CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
It's always been FIFA guidance to match officials to have two watches running whilst officiating a game, just in case one fails. When I refereed, one of the English FA recommended watches was the most basic Casio (below), they were £9.99 at the time, around 18 years ago, and I see they still are. (There are of course better suited watches now). But they were dirt cheap and largely expendable, so most refs had two of those.
I once forgot to put on the second watch on a very cold, grey day at RAF Brize Norton, leaving it behind in the dressing room. I only realised when out on the pitch at kick off, and thought to myself "ah bugger it, it'll be fine I'm sure".
Of course later in the second half the heavens opened, hail and sleet battered down. Probably around 80 minutes in I looked at the one watch to see how much more of this misery we had left, and it stared blankly back at me, having died a death. I was too embarrassed to ask another match official to time check, and I only guestimated the final whistle based on the whining from the players. One or two of the team officials asked after the game if we had played the full amount of stoppage time as it didn't seem like it to them. They were likely right. One said he thought we'd played just short of the 90.
Anyway, if you want very, very cheap and you don't care so much if it's all that reliable or waterproof, there it is. 😄
I once forgot to put on the second watch on a very cold, grey day at RAF Brize Norton, leaving it behind in the dressing room. I only realised when out on the pitch at kick off, and thought to myself "ah bugger it, it'll be fine I'm sure".
Of course later in the second half the heavens opened, hail and sleet battered down. Probably around 80 minutes in I looked at the one watch to see how much more of this misery we had left, and it stared blankly back at me, having died a death. I was too embarrassed to ask another match official to time check, and I only guestimated the final whistle based on the whining from the players. One or two of the team officials asked after the game if we had played the full amount of stoppage time as it didn't seem like it to them. They were likely right. One said he thought we'd played just short of the 90.
Anyway, if you want very, very cheap and you don't care so much if it's all that reliable or waterproof, there it is. 😄
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