Over the years, we have seen tons of crazy goal celebrations in football. Some celebrations may be regarded to be innovative while others are just plain stupid and ridiculous in the eyes of the spectators. But nonetheless, emotions tend to run wild when you score a crucial goal for your team. 

Mariano Gorosito might just have taken the prize for the most innovative goal celebration of 2015, which has broken new ground. Currently playing for Lujan, a third division team in Argentina, Gorosito is not exactly one of the most popular players in the world. His use of a pitchside ambulance is truly innovative. However, the goal celebration was not taken well by the referee and the mandatory caution was shown.

The variety of equipment referees can make use of has become larger and larger over the last couple of years and actually even decades. While things like headsets, spray, goalline technology and even cards have been comparably innovative tools in the past, all started with a whistle. But blowing the whistle is not needed in every match situation as the Laws of the Game define. Moreover, the way you whistle can have a significant impact on the effect on the players (often called "whistle language").

Congratualtions to Society member Ryan Stewart on his appointment as fourth offical at this years Word Cup Final.

Cup holders The New Saints and Wildcards Denbigh Town will contest the 2015/16 Word Cup Final at Parc MBi Maesdu, Llandudno in front of the S4C live cameras on Saturday the 23rd of January 2016.

The match will be refereed by Lee Evans who will be assisted by Ian Bird, Johnathon Bryant and Ryan Stewart.

Society member Ryan Stewart, has been selected as a FIFA referee for the first time. It has been a quick rise to the top for Stewart who only took up the whistle in 2006 and soon progressed through the ranks.

“Being selected as a FIFA Referee by the Football Association of Wales is one of the most amazing things to happen in my life to date and it truly means the World to me. It’s probably the one thing we all dream of achieving when we pick up the whistle. I am one of the lucky ones for sure.

The past 24 hours has been a bit of a blur if I’m being honest, from the moment our National Referees’ Manager Mr. Ray Ellingham called me with the exciting news about ‘The Badge’. But now the hard work really begins.

“Setting goals has been something I have done throughout my career and I consider them to all be realistic. However there is one goal that was never in my opinion a realistic goal…..It was more of a dream goal. Well, the dream has come true!

“I am truly honoured to be given this wonderful opportunity to represent the FAW on an international level and the journey to reach this level has been challenging, but ultimately rewarding. 

“I began refereeing towards the tail end of the 2006/2007 season after suffering an injury which prompted me to end my playing days. Within just a few games I had caught the refereeing bug and not looked back since. I have moved through the levels at a steady pace, achieving promotion each season from 2008 onwards to become a Welsh Premier League Referee in the 2013/14 season. 

“The journey has introduced me to some new friends and a great “family” of match officials and delegates/assessors, where our openness, honesty and respect for each other brings us together in a way to help us continuously improve season upon season. 

“Reaching this level would never have been possible without the support of my family, friends, refereeing colleagues, the FAW and more directly Rodger Gifford and Ray Ellingham. I will forever be grateful and thankful for the faith they have showed in my ability to act as a match official. Thanks must also go to Siemens PLC, my employer who continue to support my career."

*******

Ryan will also be present at the Society meeting on 17^th December when hopefully as many members as possible will be able to join us to both congratulate Ryan and enjoy the inimitable talents of our Chairman as he presides over the Christmas draw. This is always a relaxed and friendly meeting in the run up to Christmas, and Ryan’s great news gives us even more of an excuse for a celebratory drink or two this year!

When Massimo Busacca was appointed as the Head of the FIFA Refereeing Department in 2011, he had a clear idea for the preparation of elite referees: the deeper the knowledge of the game, the better the results. And as Busacca now looks ahead to the cycle leading to the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, his idea is to take these methods one step further – and to do so in a unified, joint effort for men’s and women’s football. “Men and women have to work together, because we are convinced that this should be our philosophy.

The game is the same, the decisions they take are the same, and thus the preparation for the referees and assistant referees should be, too,” said Busacca. “That is why in all our seminars – starting with two important elite ones in February 2016 – we will present exactly the same information and we’ll organise activities to discuss and analyse situations together; men and women referees”.

