Training matches and a very good question from a 6-year-old

Training matches are underway for me. I have my third match next weekend, and no I do not referee four or five matches a week. I referee football partly because it suits me and the situation together with the rest of my life, then I want to be on a maximum of two matches per week. But believe me, what many fellow referees around the world and on many different levels refereeing incredibly much! Remember - No Ref, No game.

For me, it's a lot of football, all year round. Now I have started to train a little with a division four team and have a good deal with them where I do not play any matches at all and train entirely on my terms, when it suits me. I try to train with them once a week during the pre-season to get some variety in my training. And to meet players, retain and even develop my understanding of the game, I have great benefit from that as a referee as well.

Then I am also a coach for my son's team, the same football club as the team I train with. Fits even better with this solution, because I am already a member of the club and so on. And no, I do not referee the division four team at all. Got that question a couple of weeks ago if I will be a referee of them in the series later this year - and there the answer is no. The question also became a dialogue about teams, players and others you know outside the field. Is it okay to referee them? Of course I say. Had it not been okay, I would not have been able to referee a single team from division 6 up to division 3 around my county. I have a lot of friends, old players, leaders in many teams that I know on and off the field. It is a basic precondition for us referees to be able to referee impartially in all situations!

But with the above said where I train football a lot, train on my own for the refereeing role, am a coach in a team and active in an association and a referee, my life breathes a lot of football. To be part of the football family, I will probably always be, in one way or another.

Got a good, honest and compassionate question from my son, 6 years old, the other day. "Dad, why can't a referee get a red card? The referee is also making mistakes!” And god, he's right, I explained, in that the referee for sure making mistakes. As much wrong and right as the players do. Tried to explain why a referee can not get a red card, but do not think he listened all the way… but I said that without a referee there will be no match. No Ref - No Game! Should the referee just go home, who will referee then? And that referees can be reprimanded, suspended and told that maybe you can see it as a red card? But no, he did not think so. I did not have a good answer, but fully agreed with him in a way. I may try to find a good explanation there, somehow.

None of us, referees, have missed one of the latest discussions from the Premier League, have we? Martinelli's two yellow cards in the same situation, which resulted in a red card. Are they correct then? Yes! That's completely correct. According to the rulebook, two situations entitled to a warning can result in two yellow cards immediately after each other. What could the referee have done? I always talk about preventing situations, but do not say that I had done it in this situation there and under like 1 second. Easy to say afterwards, right. The referee could have whistled already when the first yellow card appeared, then perhaps the second would not have occurred. Or at least the two yellows would not have been in the same situation.

Soon I hope I have some situations to offer from my matches too.