"She was 14, working a youth game in Southwest Florida, when she awarded a throw-in. As the team which lost possession protested vehemently, an opposing player stepped into the scrum and sheepishly confessed to touching the ball last. "I'm like, 'OK, well thanks for admitting that. I guess we'll throw it the other way, right?'" said Unkel who, as an attorney in addition to being an official, knows the value of a confession."
"Referees know they don't always get 'em right, but imagine the chaos if they left every call up for debate. Yet that hasn't stopped every soccer player who's ever laced up a pair of cleats from arguing calls. Soccer is the only major U.S. team sport in which that's allowed. Show up a baseball umpire, and you're likely to watch the rest of the game on TV in the clubhouse."
Christina Unkel became a certified soccer referee at age 10 and recalls only one instance when a call was changed after players confronted her. At 14 she awarded a throw-in until an opposing player confessed to last touching the ball, prompting a reversal. Unkel warns that yielding to protests would undermine officials and reduce future authority. Referees accept occasional mistakes but resist leaving every call open to debate to prevent chaos. Soccer uniquely tolerates player confrontations compared with baseball, football, basketball and hockey, and teams often surround officials in dramatic protests, sometimes even after the final whistle.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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