First Travel game as CR - did I make the right decision?
I’m a new referee this year. So far I’ve done a few games as an AR and centered several recreational games.
This past weekend I had my first center referee assignment for a U12 boys travel game.
The first half was straightforward. It was competitive but well behaved, and the home team led 4-2 at halftime. I don’t think I even called a foul in the first half.
In the second half, the home team started to dominate a little more. The game became slightly more physical, with a few minor pushes and fouls, but nothing I considered excessive or unusual.
About 24 minutes into the second half, with the home team leading 5-2, a visiting player pushed an opponent. I called the foul. It was just a normal foul - nothing reckless or worthy of a card.
One of the visiting spectators immediately started loudly complaining that it was never a foul. He continued shouting for the next 30 seconds or so and was also encouraging his team to play more aggressively, with comments along the lines of “get stuck in.”
I looked over and told him, “That’s enough. No more.”
He quieted down briefly, but within about another minute he started shouting again. Then I clearly heard him yell to the players, “Break their legs.”
At that point I stopped play and went over to the coaches. I established that the spectator belonged to the visiting team and told the visiting coach that the spectator had to leave the vicinity of the field.
The coach was immediately cooperative. He went over, spoke to the spectator and told him he had to leave.
The spectator initially did not leave, so I told the coach I would not restart the match until he had completely left the playing area and gone back toward the parking area.
The spectator reluctantly started leaving. He called his son off the field to leave with him and continued talking as he went. Some of the other parents were also telling him to just leave. Once he was completely away from the field, I restarted the match.
My question is: did I handle this correctly?
Looking at the league rules afterward, I think I may technically have been expected to caution the coach because of the spectator’s behavior. At the time, though, that didn’t feel appropriate because the coach had done absolutely nothing wrong, was immediately cooperative, and did everything I asked to get the spectator removed.
It was a baptism with fire for my first game, but I did what I thought was right.
Would you have handled it differently?