Question:
I am a coach as well as a referee (Grade 8). I was coaching a game where the ball did not seem like it was properly inflated. I asked the center referee about it and he responded that it was OK. At the half, I took an electronic pressure gauge to check the PSI and it registered 4.25 PSI, half the required minimum pressure according to Law 2. We notified the referee about this. Although we were the visiting team, we took one of our best balls, check the pressure which read 8.5 PSI – the minimum amount according to Law 2. We told the referee this as well but we felt he took it personally and it made the second half difficult for us. Did we do the right thing or should we have allowed the game to continue with an under inflated ball?
USSF answer (September 15, 2008):
A referee? Took something personally? One of the first things a referee is supposed to develop is his or her composure, taking nothing personally and certainly not making the game more difficult for one team than the other.
As to the pressure, only the referee can judge that. if he or she decided the ball was properly inflated, then it was properly inflated, no matter whether that was good for the game or not. You will encounter all kinds of people functioning as referees. Some are intelligent and some are not. Some care and some do not. Some are there only for the pay, but some (most, we hope) are there for the good of the game.
You will find an earlier answer (September 10) on the site that deals with the reasons for using various air pressures for the game ball(s).
