take the kick, our awareness needs to go up. This is because the defensive wall often moves closer to the ball as soon as the first kicker is about to take the free kick. If the first kicker does not take the kick and the second player ends up taking the kick, the wall may be much closer to the kick than 10 yards.

Watch the example below. The referee, in general, did a good job setting the wall 10 yards away from the free kick location (this was an IFK inside the penalty area). But as soon as the first attacker pretends that she would take a kick, the wall encroaches. As a result, by the time the kick was actually taken, the wall was not even 5 yards away from the kick.

In this situation, the referee should have awarded another indirect freekick. Unless the offence is repeated or is tactical in nature according to the referee, a caution is not needed.

DOGSO or SPA

Sometimes the difference between DOGSO and SPA is small. In some situations, three out of four criteria for DOGSO are met, but not all four. In that case, a red card cannot be given. DOGSO requires all four criteria to be met. 

Below, you will find a video in which three out of four criteria were met. The distance to the goal, the number of defenders, and the direction of play were all checked for DOGSO. However, the likelihood of gaining or keeping control of the ball was lacking. Therefore, the referee's decision to give a yellow card for SPA was correct.

Wall Management

Imagine a freekick about 10 yards outside the penalty area. The attacking team may take a shot directly at the goal. Or they may pass to another player. AR is watching for offside. Referee is watching for possible fouls inside the penalty area. There are often 12-18 players in such a tight space in front of the goal. But when there is a wall, the FK may hit the wall. There is always a possibility that a player in the wall commits a handball offence.

If you set the wall by the penalty area line, it becomes very difficult for anyone to see if a handball offence was inside or outside the penalty area. Unless you are aligned perfectly to see where the offence happened, you, as the referee, will never know. Did the offence happen a few inches inside the penalty area? Was it on the line (considered inside)? Or was it just outside? This creates an added layer of difficulty.

To avoid the unnecessary confusion, many experienced referees would position a wall well inside or well outside the penalty area. This way, if there is handball, the location of the offence would be very clear. During the pregame pitch inspection, these referees would figure out where 10 yards from the top of the penalty area might be. Is there a tree that works as a marker? Is there an advertisement board? Having a marker allows the referee to know when an offence happened 10 yards outside the penalty area and to be smart about how to manage the restart.

Offside decisions

As ARs, we sometimes make over 20 onside/offside decisions per match. In order to make a correct decision, not only do we have to be aligned with the offside line but also we must be fully focused. When our focus level goes down even for a quarter of a second, it can lead to a mistake.

Furthermore, some offside decisions are match critical. There are times when our onside decision allows an obvious goal scoring opportunity to happen, or our offside decision denies an OGSO. When a player denies an OGSO, they are sent off (or cautions in some instances) because for soccer, such an offence is extremely serious. This is to say that when an assistant referee makes a mistake and allows an OGSO to happen or denied an OGSO, it is a major mistake.

Watch the video below. The attacker was onside by a yard. The attacker continues to take a shot on the goal in a 1 v 1 situation with the goal keeper. The AR flag, however, goes up erroneously. Stay focused and avoid these critical mistakes.

Corner Kick Positioning 2

Let's talk a bit more about CK positioning.

Positioning is always flexible. You adjust your positioning based on the match situation in front of you. But there is a set of best practice recommended positions for various situations. You may deviate from them from time to time. But when you deviate from it, you really want to make sure that you are not taking an unnecessary risk.

DOGSO

DOGSO inside a penalty area can result in a red card or a yellow card. DOGSO by handball is always a red card. DOGSO that does not involve an attempt to play the ball (e.g. holding, pushing, pulling) is penalized with a red card, as well. But DOSGO as a result of an attempt to play the ball is penalized with a yellow card.

Referees are generally advised to give the defender a benefit of the doubt. We will never know the true intent of a player. But if you, as the referee, can make a case that the defender attempted to play the ball, then you are advised to give a yellow card. Of course, when a foul occurs when the defender has no chance to pay the ball (e.g. the ball is close to the attacker but not to the defender) or when it is one of the examples above (push, pull, hold), then an argument for a yellow card cannot be supported.

