Referee suspended for 'rock, paper, scissors'

[PutTheWheelieBinsOut]

Referee forgot coin, so they played rock, paper, scissors instead!


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46202509" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bobinho]

RPS seems wholly appropriate for what is effectively a sideshow.

“Moment of madness” translates to “referee thinks on his feet to get the game away on time”

[Foulthrow]

In fairness, I’m sure if he shouted across to the touch line someone would have had a coin. I’ve played countless games of cricket were the skipper has forgotten to take a coin out and never seen anyone resort to rock, paper, scissors.

I would imagine he’s been banned though because it sends a poor message about how seriously he was taking the game.

[whentheballmoves]

He could have just picked a blade of grass and asked them to pick a hand, that would have been better!!!

[Guich]

I would imagine he’s been banned though because it sends a poor message about how seriously he was taking the game.

Indeed.

If this had happened in a Championship or League 1 game the coverage would have been completely different; with pundits and fans laughing at it, skits on TV; lots of daft suggestions as to how we can start a game. It would have been fun.

If you want to be taken seriously, you need to learn not to take yourself too seriously.

[claptrappers_union]

Rock Paper Scissors provides random outcome. No one has lost out. Yet they still suspend him?

I'd resign

[dsr]

I'm told that refs on Remembrance Day weekend all used a commemorative medal. If so, that's not a coin, so are they all in breach of the rules? Will they all be suspended for 3 weeks?

They should have told him to be a bit more discreet and not to be a muppet in future. End of story. As claptrappers said, all the toss is for is to provide a random outcome to a trivial decision - who really cares how it's done?

[cricketfieldclarets]

Should have been more discreet and done ip dip dog ****.

[Foulthrow]

Indeed.

If this had happened in a Championship or League 1 game the coverage would have been completely different; with pundits and fans laughing at it, skits on TV; lots of daft suggestions as to how we can start a game. It would have been fun.

If you want to be taken seriously, you need to learn not to take yourself too seriously.

The problems is the FA (seemingly in tandem with the Beeb) are desperately trying to promote women's football and carve out some kind of interest. It clearly isn't working despite their best efforts. Incidents like this will re-inforce the message amongst people who think women's football is a joke.

[Imploding Turtle]

In fairness, I’m sure if he shouted across to the touch line someone would have had a coin. I’ve played countless games of cricket were the skipper has forgotten to take a coin out and never seen anyone resort to rock, paper, scissors.

I would imagine he’s been banned though because it sends a poor message about how seriously he was taking the game.

He could've asked someone in the crowd to throw him a coin.

[cricketfieldclarets]

He could've asked someone in the crowd to throw him a coin.

Really?

[dpinsussex]

Or at least one of his assistants should have been carrying a coin too.
Coins can fall out if pockets. I always make sure as a team we have a spare coin

[dsr]

The problems is the FA (seemingly in tandem with the Beeb) are desperately trying to promote women's football and carve out some kind of interest. It clearly isn't working despite their best efforts. Incidents like this will re-inforce the message amongst people who think women's football is a joke.

If the FA think the issue of how a coin is tossed is worth 3 weeks' ban, then it will certanly reinforce the message that the game is a joke. How often do Burnley kick towards the Bee Hole end first? Virtually always. Why? Because the away side, when they win the toss, don't care. The toss is a virtual irrelevance. Look at cricket - they send a camera out to watch the toss, because it matters. Sky TV have thirty cameras (guess!) at the match and the toss goes on during the adverts.

[conyoviejo]

What a tosser!! Or perhaps not..

[cricketfieldclarets]

If the FA think the issue of how a coin is tossed is worth 3 weeks' ban, then it will certanly reinforce the message that the game is a joke. How often do Burnley kick towards the Bee Hole end first? Virtually always. Why? Because the away side, when they win the toss, don't care. The toss is a virtual irrelevance. Look at cricket - they send a camera out to watch the toss, because it matters. Sky TV have thirty cameras (guess!) at the match and the toss goes on during the adverts.

We always shoot to beehole second

[dsr]

We always shoot to beehole second

Well, I was close.

Point still stands, though - we always know who won the toss because the team that lot the toss, kicks off in the first half. (Or is it the second half? ). And yet, who knows how many times Burnley have won the toss this season - if at all?

