MWFRA Send-Off Tips &
Checklist
A send-off report must provide the referees account
and relevant information regarding the misconduct of a player and fully
describe the incident in detail. In
summary it is the Who, What, When, Where & How. The report should be legible and readable,
precise, factual, descriptive and contain the players’ details. You must also relate the incident to the
offence.
You are
the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Judiciary Committee and your report must supply
complete and accurate information related only to the incident, making sure it
is also in logical sequence. A badly
written report may allow players to escape the punishment he/she should have
received. The judiciary panel did not see the incident and rely solely on what
they read to make a decision.
The report should be written as soon as possible after the match in a
situation where the referee can relax and give it all of his/her concentration. Remember to discuss the incident with your
Assistant Referees if you had any prior to leaving the ground to confirm the
facts of the incident. Then, contact
Kevin Martin and draft a report before writing and submitting the official
copy. Make sure you keep a copy for your
personal records also.
Most
referees get the right player(s). They know the team they are talking about,
along with the competition and all the information for the top of the form.
That doesn't seem to be the problem. It's that big block of blank lines at the
end of the page that causes the issues, it seems.
There
are five major mistakes that referees can make when they pull out the pen and
paper. Here are some helpful pointers to
avoid these:
1. Convey the Relevant Details
When writing a report,
you simply have to recount the event that led you to show the card or reporting
the incident. If it was a card, you should note the send off offence that was
tied to the action. What happened in the 20 minutes prior to, or after the
incident isn't required in your report. Keep it to the point. If that takes you
three lines to convey, take just three lines.
2. Don't be a Psychic.
Don't write "Mr X
took exception to the opposition player's tackle so next time the opponent got
the ball he kicked him". You can't be sure what was in the player's mind
or the reasons behind the player's actions. You don't know
that for certain. What you do know is "in the 19th minute, Mr X kicked
player Y."
Whether
you thought it was a revenge attack for an earlier foul isn't important when
writing the report. It may be a little different if it's direct retaliation -
"player X hit player Y, then player Y hit player X". But did you
notice I didn't write "so player Y hit ..."? Using the word
"so" would imply I knew the reason for the action. In this case I can
take a pretty good guess, but I don't know.
3. Stick to the Facts
If you don't see an incident you can't send a player off. Likewise if you don't
see an incident, don't put it in your report. "But he kicked me first ref”
doesn't mean you need to say the player was retaliating in your report.
4. Send-offs ARE NOT incident reports
When writing a send off report, events that aren't connected to the send off
are irrelevant. If the player "gave you a mouth full" in the car park
afterwards, it should not go on your send-off report. That's a separate
incident report.
The
send off should only deal with the facts relating to why you showed the red
card. Nothing more. If subsequent to the card being shown, the player does
something else, don't write it on the send off report, make out a separate
incident report and include the details there.
5. Use the Laws as your Writing Style Guide
There are only a limited number of situations that entitle you to show a card.
Make sure that you know which one it is both when you show the card, and when
you write the report. He didn't get a card because it was a late tackle. He was
shown the card for serious foul play (red) or unsporting behaviour (yellow). He
wasn't shown red for striking, it was for violent conduct. Striking only gave
his opponents a direct free kick.
So take
that wording into your report as well. "Mr X slide tackled the opposition
player well after the ball had left a reasonable playing distance. I deemed
this to be serious foul play, showed him the red card and sent him from the
field of play". You've tied up the act that caused the card with the
offence from the book that required you to eject the player.
Things You Should Leave Out of Your
Report
Personal Opinions
“Jones is a
continuous embarrassment to himself, his club, and the Great Game of Soccer.”
Such comments only decrease your credibility as an objective reporter.
Extraneous Details
“Both teams were
playing hard, at great speed, and both had good chances to score, one team
hitting the post at one end and the other missing close in, when Jones went in
hard....” Leave it to the reporters. This sort of thing merely clutters your
report and makes it harder to understand.
Recommendations
“Jones’s actions
deserve suspension for at least three weeks, if not for the rest of the
season.” Deciding what punishment players should have is not your business,
this is why there is a committee to make those decisions.
Too Many Pronouns
Original “Jones tackled Smith hard and he fell
down. Then he got up, he seemed injured. He argued with him and then he kicked
him hard in the shin. Who did what to whom?
Revised: “Jones tackled Smith hard, Smith fell down. When
Smith got up, he seemed injured and argued with Jones. Then Jones kicked Smith
in the shin.”
SEND-OFF
CHECLIST
¨ PHONE KEVIN MARTIN (0411 435 218)
¨ Obtain SOS Number
¨ Outline a brief lead up to the incident
¨ Distance from the incident?
¨ View of Incident (angle/(un)obstructed)
¨ Which players involved?
¨ Minute of Game?
¨ Game Score.
¨ What did I see?
¨ When did I see it?
¨ Where was it on the pitch?
¨ Which team had the ball?
¨ Point of contact (if a tackle)?
¨ Did player require medical attention?
¨ Did player resume play or need to leave the
field for treatment?
¨ Action of referee (e.g. Showed red card)
¨ Offensive, insulting or abusive words used
(Foul language used must be noted in the report – if the referee feels they
might offend someone then put report in a sealed envelope and address it to the
Judiciary Chairman).
¨ Attitude of player? (during & after
incident)
¨ Did offending player use Excessive Force or
simply Deny an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity?
¨ How did I restart the match?
¨ Have I used plain simple language avoiding
flowery language, sarcasm & pronouns?
¨ If more than one player involved in
incident name both or all of them in the report.
¨ What was the atmosphere of the match?
¨ Sign the form, insert pay number and double
check spelling & grammar