FINAL FEEDBACK: WHY ARE WE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES?

Thanks to all who contributed. These will be the last responses posted.

Feedback 5:
The way an effective referee should manage a free kick will depend on what actually happens during the free kick process, whether quick or ceremonial. We like to label free kicks as quick or ceremonial, but not every “quick” free kick will be the same, and not every “ceremonial” free kick will be the same.
One variable that referees have to realize exists is that most players don’t really know (or pretend they don’t know) how far 10 yards actually is. I have often told an argumentative coach or player who doesn’t agree with “my 10 yards” to simply look at the center circle to realize how far 10 yards really is. Of course that statement only works with someone who wishes to have a rational argument with you.

I have experienced all of the following situations and think that common sense, Law 18, tells me to deal with them in the following ways – generally speaking, there are exceptions at times. And I’m sure there are several other possible situations. Can’t wait to see that new USSF video. That might make me see the light even more.

Situation 1:
Multiple defenders line up in a wall that they honestly think is 10 yards away from ball, but it isn’t (say 7-9), and kicker asks for 10 yards.
Resolution:
Proceed with ceremonial free kick (i.e. establish position of free kick, tell kicker to wait for whistle, back up wall to 10 yards making sure kicker does not try to move ball any further forward during this time, take up a appropriate field position depending on circumstances, signal for kick to be taken.) If defender then encroaches and affects kick in disadvantageous way for kicking team, caution for FRD and repeat ceremonial free kick.

Situation 2:
Multiple defenders quickly line up in a wall that they honestly think is 10 yards away from ball, but it isn’t (say 7-9), and kicker takes unobstructed quick free kick.
Resolution:
Continue play.

Situation 3:
Multiple defenders quickly line up in a wall that they honestly think is 10 yards away from ball, but it isn’t (say 7-9) and kicker takes quick free kick. The kick is affected by a defender who encroaches from this wall in a way that is disadvantageous to the kicking team.
Resolution:
Stop play, caution encroaching defender for FRD. No need for attacker to ask for 10 yards in this case. Restart with ceremonial free kick.

Situation 4:
Multiple defenders quickly line up in a wall that they honestly think is 10 yards away from ball, but it isn’t (say 7-9) and kicker takes quick free kick. The kick is affected by defender(s) who have maintained their position in this wall in a way that is disadvantageous to the kicking team.
Resolution:
Stop play. A caution in this case is probably not needed. Simply warn/educate defenders about proper 10 yard distance and restart with ceremonial free kick. Consider cautioning if same defending team does this again at another free kick.

Situation 5:
No defensive wall is formed, but when kicker takes quick free kick a defender who, in the opinion of the referee, is obviously less than 10 yards away from the spot of the kick, lunges toward or makes some other type of movement to intercept and obstruct the path of the ball once it was kicked. In other words, if the defender had stood still the ball would have continued past this defender on its own path.
Resolution:
Stop play. Caution defender for FRD. No need for attackers to ask for 10 yards in this case. Restart with ceremonial free kick.

Situation 6:
No defensive wall is formed, but when kicker takes quick free kick a defender who, in the opinion of the referee, is obviously less than 10 yards away from the spot of the kick, intercepts the ball because it was directly kicked to him/her, and this defender had no intention of obstructing a passing lane to an attacking teammate nor a shot on goal.
Resolution:
Continue play, unless misconduct has been committed by the kicker.

Situation 7:
No defensive wall is formed, but when a kicker takes quick free kick a defender who, in the opinion of the referee, is obviously less than 10 yards away from the spot of the kick, intercepts the ball because he/she managed to intentionally quickly stand in the way of a passing lane to an attacking teammate or a shot on goal.
Resolution:
Stop play. Caution defender for FRD (and possibly deal with any misconduct committed by kicker). No need for attackers to ask for 10 yards in this case. Restart with ceremonial free kick.

Situation 8:
No one is within 10 yards of the ball except for one defender who tries to deceive the referee by non-chalantly walking in the path of the ball as the kicker is running up/preparing to take the kick. The kicker is affected by this action and/or the ball is intercepted by the defender.
Resolution:
Stop play. Caution defender for FRD. No need for attackers to ask for 10 yards in this case. Restart with ceremonial free kick.