The core of Busacca’s philosophy lies in the idea that, much like footballers, referees must prepare themselves for every match from all standpoints - even tactically. “Football is very fast nowadays, but even if you run like Forrest Gump, if you don’t understand the game, you won’t be at the right place at the right time,” he explained. “Before a game, a coach instructs a player about how the other team lines up, what are the characteristics of the opponents, etc. It should be the same for referees: they should know if a team plays 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1; if they play on the counter-attack… Before the ball is coming, you should be able to know where it will be, and that has to be repeated and simulated to exhaustion.

Referees are not machines and mistakes can occur, but this is how you create uniformity and consistency to minimise them." As much focus as Busacca puts into knowledge and theory, though, there is no way to ignore the increasing physical demands of refereeing elite football. Although that too comes side-by-side with understanding the game, which was the rationale behind his department’s adaptation of FIFA’s fitness tests for referees. “It’s not a big change: essentially, we work on reducing the distances and shortening the limits.

We need more agility and explosion. In the modern game, the effort is no longer about 200m sprints, but several 10m, 20m or 40m ones. This is crucial. There are so many counter attacks at such speed that when a ball is lost you must be really quick in sprinting towards the other box." With the game increasingly faster and the scrutiny intensified – particularly in the case of women’s football – Massimo Busacca’s goal is simply to have all fronts covered. “After the Women’s World Cup in Canada, in our last debrief, I told the referees: in this top level, you need to prepare professionally and know what you are doing. It is the only way you can sustain your decisions. If not, people will not trust them.”

Careless, Reckless or Using Excessive Force – an evaluatation on reckless challenges and serious foul play

 One of the most difficult situations for a referee, for various reasons, is to differentiate between a reckless foul and a challenge that is considered to be one of serious foul play.  At a recent seminar referees identified a series of criteria which they believe will help referees at all levels distinguish between these two types of offences.

Firstly, a reminder of what Law 12 states:

“Careless” means that a player has shown a lack of attention or consideration when making a challenge or that he acted without precaution. (No further disciplinary sanction is needed if a foul is considered to be careless)

“Reckless” means that the player has acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent. (A player who plays in a reckless manner must be cautioned)

“Using excessive force” means that the player has far exceeded the necessary use of force and is in danger of injuring his opponent. (A player who uses excessive force must be sent off)

When deciding whether a challenge is worthy of a sanction i.e. punishable by a yellow or red card, take into consideration the following factors:

The position of the ball, what are the chances of playing the ball in a fair manner? A tackle may still be considered reckless (or even with excessive force) even though the ball is played. Where contact is made with the ball and opponent at speed and without consideration for the potential danger to the opponent, it should be punished appropriately.

The speed or the intensity of the challenge. Is the player in control of his actions, or is he “off the ground” and out of control when he makes the challenge?

The part of the body used in the challenge. Has the opponent used his studs to cause serious injury to an opponent or does he use his leg or foot to tackle unfairly?

Where on the field of play has the offence taken place, for example, a handball offence can have three different outcomes depending where the offence was committed.

The element of Intent or malice – is the player purely focused on his opponent and with no concern for the position of the ball.

The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) has taken a major step forward towards experimentation with video assistance for match officials.

During its Annual Business Meeting (ABM) held at the Royal Garden Hotel in London on Thursday 7 January, the Board of Directors gave a strong recommendation for experiments to be given the green light at the 130th Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held in Cardiff from 4 to 6 March.

The protocols for such experiments were analysed today and are set to be finalised before the AGM, which would pave the way for live trials to begin as soon as the framework and timelines have been confirmed. A number of football associations and competition organisers have already expressed an interest in running trials.

Critical to the development of the protocols was the feedback of the Football Advisory Panel and the Technical Advisory Panel, which were set up in 2014 to support The IFAB with greater expertise before decisions are taken in order to improve the way in which the global football community helps to shape the Laws of the Game.

The members also received an update on the ongoing process to introduce a Quality Programme for electronic performance and tracking systems. The consultation process with key stakeholders such as leagues, clubs, national teams, FIFPro as well as industry representatives is continuing, with the first draft of a global standard set to be presented to The IFAB later this year. This will include minimum safety requirements for players, provisions around data protection, as well as a high quality standard for professional football focusing on performance requirements of the systems.

