Author: Jim Allen

"Inventive Coaches"

“I GOT THE BALL, REF!” “ALL BALL, REF!”

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Question:
A defender slides towards an opponent running with the ball. The defender’s tackling foot pushes the ball away from the opponent but the force of the defender’s momentum causes him to collide heavily with the opponent below the knees. The opponent tumbles to the ground. I adjudge the defender to have used excessive force and to have been reckless with regard to injury, and to have tripped the opponent (or attempted a trip) because the opponent’s feet were impeded in such a way that he fell heavily. I award a direct free kick.

I have been told by many players, fans, and coaches that this could not be a foul because the defender didn’t trip the player – he “got the ball”. I have heard commentators on TV say that a referee is wrong in calling a foul when a player “gets the ball”. I have never seen it written down in the Laws of the Game that if a player “gets the ball” he cannot at the same time be guilty of tripping or using excessive force. Am I missing some directive about the interpretation of Law 12?

USSF answer (May 18, 2010):
Saying that a player “got the ball” is meaningless in a tackle. What the referee must be concerned about is what happens during and after the tackle.

DURING
• If the tackler uses excessive force, he or she is sent off immediately for serious foul play and the game is restarted with a direct free kick or a penalty kick, if the foul and misconduct were committed in the tackler’s penalty area).
• If the tackler is reckless, he or she is cautioned and the game is restarted as above.
• If the tackler is careless, the game is restarted as above.
• If the tackle is committed fairly and there is incidental contact, there is no foul.

AFTER
If, after the tackle is fairly made, the tackler uses the foot or body in a careless or reckless way or with excessive force, see DURING.

Coaches will always protest an act that disadvantages their team, no matter that it was done legally. As for commentators on television, many of them actually know little or nothing of the game and how it should be played or refereed, no matter what their accent or “credentials.”

Only the referee on the game can make that decision, applying The Seven Magic Words, “If in the opinion of the referee, . . ..”…

"Only in America!"

REFEREE CARELESSNESS LEADS TO PROBLEM

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Question:
I’m eager to learn how to correctly handle the following situation (NFHS Rules Set, whether that makes a difference):

Team A throw-in near Team A’s 18. Team A substitutes; Team B substitutes. Official signals for Team A to proceed with the restart.

With the ball now in play and being kicked about for some seconds, it is recognized by Official X that there are 12 Team B players participating on the field (yes, shoddy substitution management by the officials). A brief second *prior* to Official X sounding his whistle to address the discrepancy (yes, two whistles sound in unintended succession here), Official Y had sounded his whistle upon observing a Tripping Foul by a Team A player in Team A’s penalty area – clearly a PK for Team B. What to do now?

USSF answer (May 18, 2010):
A reminder to all readers: We do not answer questions on high school rules in this forum. We deal strictly with the Laws of the Game. Accordingly, we are answering the question based solely on the Laws of the Game. You will need to determine on your own whether any of the rules you are using would require a different answer.

This problem was caused by three related things: Having two referees with whistles on the field (against the explicit requirements of the Laws of the Game), failure to follow the guidelines in Law 3 regarding substitution, and failure to count the players after the substitution.

Despite the sequence in which the whistles were blown, the primary problem here is the excess number of players for Team B, so that must be dealt with first. The referee cannot know which of the players is the twelfth, so must caution (unsporting behavior) and remove one of the Team B players. Because the excess number of players existed before the “foul” that would lead to a penalty kick, there is no penalty kick. Instead, the game is restarted with an indirect free kick for Team A at the place where the ball was when play was stopped (for the illegal entry onto the field by the 12th B player). As for the “foul,” you could verbally admonish the player who committed it (since it won’t be punished in the usual way) but, depending on the player’s action, you could caution (e. g., unsporting behavior for recklessness or perhaps it was a tactical foul) or you could send off the player with a red card for violent conduct if the “foul” involved violence.

In other words, you retain the ability to card even if the player’s action can’t be counted as a foul…

Disciplinary Matters

CAUTION OR SEND-OFF WITHOUT CARDS OKAY?

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Question:
I am an Assistant Referee, therefore I am not able to center and do not know the answer to this question. Can you card a player even if the center does not actually have his cards with him.

Had a girl playing very dangerously making late tackles, grabbing and got up one time after a late tackle and said “I don’t care if he cards me”. So I went the the center at halftime and said I was very surprised he did not card the player after the 3rd, 4th or 5th foul.

His response was don’t tell anyone but I left my cards in my bag. He did end up carding her in the second half which really should have been a second yellow by that time. Basically can a ref raise his hand over a play and say Yellow or Red or do they actually have to have a card to show? I can see a game really getting out of control if a ref can’t issue a yellow or red just because they don’t have a piece of plastic in their pocket.

USSF answer (May 18, 2010):
While normal and fully correct procedure would be to show the card to a player after telling him or her why he or she was being disciplined, we can state quite definitely that a player may be cautioned or sent off without showing the card. Any referee who fails to enforce the Laws correctly simply because of having forgotten the cards does the game a major disservice — and can give him- or herself major problems with discipline and game management.

