The need for a good match report

At the end of every competitive match, the officials who handle it are required to submit their reports.

Why? There must be very good reasons for this requirement. Adequate and every accurate reports are needed by the organisers for several purposes and reasons.

As referees and other match officials, we should always remember this and ensure that we respond to this important need. In practical terms, match reports are needed, among other purposes, for the following areas:

Data on teams

a. To compile adequate and accurate data on the participating teams. These

 include matches won, drawn or lost. It is from this data that the League Table is compiled.

b. The number of goals scored and the various players who scored them.

c. The players who featured, including substitutes, and the team officials.

d. The players who attracted disciplinary actions like cautions and send-offs.

            Incidents

The organisers (GFA) also need information on all aspects of incidents that may occur before, during and after matches. Football provides the greatest form of entertainment and enjoyment for its followers and participants.

Organisers, therefore, are keen on keeping out any form of violence, quarrels and assaults that would deprive those involved the expected joy and enjoyment.

The GFA, just like any other football association, is therefore committed to getting information on violence and assaults in organised competitions. To this end, disciplinary committees which have been established to deal with all those who indulge in any form of violence and aggressive behaviours before, during and after matches, need good match reports.

It is, therefore, important that all our match officials, especially referees and match commissioners, give a clear and accurate description for those who are obliged to read and take action on them.

FIFA Law 5 and the GFA Regulations which deal with the powers and duties of referees demand that they take disciplinary action against players guilty of cautionable and sending-off offences.

Again, referees are obliged to take action against team officials who fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner. At the discretion of the referee, such match officials could be expelled from the field of play and its immediate surroundings.

In taking disciplinary action against players and club officials, match officials should know that they do so to help managers and administrators bring discipline and order into the organisation of the game. They should, therefore, keep in their minds that they are the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Disciplinary Committee and their reports must reflect only information related to the incident. They should therefore ensure that they observe the following:

 • Be accurate in their reporting of incidents.

• Avoid confusing or conflicting statements

• Be brief – reporting only on the incident leading to the sending-off or caution

• Be clear – sticking rigidly to the description of the incident

The third area of the content of a good and useful match reporting is that of Match Commissioners who report on referees and their performance.

Match Commissioners are appointed to oversee the general organisation of matches, among other reasons. But a key and important aspect of their reports is on the performance and conduct of the referee and his assistants.

It is not always that all referees perform their duties satisfactorily. There may be many reports about referees from many sources, including club officials and even players and spectators.

But the report from the Match Commissioner’s report is critical and crucial. Before the introduction of the camera into match coverage, reports from match commissioners were about the sole ‘eyes and ears’ into the performances of referees. But even currently at CAF and other international levels, reports from match commissioners and referees observers/assessors are the only ones needed for decisions to be taken on the performances of our referees. All these point to the relevance, importance and usefulness of reports from match commissioners.

If in the management and administration of our league matches, the referees report is generally regarded as the key report, the match commissioner’s report should come second. But because the commissioner’s report covers the referees, it is clear that it should be the most important one in any competitive match.

This puts a lot of responsibility on them. But it is sad to observe that when disciplinary authorities are looking for evidence about incidents, especially during and after matches, they are largely disappointed in their search.

There are many instances where some of our referees take certain decisions that directly affect the result of matches, but no part of some commissioners’ report records any comments or observations. All these must change.

When players and team officials and almost everybody call for a penalty award, the commissioner must comment. As our league continues to develop and improve, perhaps it could be useful and necessary to take a critical look at our match reports forms, especially for referees and match commissioners.

As it exists in the United Kingdom and other advanced football nations, we should introduce into our report system what is known as Multi Caution match report forms. This form provides a space of a full page where enough information is provided on the player or team official being cautioned. There are spaces for individual caution codes as:

• Unsporting behaviour               

• Showing of dissent,    

• Persistently infringing the Laws of the Game  

• Delaying the restart of play 

• Fails to respect the required distance at a restart           

• Enters or re-enters and,           

• Deliberately leaves the field of play without the Referees permission.

Even for the area of Unsporting Behaviour we can have the following codes:

• Adopting an aggressive attitude (AA)

• Simulation (AA)

• Dangerous Play (DP)

• Goal Celebration (GC)

• Handball (HB)

• Reckless Play (RP)

• Pushing or Pulling an Opponent (SP)

• Tripping (TR)

Match reports do assist our league organisers and administrators to build their data on teams and their performances, referees’ performances and on disciplinary actions taken on players and clubs. These are very vital areas of football administration.

It is, therefore, important that those charged with their preparation and submission should take their assignments very seriously in such a way as to provide a clear and accurate description of incidents and other things that happen before, during and after matches.

Match reports are working documents for a lot of officials at the FA. There is, therefore, no substitute for a good match report.