In another important development, The IFAB ABM approved a comprehensive revision of the Laws of the Game to make them more “user-friendly”. By halving the word count, the new format improves the structure, layout, terminology, phrasing and consistency in order to increase the universality and understanding of the Laws. The 2016/2017 edition of the Laws is set to include the changes, subject to ratification at the AGM in March. It represents the most comprehensive revision of the Laws ever undertaken in The IFAB’s history.

Other topics discussed today included “triple punishment”, the use of “sin bins” and “Law 3 – The Number of Players”, which are all set to be discussed further at the AGM. 

Chairing today’s meeting was Jonathan Ford, Chief Executive of the Football Association of Wales, with attendees including the Acting FIFA Secretary General, the Chief Executives of the other British Associations, The IFAB Secretary, as well as technical and refereeing experts.

source: www.fifa.com

As our Honorary Chairman Mr Clarke would describe it - the last ten minutes of the match is the ‘Witching Hour.’ The time when excellent performances are ruined by a momentary lapse in concentration.

Such an incident occurred in the final minute of the match for this hapless Assistant Referee. With the score level at 0 - 0 in this League 1 encounter between Peterborough and Southend.

The assistant must have been dreaming of his hot cup of Horlicks sat waiting for him in the dressing room when the incident occurred.

Not sure what to do the assistant plays safe and leaves it for the referee to decide to make the call…..

”Its a free kick, possibly a penalty kick, perhaps even a corner kick, might be a goal kick or a substitution..?

anyway, you can sort it out - I’m brain dead!"

No doubt endless nightmares and plenty of ribbing from colleagues.

The final outcome - A penalty awarded to Peterborough which was duly saved by the Southend keeper. Full Time result 0 - 0.

Following a decision by IFAB to recommend the introduction of video technology into football, the Royal Dutch Football Federation, in partnership with Fox Sports, broadcast a match between Feyenoord and Heerenveen live from the perspective of a video referee.

The foolproof system works along the same line as the one already in place in rugby. A truck was parked outside of the stadium with monitors that allowed for a slow-motion monitoring of play from different perspectives. Inside the truck where two refereeing specialists, watching the match live on one screen and with a delay on another. Whenever needed, the pair looked at the particular situation and were equipped with a button to alert the referee on the pitch. Although IFAB have already recommended use of the technology, official authorisation is yet to come through. During the coming two pilot seasons, the match referee will be briefed at the end of the match, rather than in real time.

Quiz results

Click on the link to see the full results table - you can also click on the video number to watch the action again.

RESULTS TABLE

A cheeky comment from Messi - well he is the best player in the world!

Going back a few years in the Welsh Premier League.  

A wonder goal scored from 40 yards by the Newtown captain was warmly welcomed by the Assistant Referee!   

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) made the decision

at its meeting on Saturday in Cardiff, UK. The technology will undergo two years

of testing at the latest from the 2017/18 season before any final decision

about introducing the technology is taken.

"We have taken really a historic decision for football," FIFA president

Gianni Infantino told a press conference. "FIFA and IFAB are now leading

the debate and not stopping the debate. We have shown we are listening

to the fans, players, to football.”

Infantino added: "The flow of the game of football is crucial and we have to see what kind of impact technology and video technology in particular will have on the flow of the game, which we can never put in danger.”

Technology would only be applied to key incidents concerning goals, red cards, mistaken identities and penalties.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) says it has had interest in hosting live trials from 12 national associations and one confederation.

In addition to the video technology trials, the IFAB has also decided to end the 'triple punishment rule'.

It means in instances in which the referee feels defenders have made a legitimate attempt to make a tackle inside the penalty area, they will not be sent off if they commit a foul. A penalty and, possible goal against their team, is deemed sufficient punishment.  This would not apply when the offence is holding, pushing or pulling, the defender does not attempt to play the ball or the offence would be worthy of a red card if it had been committed elsewhere in the penalty area.

Its always tough disallowing a goal especially after witnessing some skill in the build up of play. There are times however when it’s totally out of your control and down to the player(s) and their knowledge of the LOAF.

In this video Dnipro goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka thought he scored his first ever goal unfortunately the referee disallowed it because it was an indirect free-kick!