And, wonder of wonders, the referee can always stop the game and go back to his bag and fetch the cards to put them to use. And don’t forget the pen or pencil, or the notebook or note card on which to write what has happened for the game report. In addition, each AR should have had cards with him
which the referee could have borrowed.…

Advice to Referees

AR INFORMATION TO REFEREE ON OFFSIDE AND FOULS

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Question:
I am a grade 8 assistant referee with two grade 7 referees, one as the other assistant and the other a center. In the pregame I was given two main instructions, “wait on offside calls, and call what you see,” from the center. I have two questions in regards to this game.

A player from Team A attempts to deliver a ball to a teammate in an offside position around midfield on the far side of the field. A player from team B intercepts it, the player in the offside position begins to approach the player now in possession of the ball and is promptly within 2 yards of the player, and the player in possession wiffs the ball out. This happened within about one second. I kept my flag down, thinking it wasn’t an offense itself to be in an offside position and it isn’t an excuse for the player to wiff the ball out.

The coach disagreed, and so did the center at halftime. Who is right?

My second question is referring to call at the end of the second half.

The center is at the top corner of the 18-yard box about 15 yards away from me. There was, in my opinion, a foul against the defending team and when I looked at the center he might have had his back turned to the play. (Afterwards he said he saw it in the corner of his eye but let it go because it was the end of the half.) I signaled a foul, the flag in the hand in which the direction was going, and the referee blew the whistle. The center seemed to regret the decision, placed the ball at the spot of the called foul, then blew the whistle as the end of the game (by my watch exactly 1 second after full time) instead of letting the attacking team have a chance for the goal. The other AR said that was a bad call on my part, that it was solely the center’s. I said that I saw a foul, I had a reasonable belief that the center couldn’t have seen it because of his position, and if the the center did see it he could have waved off my flag if he didn’t think it was a foul. In my opinion a AR never makes a call, every call is the center’s.

Do you think my call was correct, or at least, close to call?

USSF answer (May 12, 2010):
Please, please, please! Coaches are not entitled to provide input on any decision made by a referee or an assistant referee.

Question 1:
If it is clear that the player from team B has possession of the ball, then there is no offside. This excerpt from the Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game (2009/2010) may be helpful.

11.14 BECOMING “ONSIDE”
The possibility of penalizing a player for being in an offside position must be reevaluated whenever:
1. The ball is again touched or played by a teammate,
2. The ball is played (possessed and controlled, not simply deflected) by an opponent, including the opposing goalkeeper, or
3. The ball goes out of play.

The result of such a reevaluation, of course, may be that the player remains in an offside position based on still being beyond the second-to-last defender, the ball, and the midfield line. Referees must remember that a player cannot simply run to an onside position and become involved in play. The player’s position with relation to the ball and the opponents must change in accordance with the Law.

In the case of the ball leaving the field in favor of the team whose player was in an offside position and actively involved in play (e. g., a corner kick or throw-in for the attackers), it is traditional to call the original offside offense. If the restart would be in favor of the opposing team (e. g., a goal kick or throw-in for the defenders), it is usually preferable to ignore the offside infringement, as the defending team’s restart gives them the possession under circumstances not much different than the indirect free kick for offside-and often with less controversy.

Most likely no offside in this case.

Question 2:
Referees must sometimes act on the advice of the referee when they might otherwise not do so. The rule is that the AR flags for an infringement only if positive that it occurred out of the sight of the referee. From your description of the incident, it does seem that you were correct to flag. The problem appears to us to be that the referee REACTED to your flag and then regretted it (for whatever reason — maybe he did indeed see it out of the corner of his eye or — and here is something for you to think about, as only you can know — perhaps you had previously flagged for offenses that the referee HAD seen and wouldn’t have stopped play for. This might have made him have second thoughts afterwards.

If we are wrong, then please accept our apologies.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

SHINGUARDS AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

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Question:
Shinguards

Especially at the professional level (MLS), are referees looking to see the players have some type of shinguard on their legs, but nothing more? 

As you are well aware of, Law 4 – The Players’ Equipment states:

Shinguards
-provide a reasonable degree of protection

Two examples of almost no protection would be Colorado’s and former USA International Pablo Mastroeni and Chivas USA’s Blair Gavin (I’m sure there are more).

Again, at what level of play does it not become necessary to provide a reasonable degree of protection? Or is it necessary, even at the professional level, but not always enforced by the referee? Do FIFA referees enforce this law or let it go as trifling and simply make sure everyone has some type of shinguard? 

USSF answer (May 6, 2010):
In general, the decision on the “reasonable degree of protection” is made using The Seven Magic Words, “If, in the opinion of the referee.” Referees must remember that at the professional level, the players and trainers must take responsibility. What is sufficient protection to one, may not be to another.…

Handling

GOALKEEPER HANDLES TO PREVENT GOAL?

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Question:
A referee brought up this question at our association meeting tonight. It started quite a debate and we would like to know the correct answer to put this to rest:
A shot on goal is made by an attacker. The goalkeeper is too short to stop the ball from entering the goal with his hands so he pulls on the back of the net thus preventing the ball from completely crossing over the goal line.
What should the referee do in this case? If he stops play, what action should he take and what is the restart?

