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The following was presented at the STYSA Winter AGM:
The Spirit of the Game/Laws is that the game be played with few interruptions; continued whistling for trifling or doubtful fouls should be avoided.
The Spirit of the Game/Laws is that the game should be safe for the players, that is to say that the players are protected from intentional acts that are reckless or violent.
The Spirit of the Game/Laws is that the game offers equality of opportunity but not equality of outcome, that is to say that players are allowed to display their skills and their opponents will not use illegal means to prevent them from doing so.
The Spirit of the Game/Laws is that the game should be enjoyable to all players, team officials, referees, and spectators.
The Spirit of the Game/Laws is that the level at which a foul is considered to be trifling is wholly dependent upon many factors, including age, skill level, field and weather conditions, along with other non-tangibles such as player discipline.
The Spirit of the Game/Laws is that any punishment will be in proportion to the severity of the observed foul action; that is to say that the referee must take into account the actual impact of an observed foul action and base punishment upon that and not solely upon the punishment allowable by the Laws.
The Spirit of the Game/Laws is that a match should begin with 22 players and that the referee should do all that is possible to complete a match with 22 players. Implicit in this is an understanding that misconduct must be appropriately dealt with, and that appropriately dealing with misconduct can include a quick and direct talk with a player in lieu of a yellow card.
All of these statements are vital to understanding the role of referees, yet there are more items that are truly vital to fully appreciating the complexity of the Spirit.
Soccer is a tough, combative, and aggressive sport. Hard play, no matter how vigorous, must be allowed provided it is not unsporting.
The referee must be an impartial observer, granting favor to neither team, holding both to the same high standard of behavior and play. Bob Evans' guidance that the referee is not responsible to compensate for the mistakes of a player is a foundation of this principle.
(If you wish to comment on this article, send a message to basra@basra-refs.org.)
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