Laws of the Game (LOAF) Recap

Indirect free kick

Signal
The referee indicates an indirect free kick by raising his arm above his head. He maintains his arm in that position until the kick has been taken and the ball has touched another player or goes out of play.

Ball enters the goal

A goal can be scored only if the ball subsequently touches another player before it enters the goal:

if an indirect free kick is kicked directly into the opponents' goal, a goal kick is awarded
if an indirect free kick is kicked directly into the team's own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team

The Chairman is looking to recruit high calibre referee’s for the SWFA End of Season National Celebration Tournament @ The University Playing Fields Llanrumney. The tournament will be held on May 15th 2016.

As well as receiving a generous fee the referees will also receive food and commemorative medal.

The tournament will host four teams Boys & Girls u-14 & u-16 from South Wales, West Wales & Central Wales.

Contact Rob Clarke for more details.

The next meeting of the Society will take place on Thursday evening at 7.45pm at the BBC Club, Llantrisant Road, Llandaff, Cardiff. The main business of the evening will be the receipt of nominations for the Committee and Officer positions for the 2016/17 season. As of now, there is still no nominee for the position of Secretary that will be vacant from the AGM in May. Whilst this is not a particularly busy job, it is an important one in terms of the smooth running of the Society, and it does need to be filled. Please can I encourage anybody who might be interested in the role (but who has been holding back in case somebody else caomes forward) to contact either Rob or myself as soon as possible to discuss what’s required.

Following the business meeting, we will split into teams for the annual Terry Dring Quiz competition, this year organised and compered by the Roger ‘Bamber Gascoigne’ Harpole and Valentin ‘Magnus Magnusson’ Ciuplea.

This is always good fun as well as testing those little grey cells with questions heavily biased towards football. I’m not sure who ended up with the trophy after last year’s quiz, but if it’s you, please make sure we get it back for Thursday so that we can present it to the winning team on the night!

The Laws of the game (LOAF) were last modified at the 130th Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Cardiff on 5 March 2016. These came into force on 1 June.

The main aim was to make it easier for everyone involved with football to understand the Laws with the Law book restructered and more than 10,000 words removed.

- Presentation of Main Law changes
- Summary of Law Changes for Competition Organisers and Administrators
- Summary of Law Changes for Player, Coaches and Media
- Summary of Law Changes Law by Law

Sparta Prague have sent two players to train with the women's team after they told a female assistant referee to stay in the kitchen.Lukas Vacha and Tomas Koubek were condemned by the Czech FA chairman and their club appointed them as ambassadors of the women's team following comments they made against the assistant referee Lucie Ratajova last weekend.

Ratajova failed to notice a clear offside as Sparta lost a 3-2 lead in the 92nd minute against Zbrojovka Brno following a goal by Alois Hycka last Sunday.After the game Vacha, the injured Sparta midfielder, tweeted the assistant referee's photo with a caption reading "To the cooker", while the goalkeeper Tomas Koubek told the media after the game: "In my opinion, women should stay at the stove and not officiate men's football."

Both players issued apologies on Monday but the Czech FA chairman, Miroslav Pelta, said their statements immediately after the match "are totally unacceptable". Pelta said: "I would like to emphasise that women are and will be an important part of football and their presence in its structures and at the stands is important for football.

"Football belongs to the wide public including families and women. We are trying to accommodate them and such statements are totally unacceptable. It will certainly be a topic at the next FA executive board meeting and I expect the disciplinary committee to react to it in a corresponding way."

Sparta warned the two players that "some boundaries" cannot be crossed in statements, and the club have appointed the pair as ambassadors to the women's team to see "that the women can be skilful somewhere else than at the stove".

In a club statement Adam Kotalik, the Sparta general director, said: "As much as I understand that the boys were full of emotions after the finish of yesterday's game, there are some boundaries that they can not cross in their statements.

"As well as serving as ambassadors of the team at the Uefa Women's Champions League games they will both report to the boss of Sparta women's teams Dusan Zovinec and will take part at some of the training sessions with one of our women's team to see with their own eyes that the women can be skilful somewhere else than at the stove, too."

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Source: Guardian.co.uk