[Ashingtonclaret46]

The ref made a mistake which had no influence on the result of the game at all. Quite a number of referees use a disc with different colours on each side which, technically, is also wrong.
The joke is that a player gets banned for 3 matches for violent conduct, however, the FA have banned this referee for 3 weeks, which could easily amount to 6 matches, for forgetting his coin.

[Bordeauxclaret]

Good job we’ve got loads of spare refs around.

[dpinsussex]

Good job we’ve got loads of spare refs around.

Don't worry Ashington is available to pick up the spare games

[Ashingtonclaret46]

Don't worry Ashington is available to pick up the spare games

LOL ---not with my knees these days ---they haven't started recalling 71 year olds just yet, although the situation up here in the north east is very bad with lots of local leagues resorting to requests on social media because they do not have a referee.
I hope that things are better in your area!

[NL Claret]

The key point made is in Ashington's post. In football and cricket there is a shortage of officials. Steps need to be made be encourage more to take it up rather than banning them for three weeks.

There is a young ref in the Gtr Manchester area who tried to start a referee's strike. He regularly abandones games and reports numerous players and managers who end up getting fined due to his incompetence yet a ref who doesn't follow protocol that doesn't really affect the outcome gets a 3 week ban. At a local level I've never understood the FA, then again nor at a national level. Will be interesting to see the ban Sturridge gets in comparison to Barton's.

[Ashingtonclaret46]

Sturridge should be OK because he hasn't said anything derogatory about the FA, unlike Joey who spoke his mind about them prior to his betting misdemeanour.

[dpinsussex]

LOL ---not with my knees these days ---they haven't started recalling 71 year olds just yet, although the situation up here in the north east is very bad with lots of local leagues resorting to requests on social media because they do not have a referee.
I hope that things are better in your area!

I know of a referee at 71 years young, fresh back from a heart op and refereeing Hellenic div2 games and running the line on div 1.

No excuse young man. Get those boots back on you know you want to

[cricketfieldclarets]

LOL ---not with my knees these days ---they haven't started recalling 71 year olds just yet, although the situation up here in the north east is very bad with lots of local leagues resorting to requests on social media because they do not have a referee.
I hope that things are better in your area!

Have you never heard of harry warburton?

[Ashingtonclaret46]

Have you never heard of harry warburton?

Yes, however, when I was refereeing I always enjoyed the fact that it was no effort to keep up with play. Sadly, because I also played over 1000 games at a decent level as well as refereeing and playing other sport I am happy just to be able to walk every day and enjoy not getting abused by players who thought that they were good!

[cricketfieldclarets]

Yes, however, when I was refereeing I always enjoyed the fact that it was no effort to keep up with play. Sadly, because I also played over 1000 games at a decent level as well as refereeing and playing other sport I am happy just to be able to walk every day and enjoy not getting abused by players who thought that they were good!

Got booked many times off Harry. He was a top ref and character. He took no **** and you gave him none.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... l_referee/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Hipper]

It is in The Laws to use a coin:

Kick off
PROCEDURE
•the team that wins the toss of a coin decides which goal it will attack in the first half

http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-gov ... rt-of-play" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So by the letter of the Law he was wrong.

However in his circumstances he used his initiative and got the game going without any problems.

He should have been warned and no more. It is surely less of an error then wrongly sending someone off.

Unless there were other factors, this makes the FA look idiots and surely annoys referees. There are far more important issues then this.

I wonder where the complaint came from.

I only refereed park football and I had a spare coin, spare whistle and spare watch which I carried about. Because I was a tight sod my coin was an old pre decimal penny painted yellow and red.

[duncandisorderly]

In the toss of a coin, one player calls. That's it. Outcome decided.
In rock, paper, scissors, or 'Janken' if you grew up with Alex Kidd on the Master System, you could potentially play indefinitely.

[claptrappers_union]

Referees at some grassroots football matches plan to use 'rock, paper, scissors' in support of banned official. They are angry at the decision to ban David McNamara after he used the same method in place of a coin toss.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46 ... pIqgJpoZkg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BFC123]

Dermot Gallagher said he once did the exact same thing in a Champions League game. He told Ronaldinho that they changed the rules and they would do rock, paper, scissors instead of tossing a coin. Nothing happened with Gallagher.

[paulus the woodgnome]

It's scissors, paper, stone, where I come from.

[Falcon]

Lizard, spock?