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Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Pens/No Pens - we never get them right!

In two games this weekend, I awarded two penalties, turned down a couple of easy ones but also worried that I should have given another in each game. On Sunday, I gave 2 to the same team in less than 5 minutes, allowing them to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead that became the final score.

In my other game, on Saturday, the score was 2-1 to the home team in the 94th minute when an away team attacker tried to dribble his way through 3 or 4 defenders and ended up on the floor. The home team had given me grief throughout the game and I'd have liked nothing more than to see the unfancied visitors equalise, but I couldn't give a penalty because I simply did not see a foul. It was impossible!
I was 10 yards away staring at 10 legs and a ball in a flurry of motion. Impossible to tell I'm afraid.
My broader point here is that penalties are often really hard to give.
On Sunday, the away team's long-legged striker skipped around one challenge in the area that I saw as a possible foul, but the player continued and I decided to play advantage and let him have a shot. Almost immediately another challenge flew in that saw the attacker stumble and hit the ground, even though no contact was made.
I blew for the penalty and explained that the law states, "trip or attempts to trip." The defender does not actually have to make contact. The penalty was scored and 2 minutes later the defender who had protested the loudest clumsily tripped the same attacker. I pointed to the spot again and the goalkeeper said, "at least that one was a foul."
Within 5 minutes the away team, now 2-1 down, burst into the penalty area. The attacker got his cross away and was brought down by a defender's attempted tackle. I didn't blow - frankly I was also in a poor position and didn't have a great view - and after the game the manager argued it should have been a penalty.
I made the point that the attacker got the ball away and 2 players went tumbling to the ground, not enough reason for me to give the penalty.
The day before, on a lovely pitch in south London, I had  refused the last minute penalty.
These decisions are tough. This season I've benefitted from being much more mobile to get closer to the play and make better decisions. But still, these split second decisions also benefit from a certain amount of calculated guesswork.
I'm often grateful there are no video replays at my humble level in the Kent County League and Maidstone Sunday League. I'm not sure how well I'd stand up to the scrutiny.

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