USSF answer (May 6, 2010):
In using the net as an artificial aid (and extension of his hands), the goalkeeper has theoretically denied the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball. However, as we know from Law 12, the goalkeeper is expressly excluded from the requirement for a send-off in this case, “(this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area).” Solution? After the caution is given for unsporting behavior, award an indirect free kick for the opposing team on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.…

"Only in America!"

UNUSUAL FIELD MARKINGS

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Question:
Do all of the lines on a field need to be of uniform color?

While common sense would prevail that they should be of the same color that is always not the case due to fields being utilized by more than one sport. In this case it was a grass field, not an artificial surface. It was a U9 “travel” game.

The touch lines were of different colors, the goal lines were different than the touch lines and the penalty area was yet another color. I know there is a law regarding the size of the lines but I could find nothing requiring the uniformity of color for all boundaries. “..all lines must be of the same width, which must not be more than 12cm (5inches)…” the game was played but our coach told me that his team and the referee had difficulty throughout the game identifying if a ball was in or out of a particular are of the field.

USSF answer (May 4, 2010):
While Law 1 states only that the goal posts and crossbar must be colored white, it is traditional that all field markings are in white. And traditional means that this is the way it is supposed to be done. Field managers should not be artistic geniuses; they should prepare the field in accordance with the expected: White lines.

We understand that some competitions use multipurpose fields and that the participants must cope with that.…

"Inventive Assessors"

INTERFERING MENTOR

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Question:
During the game, the center referee (CR) issued a yellow card to a player for a (presumed) reckless tackle. After showing the yellow card, the CR was called over to the sidelines by another referee who was mentoring the game (GU15). If the center referee issues a yellow card for a reckless foul, can a 5th referee (the mentor) recommend to change the yellow to a red, and have the center referee change the yellow to a red on the spot? The 5th referee being a mentor but is not a 4th official and not having no active part of the game.

USSF answer (May 4, 2010):
Unless there is some special rule in your state that does not exist in other states, the mentor (or the assessor) is not allowed to interfere with the referee’s handling of the game until after the game has ended; not at a stoppage, not at halftime. He or she cannot intervene to make the referee change a call or take back a card or anything else. That sort of thing is done in the postgame conference.

However, the mentor (but NOT the assessor) could quietly suggest to the nearer assistant referee that the referee might wish to do this a bit differently — provided that the game has not already been restarted. The AR could then pass this information on to the referee.…

"Inventive Coaches"

COACH PROVIDING TACTICAL ADVICE DURING AN INJURY STOPPAGE

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Question:
My understanding is during a stoppage for an injury a coach (the team not with the injured player) is not allowed to call his players over to the bench area (technical area) and provide coaching instruction. Likewise, the coach of the injured player who comes on the field with permission cannot gather his field players and provide coaching /tactical advise. I cannot find this in the Laws, Guide to Referees, and Advise to Referees.

Can you direct me where in the USSF I can find this? Also, what is the ruling and where is it for NISOA and NFHS?

USSF answer (May 3, 2010):
We cannot provide official answers for NISOA or NFHS games. However, we can provide official answers regarding the Laws of the Game.

There is no rule against either coach or other team official calling his or her players over to the touch line to discuss tactics during a stoppage for injury. However, if a coach or other team official is permitted on the field to see to the status of a seriously injured player — the only reason for stopping play for an injury is if the referee believes it to be serious — he or she may not share any information with any players of that team who are on the field. That would be regarded as irresponsible behavior, forcing the referee to expel the coach.

However, the intelligent referee will preempt the coach from coaching by stopping him early and letting him know that coaching on the field is not permitted. If the coach persists, then the referee should take more drastic action.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

PAYING CLUB LINESMEN

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Question:
I was the center referee in a youth (U-9 through U-18) tournament this past weekend. Due to the size of the tournament, we had an acute referee shortage. I was forced to do two games with a club line. I know that the local select league has a rule that indicates club lines are not to be paid. Further, I was told that there is a FIFA directive that says under no circumstances can a club line be paid. The 10 year old boy was the ONLY person to volunteer.

I gave him $10 for his time (he did a nice job and his mom had come over to my side following the game rather irate that her daughter’s team had paid big $$$ only to have to have her son “work” the game).

My question: Is there anything illegal about offering compensation to a club line?

My second question: Could we have legally used a two-man (I HATE IT, just for the record) system for a USSF-sanctioned tournament?

USSF answer (May 3, 2010):
We are unaware of any rules anywhere in the world that prohibit paying club linesmen (as they are called, whether male or female); however, while it would be unusual to do so, there is no reason not to give someone who has sacrificed his or her body for the cause a bit of compensation.

As to the dual system of control (“two-man system”), it is forbidden by the Laws of the Game, which require a referee and two assistants, but will allow two club linesmen. In fact, probably at least 90 percent of games played throughout the world are run with one referee and two club linesmen. Nevertheless, some leagues or tournaments run their games with two officials — and sometimes even they are not affiliated with USSF. It is up to the state associations to police these matters.…