Situation 9:
Once the ball is spotted for the free kick, one or more defenders quickly stand directly in front of the ball (or at some distance that is obviously less than 10 yards away) to intentionally delay the kick until his teammates can set up a wall or otherwise establish better defensive field position. In the opinion of the referee, this has affected the kicker’s timing of when/where to kick the ball.
Resolution:
Caution defender(s) for FRD. No need to ask for 10 yards in this case. Restart with ceremonial free kick.

Situation 10:
Once the ball is spotted for the free kick, one or more defenders quickly stand directly in front of the ball ( or at some distance that is obviously less than 10 yards away) to intentionally delay the kick until his teammates can set up a wall or otherwise establish better defensive field position. In the opinion of the referee, this has not affected the kicker as he/she has played the ball quickly in a different direction.
Resolution:
Continue play and warn defender(s) of their cautionable offense.

Feedback 6:
There are many societal issues that affect the way people behave on the field. In the course of my life, particularly the past 25 years, I have noticed an increase in the negative way referees, umpires, officials are treated.

Since I have started doing girls softball and high school and youth soccer, while I was never one to complain about an official, I have little patience for those who do.

As a parent or spectator, I do not question calls. I teach my daughter to respect each of her opponents, to respect the difficult job the officials have, and to stay within herself by playing her game the way she knows it should be played. She knows that if anyone needs to say anything to an official, her coaches will do that. I don’t believe such sportsmanship is widely taught anymore.

As a coach and a fellow official, I might discreetly ask a question about a call, or about a rule, but I do not argue and I do not demean, like many coaches, players, and parents do too often.

Nor do I publicly comment on a call made by another official. If someone asks me a question about a rule, I’ll discuss the rule, but not call or the person who did or didn’t make it.

Each person watches the game from a different angle; therefore, each person sees a variety of plays differently. Each person knows the rules to varying degrees; therefore, plays that may seem incorrect to some are, in fact, actually correct, and vice versa.

My goal in calling a game, especially below middle school level, is to call the game as best I can, in the fairest way possible, while allowing there to be a flow to the contest.

With the youngest kids, I explain why after making a call. Could I call all those games tighter? Absolutely. Would anyone like hearing the whistle a hundred times? Doubtful.

As the players get older and more experienced, I call the games tighter and I say why a lot less. And while I sometimes forget to say play on, thereby at least acknowledging the foul, I do sometimes let minor violations go because I don’t perceive calling them will make a huge difference in the game.

In games played by adults, it is my perception that some referees call the games hoping to get as little garbage back as possible.

Applying every single rule to the letter in a recreational adult league game is not what some of these guys want to do, especially on a Sunday morning.

In countless adult league games I’ve been to for softball, basketball, flag football, and soccer, part of the league schedule, as well as gym or field availability, can be a factor in the blowing of the whistles.

I also don’t think that some of the adult league officials take the games as seriously as some of the players, who still treat the contests as life and death. For others, and perhaps for the refs, too, the fact that the games are recreational applies that the enforcement of the rules can be a little more lax.

As an official, on a field with coaches and/or players who always think they know more, I think we pick our battles. While flagrant fouls clearly deserve red cards, and so too do constant infractions of minor fouls, who really likes to give red cards?

And in an adult recreational league, who really wants the added aggravation and a situation in a parking lot with an offending player afterward?

Getting excessively angry with and hating officials is a mark of immaturity. No offense meant to the writer of the original note. But when the game is truly a game, and nothing more, I bet the tone and underlying feelings are quite different.

Feedback 7:
Just as reformed drunks and reformed prostitutes are least charitable to those currently still in bondage to those conditions, so players who have become referees tend to be hardest on those of our brethren who are less proficient than we all could hope.

It would be wonderful if all referees thoroughly understood the underlying spirit of the Laws, as well as the Laws themselves and their proper application. It would also be wonderful if all players and coaches understood, or even occasionally read, the Laws – even more marvelous if all players strove to play fairly all the time. But we must deal with the world as is, not how we wish it to be.

