By L.E. Eisenmenger - BOSTON, MA (Nov 16, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Angelo Bratsis is a US Soccer Federationreferee inspector dealing with the challenges Major League Soccer referees face moving into a higher level of play. As MLS grows, so does the pressure on the officiating. Amid much criticism, MLS referees cope with player dissent, designated player issues, and annual MLS and US Soccer directives that sometimes result in public outrage at game-changing decisions.
“It’s always easier to criticize the referee for a bad decision instead of criticizing the player for missing an obvious goal on an open net,” said Bratsis. “Based on his angle and view, his positioning and the temperature of the game, the referee makes a split-second decision and he has to live with it. But he didn’t have instant replay and slow motion, he had to make a split-second decision in a very fast-paced game and sometimes they get it wrong.”Television viewers also don’t see the whole picture. “You’d be surprised how much the camera doesn’t pick up,” said Bratsis. “Was that a retaliation, maybe an elbow, a push or a grab or something? The cameramen aren’t trained so they usually follow the play of the ball, so as soon as the ball is kicked or passed they switch the camera to where the ball went and forget about the two guys that were just challenging for the ball. Something happens off the ball, nobody picks it up.”
Referees are increasing reliant on TV footage to improve their skill. The week before a match, a crew of referee, two assistant referees, and the fourth official research the upcoming match under the supervision of the referee inspector. The day before the match, they spend the day together to compare video clips and statistics, isolate 1v1 match-ups issues, study the philosophy of the coaches, and anticipate game management. Throughout the match, the inspector takes notes but doesn’t leave the stadium before watching the entire game again on DVD.
The officials are also provided with a game DVD, which they watch on their laptops on their flights back home and review with the inspector the next morning. They compare their calls with his, what is shown on TV, and what the stadium sees.
“My job is to identify why they missed and how they can correct it,” said Bratsis. “They could have missed it because the area of patrol was too narrow, they were not wide enough, and the view wasn’t appropriate or they were screened. This all has to do with positioning, anticipating, their reading ability of the game.“
Although every year the League and Federation isolate problematic fouls and issue directives to referees, player and coaching tactics are a year or two advanced of referee thinking, Worldwide. Whenever the league cracks down on something, coaches find another way of circumventing the law and try to take unfair advantage.
Two years ago, FIFA and US Soccer (who provides referees for MLS) issued a directive that any tackle from behind that endangers the safety of a player should be censured as a serious foul play and a red card issued. Red cards increased this year because of directives regarding contact above the shoulder and illegal use of arm and elbow in the head or soft tissue areas (neck). The MLS technical committee had analyzed the fouls and the number of injuries when players lost games because of injury and identified the most common offenses that resulted in head injuries.
What fans saw more of this year was time-wasting and unsporting behavior when teams were leading and killing the clock by delaying restarts and putting the ball into play.
In 2009, the same 20 MLS referees faced the same teams on a regular basis and there are consequences for that familiarity. Although FIFA rules are the same worldwide, the same referees call games differently depending on the league and calls in MLS tend to go comparatively hard on dives and light on tackles.
“The reason they referee differently at home than when they’re in Honduras or Mexico is the chances of them having those two teams again are rare. In our league, a referee for New England and Columbus will have to see them multiple times this year and he knows the players by their first names. It’s overexposing the players to the referee.”
As the referee knows the players, they know the referee. When they see a referee not taking care of business, they take the law into their own hands. Likewise, they know which referee can be intimidated. Although the league issued a directive that any dissent considered to be public, personal, and provocative must be cautioned with a yellow card immediately, few games proceed without a referee being heckled or intimidated by a player. MLS is concerned that this carries over at the youth and amateur level and players say, if he can get away with it, why can’t I?
Another directive from the League and US Soccer last year addressed managing mass confrontations when pushing and shoving escalates. The directive stated that the third man in gets an automatic yellow, regardless of his team. Yet mass confrontations continue, perhaps because players are aware the referee can’t send off players without ruining the game and incurring the wrath of the fans.
Through all this, the referees try to protect the internationals and designated players that draw crowds and international media from some of the lesser skilled players.
“We need the Beckhams, the Donovans, the Shalrie Josephs in the game,” said Bratsis. "We cannot see those players being injured.... It goes back to the mentality. We need to promote the game, lay off. We need these players to play 90 minutes every single game, we don’t need them in the hospital. We don’t need them with a broken leg or a broken arm. Lay off. And that goes to the owners and to the general managers and to the coaches. If the coach has a player acting like a jerk, take him out.”
“It goes back to management,” Bratsis continued. "It goes back to coaching, it goes back to objectives. Are you trying to promote this game? Are you trying to make it a predominant sport in the country? Are you trying to compete with major soccer powers? If that’s what you’re trying to do, you better clean up your house.”
L.E. Eisenmenger writes for a variety of outlets including covering Boston soccer for The Examiner. Contact her at eisenmenger@soccerlens.com.
