A Sad Day for Tennessee High School Soccer

[futbolphan]

I have been extremely critical of the quality of refering at the High School level this year. Yesterdays games at the finals did nothing to change my mind, as a matter of fact I left more disolutioned than ever before.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not going to take anything away from those that took home the big prize; it's just to bad that we'll NEVER know for sure who the best teams in the state are, specifically in A-AA and AAA. Congratulations DCA and Franklin.

 

How can you allow a ref to take either team out of the game by the calls, or lack thereof that he makes? These girls, both sides, have worked to hard to have a finish like this.

 

Yes, Franklin and DCA will enjoy the limelight, as well they shoudl, but there will always be a shadow of a doubt. FRA and Hendersonville can just sit back and wonder what would have happened had they had a top quality ref (and AR's for that matter).

 

For those of you that were at these games, I am sure that you will have opposing points of view. You will obvously see it through your team's eyes, which is just human nature, but if we are to grow and improve the quality of our sport in the state, we need to address the issue of lousy (at best) refs.

 

First of all, if this is the state tournament, why did the the TSSAA not bring the "best" refs in the state, instead, they used local (Chattanooga) refs? And if these are the best we have, I give up! I know that most everyone in presence would have been happy to pay an extra $1 to get in to cover the expense of transporting and lodging these folks here.

 

Just to tell you how qualified this guy is (the ref at the AAA game) he gave the Hendersonville Head coach a yellow card! I thought that the "cards" were just for the players.. Well, at least they are at any other level of play! Any where else!

From all my experience with soccer, this has always proven two things: One, that the ref has absolutely no clue, and two, that the ref is on a power trip. Which both were the case last night.

 

Again congratulations to all the winners, and to FRA and Hendersonville, I'm sure we haven't heard the last from you yet!

Edited November 3, 2003 by futbolphan

[24FHS21]

Would you like to be a little more specific in exactly how the referees prevented us from finding true champions? This is the first I have heard of any serious complaints about officiating, and though I am sure they were not perfect, to say they prevented us from finding a true champion is a bold statement. Franklin and Baylor deserved to win, they were the better teams on Sunday. I'm a bit skeptical of there being proof the refs had any undue effect on the outcome of the games.

[Illini]

First of all futphan, you where supposedly watching these games and at least you could get the teams right. DCA played FRA Baylor played pjpII and Franklin played Hendersonville. So you might want to revise your comments for the people who weren't there. Every team that won there respective state title desrved it. By acussing the refs or any other thing is a crying shame on your part. The games where played and the outcome was decided on the feild. in all three games the better team won. yes there were calls that some would agree with and some would disagree with. I for one think it was a great day for soccer, because I would put any of our teams against any other state. And our referees up against any other state. It is people like you that give this sport a bad image. As for carding the coach He deserved it. A coach should not yell at a ref. It is the same as basketball a yellow card for a coach is the same as a technical foul. so get over it. No in FIFA they do not like you to yellow card the coach but most of those coaches don't get as upset because there livly hood isn't based on W's and L's. just a thought.

[FHSrebel27]

1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002...

 

2003!!!

 

YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT BUDDY!!! WAY TO GO REBELS!!!

[FHSrebel27]

''The officials made the right call there,'' Plummer said.

 

~Hendersonville coach on one of the Franklin goals that many have complained about...

[wc15]

You didn't know coaches could get cards? I've seen them receive the red one as well.........

[Soccercat]

I dont think the calls this week would have changed any of the games outcomes but I do agree that the Refereeing was sub-par. Especially off sides calls. We had a player on our team that was about 3 yards off sides and it was left uncalled in a game and then we had a player clearly on-sides that was not called back until she was about half way to the goal. I think the ref was in slow motion or something. Like I said, I dont think the outcome would have been different and I know off sides is fairly difficult at times but we really expected a little more.

[mrfun]

High School rules are different in some ways. A coach can receive a card but in club (FIFA) a coach cannot. He could be tossed or be "warned" in club.

Another rule off the top of my head that is different is substitutions on corner kicks, you can do in hs but not in club.

[charliesanders]

Soccercat..........I don't know if you saw all the State Finals, but there was NO doubt by reviewing the film from the game that the calls in the A/AA game definitely could have affected the outcome, as one of the two teams had several obvious calls that were not made. A goal was even taken away on one of the most unusual calls we have ever seen in soccer, especially when considering where the goal was scored from.........it is water under the bridge, but there is no question that outcomes had the potential to be VERY different.

[ARF]

yeah the FRA/DCA refs were horrible. Had FRA played better, they could have overcome it though.