All of us referees are works in progress; not one of us has ‘arrived’. The real issue is those referees who do not perceive their own shortcomings, and, due to that lack of insight, make no effort to correct those deficiencies. This is where mentors and assessors come in, to provide the perspective that self-analysis cannot attain.

The best we can do, as colleagues of our demonstrably less-than-knowledgeable fellows, is recommend, and continue to recommend, that they seek out guidance from more advanced referees that they can trust, such as Week in Review and Askasoccerreferee.com.

But be prepared for rejection – two hallmarks of underperformers (in any field) are a lack of awareness of their own shortcomings, coupled with a dire lack of motivation to do anything about it, even after they gain awareness.

Parents sometimes discover that, in spite of how hard they strive and how many parenting books they have read, their children still end up going sideways on the road of life. It doesn’t mean those parents did a poor job, it just means that those children needed to learn from their own mistakes, instead of the mistakes of others. Some referees will never get better: what you have in front of you is as good as it gets. Yes, it’s frustrating. But the alternative is not having a referee today. While that may be preferable, there’s really no way to know that ahead of time.

And as one very good coach in another sport once said, to win a championship, you often have to be good enough to win in spite of the officiating.…

GOAL OR FREE KICK?

Question:
A goal was scored in which one of the offense players committed a foul that deserves a red card. The referee approved the goal and sent off the player for what he did during the attack the resulted on a goal.

If I may ask, what would be the rule/law on this?

Here is a 1:30 min video of the incidence.

Thanks for helping.

USSF answer (August 30 2010):
If, in the opinion of the referee, the goal was scored before the violent conduct took place, then the goal counts. We hesitate to say yes or no in this case, as the action was so quick and even the referee seems to have had doubts as to which way the call should go.…

SPITTING

Question:
In the send off offenses – Spitting is listed separately as it’s own offense. Is it appropriate for it to be written up as Spitting or should it be written up as Fighting.

Also – If a Red Card is being issued for spitting and subsequent to that 2 other players followed it up with pushing would these players then be subject to Red Cards as well for the continuation of a Fight.

USSF answer (August 24, 2010):
When in doubt, follow the rules: A player may be sent off for only seven reasons (see Law 12), none of which is “fighting.” If a player is sent off for spitting at an opponent or any other person, that is the reason given in the match report.

Any illegal action that follows a sending-off offense is punished on its own “merits.” If the pushing is reckless, the player is cautioned and shown the yellow card for unsporting behavior. If the pushing involves the use of excessive force, the player is sent off and shown the red card for violent conduct. There is no misconduct named “continuation of a fight.”…

MUST PLAYER JERSEYS HAVE SLEEVES?

Question:
I thought I saw a memo sometime last year on resending requirement for player’s uniforms sleeves. Is players uniforms must have sleeves?

Thank you

USSF answer (August 23, 2010):
The Laws of the Game require that a player’s jersey have sleeves. No memorandum or position paper on this matter has been issued since 2003.…

DEALING WITH THE ADVANTAGE

Question:
I am an assignor for club soccer in our area and have been officiating for 4 years after 12 as a coach and playing many years ago. I am always trying to improve myself as a referee. My question concerns application of the advantage clause. Question – One of the referees I assign is quite good and has been a referee for many years.

He takes a bit of free time to help with more inexperienced referees, however, I am a bit concerned about his application of advantage. It seems to me he waits quite long at times to determine if advantage has truly occurred. An actual situation occurred in a high level match I observed him working as follows: Player A1 is dribbling the ball and from approximately 25 yards away from team B’s goal takes a shot toward B’s goal. Defender B1 outside his own penalty area handles the ball and the ball immediately rebounds to same player A1 directly almost at spot of original shot.

As player A1 dribbles forward, referee correctly signals and calls advantage. Player A1 then dribbles to his left, feints and goes around defender B1. Player A1 passes to player A2 who attempts a shot which rebounds off of crossbar to defender B1 who is now just inside the penalty area. Defender B1 controls turns and kicks the ball up-field.

