I think we all know that referees always make mistakes. But when every call goes against your team, it’s really hard to not think “this ref is either disabled or bought.” 

For example, our team was playing in a state cup game. You’d expect the refs to be more serious than usual because it is a prestigious tournament. However, only one referee showed up. No linemen. Just the central referee on an 11 v 11 game. Nevertheless, the ref was as indecisive as he could possibly be. His judgment came down to which team could shout “Ref!” the loudest. We still managed to win 3-2, but just before the final whistle a fight broke out between the 2 teams as another player decked one of our teammates and started punching him while in a chokehold. The lack of order on the pitch that day was a disgrace to the game and to the teams playing. Is it that hard to spare us two linemen?

As if that’s not enough, the following weekend we played in the quarter finals of the state cup. The game started out with our team clearly dominating, so we scored one goal. However, shortly after, one of our centre-backs was chasing the ball, his hands up to clearly demonstrate to the referee he had no intent on pushing or fouling the other striker. Guess what the referee called? That’s right, a foul against us. After that bad call, the other team scored a flukey goal after clearly preventing the keeper from attacking the ball in his own box. The rest of the half was evenly matched with chances on both ends. However, on the second half, there was a clear foul inside the box. It should have been a penalty for us. But because the referee neglected to run, he only saw the infraction from the halfway mark. He went to confer with the lineman, who whispered something inaudible to the central referee. That’s when the ref decided that it was a free kick and proceeded to place the ball on the line of the box. He placed it on the line! Apparently this referee doesn’t know that if there is a foul on the line of the box, then it’s a penalty kick. As a result, our coach asked him why he went with that call. The refs reasoning was that, and I quote, “he fell backwards.”  After more bad calls and more domination, we finally lost 2-1 on overtime. The second goal happened because of a free kick that was called because our keeper rushed to clear the ball, and did. However, the other striker flopped and the ref called a foul. After that goal, we decided to send all our teammates forward when a questionable call was made: We had a 1 v 1 against the keeper and the other goalkeeper literally chucked one of our teammates to the ground. We complained, but it was no use.

These examples illuminate the incompetence of some of the referees. Soccer becomes less of a sport and more of a debate.

There are many ways to solve this grave issue. Leagues can make it harder for a referee to get their certificate so that better refs are hired. Leagues can hold fitness tests for the refs to make sure they are willing to run to get the best perspectives possible.

Please consider signing this petition so youth teams can enjoy the sport.