The field turned into a swimming pool, the referee becomes the object of ridicule: he tried to make the ball bounce in the water up to his ankles

The video posted on the official Peña Deportiva profile has garnered millions of views, sparking mockery and jokes about the referee who decided to postpone the match against UCAM Murcia due to the unsuitable conditions of the pitch. This description is even a euphemism, since the playing field had literally turned into a swimming pool. This is clearly visible in the footage that shows the water reaching well above the referee's ankles when he inspected the pitch to see if the ball could bounce or not.

Of course, the ball made a “splash” and remained floating quietly in the water, since the laws of physics did not allow it to rise to jump. Even a two-year-old child could have reached this conclusion, deciding to postpone the match without the need for a “field test”. This is where the mockery of the referee on social networks began. However, he had acted correctly, in accordance with the regulations.

The Peña Deportiva-UCAM Murcia match was scheduled to take place that morning, as part of the seventh week of Group III of the Segunda Federación, which is the fourth tier of Spanish football. Heavy rain created conditions more suitable for water polo than for football. At that moment, the referee followed the instructions of Law 5 of football, which gives him complete authority and discretion. His powers and duties expressly include the possibility of interrupting, suspending or abandoning the match due to external interference or the conditions of the pitch.

The IFAB Laws of the Game do not provide for a mandatory mechanical test, such as “the ball must bounce X times”. However, practical guidelines and referee training define some standard criteria for flooded pitches: the presence of standing water, the inability of the ball to bounce or move normally, and the risk to the safety of players.

The bounce test is a well-established and documented practice to objectively assess whether a pitch is fit for play. In many cases, this check is also noted in the referee's report. So, there is no explicit written obligation to “test whether the ball bounces”, but this is precisely the procedure used when assessing whether a pitch is unfit for play. 

Conducting the test even in an apparently catastrophic situation serves to document the decision objectively and to protect the referee from any possible claims regarding the postponement of the match.