Referee stops play and calls original handling the ball foul on B1 which was the source of the advantage. While I cannot be sure of the actual elapsed time, it seems to me team A received their advantage, had opportunity to play to another team A player who took a chance at a reasonable scoring opportunity. My personal feeling is the handling foul should have been “waived” as team A was able to get quite a bit of action as well as a scoring opportunity out of the advantage. I almost felt like the referee was giving team A two chances at scoring a goal. This is not the first time I’ve seen him call back the advantage with such a large amount of time elapsed from the original foul. Am I wrong here? I cannot discuss this with the referee in question as he does not like to be challenged on his decisions.

USSF answer (August 23, 2010):

The USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game” tells us in Advice 5.6:
“The referee may return to and penalize the original foul if the advantage situation does not develop as anticipated after a short while (2-3 seconds). Referees should note that the “advantage” is not defined solely in terms of scoring a goal.”

The situation you describe obviously went on for more than the 2-3 seconds outlined in the Law. If that was all that was involved, the referee should not have called play back in this situation.

However, looked at a bit differently, one could also argue that the referee had the opportunity to decide that the advantage did not apply if, at the time the ball rebounds from the handling (although, if it “rebounds,” was it really a handling offense because rebounds would not normally meet the requirement of Law 12 that the ball was deliberately propelled) to the original attacker, the number and skills of the defenders now arrayed against further play by the attacking team was more advantageous for the defense than it would have been without the handling “foul.” In short, depending on the circumstances (and the application of the “Four Ps”), either the foul (if it truly was a foul) should have been called back about the time the ball reached the original attacker OR it should have not been called back at all if the referee has allowed play to continue for so long.…

FEEDBACK: WHY ARE WE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES?

Feedback 1
One thing that should help is the new 20 minute video Managing the Free Kick from USSF. Everything we should be doing (if we aren’t already) is contained therein. I have already used it in some clinics over the winter/spring and it got a good reaction. At least in Illinois, it will be part of the required material for all recertification clinics. I’ve also used it in entry classes instead of the slides re mechanics and then discuss from there.

I, too, am saddened and perplexed by how things got to the point that something as fundamental as this requires this level of special emphasis by USSF. On the other hand, it is also true that teaching doesn’t always lead to learning (whether in the classroom or on the pitch.) Players will try to get whatever advantage they can unless we put an end to it. We need to instill a higher level of confidence (“I know the Laws …”) and courage (“… and I will apply them correctly”) in our compatriots.

Many of the referees don’t get to see very many really good referees in action — they are busy covering way too many games. Not everybody has the various soccer channels on TV/cable.

One thing that would help fertilize the grass-roots would be more good, high-level referees work more low-level games. Some of the tournaments and assignors in this area are actively trying to get more State and National refs for the youth and ethnic games. If part of our job is to “educate the players”, we should be using refs who are the best at it at all levels.

Although the reader’s complaint was about a particular issue, I think it is a symptom of a wider problem but some of my suggestions above would apply to any aspect of the game.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond.

Feedback 2
There is a fourfold problem with management of our referees when it comes to enforcing the Laws of the Game.

1. There are referees that are comfortable with their performance and do not try to improve on it (mostly Grade 8 referees). They are not pressured to improve as some assignors are woefully short of referees and will take all comers to fill the schedules. There is the impression that with some assignors, performance does not impact which games or level of games you are assigned. Grade 8 referees do not get assessed so can remain comfortable with their performance.

2. There is no visible distinction (you know, the badge) between a Grade 8 referee and a Grade 7 referee although the effort to remain a Grade 7 is significantly greater than a Grade 8. And it does not seem to impact what games you can get. You might get more Grade 8 to advance if there was a greater prestige.

3. The schedule for some adult leagues do not allow for 90 min games, are single games, and late at night. This does not make them attractive except to “fill the square” or get an assessment. It would seem that USSF affiliation would be affected by inadequate scheduling.

4. With many amateur adult games being filled by Grade 8 referees, you run into the problem of training. They are taught the laws but little to no techniques for enforcing the laws. They also listen to “senior” referees that lead them astray with their inadequate technique/understanding (as you have seen with some of the questions you have received). They may have seen a professional game (MSL, EPL, BL, etc) where the referee did little to get the players away and they listened to the commentators erroneously talk about what should be done.

