Ken Aston MBE

DOGSO or SPA?
Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson is fouled by
Bolton Wanderers’ Dorian Dervite for a penalty
Here’s how this simple acronym can help get these big decisions right.
Freeze Frame and focus
• Prepare mentally before the foul challenge – some referees will say
the words ‘yellow’ or ‘red’ in their head in the build up to the
challenge. At the point of impact, they will then have the colour they
were saying in their mind and act correctly
• Prepare physically before the foul challenge – are you in the right
position to detect the offence? Who commits the offence? What do
they actually do? Do you need to get closer, wider, or give yourself a
better angle?
• Focus your mind, focus on what is important
• Watch the hands and the feet as the offence can occur from both
• Take in the bigger picture – don’t neglect what’s around. Where are
the defenders? What’s the direction? Have they got the ball? Is the
ball under control?
• When the offence occurs: remember your offender, remember
your restart
Analyse the actuals
• Remember your freeze frame because the picture will soon change
• What has actually happened? Who has done what? Where did it
happen? How did it happen and to whom?
• What is the offence? What is the sanction? What is the restart?
• Does it fit all the criteria to be a denial of an obvious goal
scoring opportunity?
• What do we think football expects?
Take the picture, take your
TIMe and take action
• As soon as the offence takes place, take a picture in your mind – store
it and make your decision based on that picture
• Park the offending player and bank their number
• Stay calm and use controlled, confident and cool body language
• Try to be immune from influence and pressure from players, coaches
and others around you
• Replay the incident mentally again and again, thinking back to the
F.A.T acronym
• Consult your team if necessary – they may have a different or clearer
angle. After all, your assistant referees are there to assist you
• Take your time, there is no rush. It is always better to take time and
get the right decision than making a quick decision that is incorrect
Summary
Denial of a goal scoring opportunity or stopping a
promising attack is a big decision, not least because one
leads in a player being sent off and the other
does not.
It is extremely important to get such a decision right, so
remember:
• These decisions are key match decisions –
let’s collectively make the right decision
• We have a responsibility to football to get
them right
• There are often telltale signs between the two
• Refer to the Laws of the Game in order distinguish
between the two
• Use the F.A.T acronym – freeze frame and focus,
analyse the actuals and take your time before
taking action
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