But what this means is that as referees, we can not just blow our whistle when we see a foul. We must examine the nature of an offence. We must have a macro view of the incident, and not focus just on the point of contact.

The video example below shows the importance of identifying the nature of an offence, because the consequence is very different (i.e. a red card or a yellow card).

Corner Kick Positioning

Where do you position yourself upon a corner kick when it is taken from the AR side? The Laws of the Game provides guidance on it.

Of course, just like any other positioning examples, some factors may affect where you actually position yourself. But as the diagram below shows, the referee is supposed to position themselves so that the goal, most of the penalty area, and the AR can be in their view.

Take a look at this video to learn more about corner kick positioning.

Urgency

There are many situations when you, as the referee, must show a sense of urgency. When there is a red card offence, you will want to get there to stop a possible flare-up. When there is a mass confrontation, your urgency is needed. Your presence can sometimes calm the situation down.

Another situation where you need to show your urgency is when there is a serious injury. You will want to get to the injured player quickly so you can get the needed assistance for them. The earlier you get to the injured player, the sooner you can get the athletic trainer.

Learn from the video below. Show urgency if you suspect a serious injury.

Corner Flag

As a player, have you taken a corner kick? Has a corner flag post every got in a way of your kick? Even if it gets in the way, a player cannot move it. But what if they did, especially if it is a moveable flag post? As the referee, do you tell them to put the flag back?

Moving a flag might look like a minor offence. You may not want to irritate a player by telling them to put the flag back. But what if they scored from the corner kick? How would you explain to the defending team? The defending team might very well complain that the restart was illegal.

So keep things simple. Take care of small things so you don't have to worry about a possible big issue. Watch the video below. Tell the player to place the flag back before the kick.

Securing 10 yards

How do you ensure that the attacking team gets 10 yards upon a free kick? Sometimes it takes a lot of work to move the wall that does not want to move back. The wall says they're too far from the ball. The attackers say the wall is too close.

But the basics are the same. If you determine that the wall is too close and that you need to get involved, make sure that everyone knows that the game would not resume without your whistle. Tell the attackers it is on your whistle. Tell the GK it is on your whistle. After that, tell the wall exactly where you want them to be. 

Wall Management

After you call a foul in the attacking area, you often have to manage the defensive wall. Besides making sure that the wall is at least 10 yards away from the free kick location, what else do you have to manage? On a contested game, there may be extracurricular incidents after you call a foul, away from the ball. This is why you should always keep as many players as possible in your view. You also want to keep your assistant referee in your view.

Below is a video example of how a referee could have done better with his wall management. 

Offside

Ask yourself. When you are an assistant referee and the ball is on the other side of the field, how much attention do you pay to the ball/play versus the offside line in your half of the field? You know you need to be aligned at all times. But you know the ball is unlikely to come to your half of the field.

But incorrect alignment can be costly. Not paying attention to the offside line can easily leads you to not know who was onside and who was offside at the moment of the last touch. Watch the video below. An unexpected ball forces the AR to make an offside position. Unfortunately, he was not aligned. He was watching the ball and not the offside line. So he ends up making an incorrect decision.

Wall management

When you manage the wall upon a free kick, which side of the wall do you go to? Have you ever made a conscious decision about it? 

Usually, it is better go outside (closer to the touchline) than inside (closer to the middle of the field). This is because if you manage a wall from inside, your back is turned to the rest of the field. What are you missing when you have your back turned to the rest of the field? Especially when a free kick is taken near a penalty area, you would have your back turned to the penalty area and a number of players congregating near or inside the penalty area.

If you manage the wall from outside, you can keep the penalty area and the players in your eye sight while moving the wall backwards or walking to the players in the wall.

Here is a video example of a referee having his back turned to the rest of the field. Nothing happened here. But if something had happened, he would have had to rely on his ARs and fourth official for information.