I have enjoyed working with higher level referees and picking up techniques on how to handle different situations. I have read the Ask a Soccer Referee answers to questions, especially for unusual situations that I have not experienced, which has given me confidence to enforce the laws in the spirit of the game. I also read the Referee Week in Review on USSOCCER.com on a weekly basis to glean out nuggets for me to use on the level of games I referee. I miss the discussion that came with the “You Make the Call” clips. I have felt that clips from youth games would help Grade 8 referees (and some Grade 7s) versus using clips from professional games. In addition, newscasts do highlights from games to give you a flavor of the game as part of their report. Could we not create a similar report from professional games and youth games where the referee’s performance was being highlighted? Highlights from a good game and ones that have gone downhill would be good for review by less experienced referees.

For the encroachment question – I would verbally tell the players to back off but not interfere with a quick restart. If they do not move and are hit by the ball, I would caution the player and do a restart. Usually after one caution, they get the message. I also look for the path they took to get in front of the ball. If they went out of their way to get there after the ball was set up, then I may stop the proceeding to caution the player (feel of the game/situation).

Unfortunately, it is part of the gamesmanship of the game which needs to be controlled without making each free kick a ceremonial restart.

Two cents from an old Grade 7 referee.

Feedback 3:
The original question is one I have seen so many times over the years that it truly is frightening. The hangup, I think, is in the reliance on the qfk instead of the retreating of ten yards. We, as referees, want the qfk, but the overwhelming majority of FK’s are slow movers, and when the statues start appearing, the ONUS is put on the attackers to ask for ten yards, when the ONUS should be placed on the defenders to GIVE ten yards. That, I think, is the biggest hangup. The attackers have done nothing wrong, and they are being rewarded with a FK. The defenders should immediately retreat and not stand around 2-5 yards from the ball. You can not go quickly with defenders in your path, and well coached defenders will be in your path. If a defender is within 10 yards on the first free kick of the day, I announce very loudly that that isn’t ten yards and you know better than that. And if it happens again, I’m not afraid to pull the card out. I haven’t had to pull the card out yet. But, this nonsense that the only way an attacker is going to get ten is to ask for it, has to stop.

Feedback 4:
For my feedback, I want to focus less on the specifics of LOTG, and more on what we refs can do to make a difference for the game we love.

I was first a ref as teenager more than 30 years ago. Back then, there were no Grade 9 or 8’s. All refs had to pass a written test AND a fitness test. There weren’t a lot of young refs back then; the game was really picking up in popularity for the first time, primarily due to NASL, and I was swept up in the fever along with many others. All of the older refs mentored me. Some more than others, but all had a hand in making me a decent ref. And I was decent, even as a 14 year old kid. I made decisions with confidence and enforced the Laws properly. This didn’t happen because of a memo from Chicago, or even the State, but because a group of older, wiser referees took an interest in my development.

As I recertified for the first time in 30 years last Spring, I was struck as I looked around the classroom at the Grade 9 class (my state requires all new refs to be Grade 9 for a season; a good idea I think). There were so many young people, especially in the 12-14 year old range. I thought about how they would all pass the test, and then would be more or less thrown to the wolves – expected to deal with petulant players, irate coaches, and misinformed parents (I didn’t have to deal with this in the ’70s; parents didn’t know anything about the game and knew they didn’t know). They were so excited to receive thier badges at the end of class. Call me a cynic, but all I could think about was that half of them would drop out after a year or so.

And mostly because they wouldn’t get any mentoring or instruction from the older refs, like I did.

This was one of my main motivations for getting back in. I want to help young refs get better and to demonstrate that good refereeing is not found only at the professional level of play. I plan to go for grade 7, only because that is a requirement to be an Instructor.

I know that many of you do take the time to help the younger refs. I see it on the pitch every week. But we need more of you to help. We need the more experienced teenaged refs to help the new “Blue Badges”.

So, if you are helping younger refs, thank you. Encourage other experienced refs to do the same.

