When Referees Make Bad Calls

I was listening on 570AM, KZLA out of Los Angeles, to the San Diego Chargers - Denver Broncos game while driving home after officiating two soccer matches. Time was ticking down and the announcers were describing each play. I stopped to get a soda and then got back in the car and turned on the radio just In time to hear them exclaim how Jay Cutler's arm was going back, he lost the ball and it should have been ruled a fumble.

The color commentator was mad. The plays continued and he kept going back to Cutler's fumble which was ruled an incomplete pass. He mentioned how the game was the worst one officiated in his 30 years of broadcasting and that included the replay officials.

Obviously, the referee blew the call and blew the game - or did he?

Referee Ed Hochuli admits he made a mistake and he feels terrible according to an online article in Yahoo! Sports. Okay, he made the wrong call and if the Chargers had recovered what was supposed to be a fumble then they would have won.

But, being a soccer referee, I ask the question "is it the referee's fault?"

The Chargers had been losing at one point 21 - 3. Then they came back and wound up taking the lead when "The Call" was made.

While there are crucial plays and calls made that affect the outcome of a game or match in any sport, the team has to bear much or most of the responsibility for being in the position. And in a contest that swings back and forth the risk of a referee suddenly making a bad call becomes even greater.

The combination of the variables adds to the drama and excitement to the moment. So it could be that toward the end of the game, and not being aware of all the other calls made, Ed Hochuli slipped momentarily at a time that was unfortunate for the San Diego Chargers.

Okay. What if San Diego had played better early on? What if they had controlled the last two minutes of the game? Casual football fans like me (although I always try to catch the Steelers) wouldn't know the ref's name.

While calls intensify in a sport with so much money and so many reputations at stake, it made me think back to a soccer match - a boys under 12 - earlier in the year. It was part of the "All Star" season. One team was clearly stronger than the other. The weaker team had one adult constantly shouting instructions. He was the assistant coach, I believe.

During the first half, the weaker team kicked their passes directly to the opponent and they had players flopping around the field. There were a few shouts from the sidelines but not much drama at all. The stronger team scored but not until a penalty kick was taken. Then the second half started much like the first half was played with the weaker team making weak passes to the opposition. However, the stronger team was becoming more physical and yet within the bounds of what I believed to be the skill level of the players involved.

As the stronger team became more physical, the weaker team rose to the occasion. And though the weaker team was down 2-0 by the last half of the match there was quite a contest and at one point I awarded the weaker team a penalty kick which they made.

Suddenly, the game was alive with the shouts intensified - especially from the weaker team's side.

There were players running shoulder-to-shoulder, slide tackles made, and kids falling down without being touched. I remember calling a few fouls on the stronger team but I don't recall any against the weaker team. But the coach and the parents for the weaker team grew louder and louder as their players were bumped off the ball and passes intercepted.

Then there was one particularly hard slide tackle at midfield where the player for the stronger team got the ball first with his feet and the player for the weaker team lost possession and - almost -- fell down on top of the opponent. It occurred in front of the weaker team and I let play continue.

Oh, the uproar from the sidelines! I knew people were mad at me. And, I thought, I could have called a foul but . . . I went rapidly through the variables and the reasons I didn't call a foul. It seemed to me at that split second that the play was within the skill level of the players.

After the match, everyone shook hands with me and the weaker team's coach, or assistant coach, lingered until we were alone. He sighed and said there was nothing that could be done at this point but he wanted me to realize my officiating made them lose the match that day.

I smiled, paused and joked about not having instant replay. Then I said something about his team got stronger as the match wore on and play intensified. But he would have none of it. I wanted to remind him that 80% of his team's passes went to the opposition and his team should have been completely blown out. But I didn't. The other coach, however, came up to me later and told me what a great match I called.

So there you have it. Do referee's make mistakes? Yes. And sometimes at critical moments. But the true skilled coaches and players will also understand they bear responsibility for the particular situation. Rank amateurs simply blame the refs and carry their attitude in to the next contest.