Changing the game, and specifically, the behavior of the players in the restart situation we’ve discussed, will happen because the grass roots refs have made a difference in the development of future refs.…

WHY ARE WE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES?

Request for Feedback:
This note came to us last week. I am posting it here to ask for feedback from fellow referees on their reactions to this state of affairs. Feel free to circulate the note to others, or to direct them to the site.

Please give us input by posting the same way you would send a question. We will post the most useful responses here as well. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach one another and to provide our less-than-accomplished fellow referees with the means to do it right.

Many thanks to all.

Jim Allen

The Note

I thought that if I became an official, I would learn to appreciate what they go through, and stop hating them so much. Now, I’ve made a lot of friends, but, as I still play in Adult leagues, I still hate officials when I step between the lines as a player. Being in this unique situation as I know all the guys and work with them, I have been reflecting on why I still am so angered by officials. It came to me after a Men’s over 30 match this past Tuesday. We are our own worst enemies out there. Guys refuse to properly apply the laws of the game. We all know them-hell the best officials, supposedly, in the world know them, and, yet, we saw how this worked in the World Cup. Is it lack of fortitude? Is it officials worried that the players won’t like them, and they’ll get poor ratings if they call the game as it should be called? I don’t know-the truth is probably somewhere in between. 

I have many issues with this, but let me just give you one so I don’t take up too much of your time. Team B commits a foul on Team A. Team A sets the ball to begin the re-start. Player or players of Team B purposely delay the re-start by lining up in front of the ball clearly not giving 10 — hell 3 yards in many cases. How should this be handled? I know how I handle it, and I would argue with anyone that I do it correctly. The problem is, hardly no one else does it the right way. Furthermore, because I am, basically, the only one who does it correctly, players become used to the wrong way and the proper way looks strange. I do youth and adult matches, and play in the adult league and all players from a young age to seasoned guys who played at high levels in college and professional, truly believe that the team that got fouled must ask for 10 yards. They believe that because, my fellow officials screw it up and do not apply the laws properly. I got into it with a guy on the other team the other night because his team did this all game and the center refused to address it. I pleaded with him to stop allowing them to delay the re-start; especially in our offensive third when we have a potential goal scoring opportunity of the quick re-start. Please help me-I am so frustrated with this, and I want all my fellow officials to apply the laws properly, so we can start to re-train the players. Please provide me with exactly how you handle the situation I described above, both the first time it happens, and subsequent occurrences. Also, how you handle it when Team B actually touches the ball before it travels 10 yards ie. quick re-starts where a player for Team B purposely touches the ball before a travels 10 yards, and when a wall is lined up less than 10 yards away and the ball strikes the wall.

BALL IN PLAY WHEN IT IS KICKED AND MOVES FORWARD

Question:
I am having trouble reconciling a seemingly contradictory interpretation of the laws of the game. Law 8 states that on a kick off, the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward.

Therefore, if the ball is kicked backward, the ball has not been put into play, and therefore the kick is retaken. Law 14 contains the same verbiage, “the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward.” Law 14 also states that if the kicker infringes on the laws of the game and the ball does not enter the goal, then award an indirect free kick for the opposing team. Obviously, if the ball is kicked backwards, it would not enter the goal. I noticed in “Advice to Referees” (2009/2010) version, section 14.12, it states that kicking the ball backward would result in an indirect free kick for the defending team at the penalty mark. If the wording, “The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward” were removed from the law, then this seeming contradiction would appear to go away. Any insight would be appreciated.

USSF answer (August 10, 2010):
You would seem to be arguing apples and applesauce. We see no dichotomy or contradiction here, as the kick-off and the penalty kick are two separate and discrete types of restarting the game.

Law 8:

Procedure
//deleted//
• the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward
//deleted//
In the event of any other infringement of the kick-off procedure:
• the kick-off is retaken

Law 14:

Procedure
• After the players have taken positions in accordance with this Law, the referee signals for the penalty kick to be taken
• The player taking the penalty kick must kick the ball forward
• He must not play the ball again until it has touched another player
• The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves forward
//deleted//
the player taking the penalty kick infringes the Laws of the Game:
• the referee allows the kick to be taken
• if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken
• if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and the match is restarted with an indirect free kick to the defending team, from the place where the infringement occurred

Advice 14.12 (2010/2011 edition):

14.12 KICKER BACK HEELS THE BALL
If, after the referee has whistled for the penalty kick to be taken, the identified kicker back heels or kicks the ball backwards to a teammate who kicks it into the goal, the International Board has determined that this particular violation of Law 14 is to be regarded as failure to follow the procedures outlined in Law 14.  In this situation (whether the ball is subsequently kicked into the goal or not), the restart is an indirect free kick for the opponents at the penalty mark.

In other words, the IFAB has declared that, kicking the ball backward shall be considered a violation of Law 14 and treated as simply one among all other violations of Law 14. In short, logic in this case cannot provide the correct answer, only a rote knowledge of the Laws of the Game as propounded and explained by the International Board.…

NO OFFSIDE IF ALL OPPONENTS ARE IN OTHER HALF?

Question:
The prof in a referees’ clinic explained that if all the fullbacks on a team move into the offensive half of the field, then the opponents are freed of any offsides restrictions at all. I’m dubious; I don’t see how this follows from Law XI. Can you explain it to me please, or perhaps the prof is mistaken? Thanks!

USSF answer (August 8, 2010):
You are pulling our legs, right? It makes absolutely no difference where the players on the defending team are, the player in the opposing half of the field must still be no nearer to the opposing goal line than the ball to avoid being in an offside position. On condition that we specify that the attacking player is on the halfway line, he can never be either offside or in an offside position when the ball is played by his teammate in this particular scenario. The Law is clear (emphasis added to ensure understanding):

LAW 11 – OFFSIDE
Offside Position
It is not an offense in itself to be in an offside position.
A player is in an offside position if:
• he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than BOTH the ball and the second-last opponent
• he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent
A player is not in an offside position if:
• he is in his own half of the field of play or
• he is level with the second-last opponent or
• he is level with the last two opponents

SEND OFF — SHORT OR FULL STRENGTH?

Question:
The referee sends a player from the field for illegal equipment, blood, etc. While off the field correcting the situation and before signaled to re-enter by the referee, the player a.) clothes lines a player on the field as the player runs down the touchline with the ball. b.) strikes a player on the bench. c.) uses foul/abusive language towards the referee. The question is whether the team will be playing short from that point on in the match? Several “senior referees” respond that because the player is not on the field, the referee cannot make the team play short handed from the send-off for the misconduct.

USSF answer (August 7, 2010):
The “senior referees” should consider packing it in — or start taking memory pills. A player sent from the field to correct equipment problems (or to receive medical attention) is still a player and counted as being part of the team on the field.

Law 3 (in the Interpretations of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees) tells us:

Player outside the field of play
If, after leaving the field of play to correct equipment or kit, to be treated for an injury or bleeding, because he has blood on his kit or for any other reason with the referee’s permission, a player re-enters the field of play without the referee’s permission, the referee must:
– stop play (although not immediately if the player does not not interfere with play or if the advantage can be applied)
– caution the player for entering the field of play without permission
– order the player to leave the field of play if necessary (infringement of Law 4)

If the referee stops play, it must be restarted
– with an indirect free kick for the opposing team from the position of the ball when play was stopped (see Law 13 — Position of Free Kick) if there is no other infringement
– in accordance with Law 12 if the player infringes this Law

Scenario (a) only: The referee must punish the more serious of the two simultaneous acts of foul/misconduct and send off the player who was off the field with the referee’s permission for violent conduct or serious foul play (see below). Because this player re-entered the field to clothesline the opponent, Law 12 governs the restart, which will be a direct free kick from the place where the player struck his opponent. This player’s team must play short for the remainder of the game.

In short: In scenario (a), send off for serious foul play if competing for the ball or for violent conduct if not competing for the ball and restart with a direct free kick where the “clothesline” occurred; scenario (b), send off for violent conduct and restart with dropped ball where the ball was when play was stopped; and, in scenario (c), send off for abusive language and restart with a dropped ball where the ball was when play was stopped. In all three scenarios, the team plays down.…