Author: Jim Allen

Law 11 - Offside

JUDGING OFFSIDE POSITION WHEN A PLAYER LEAVES THE FIELD

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Question:
In connection with Memorandum 2009 on www.ussoccer.com Law 11, where should an assistant referee stand in order to judge the offside position if a defending player leaves the field of play over the touch line on the opposite side of the assistant referee (the AR can not know what is the place where the defender left the field)?

USSF answer (August 13, 2009):
Memorandum 2009’s treatment of Law 11 (Offside) has been updated in a position paper published August 12, 2009:

QUOTE

Subject: When Defenders Leave the Field

Date: August 12, 2009

A more definitive interpretation of Law 11 (Offside) was circulated this year by the International Board as part of its annual notice of Law changes and clarifications. This has led to some discussion among referees, players, and coaches regarding how this interpretation should be implemented in different game situations involving a defender leaving the field during play across the goal line or touch line. The following scenarios should be considered:

– During the normal course of play. The critical issue is whether, in the opinion of the referee, the defender’s action was a normal part of play. For example, the defender left briefly to get around an opponent or the defender’s momentum necessarily resulted in crossing the goal line or touchline. In this case, no violation has occurred and the defender is expected to return to the field without undue delay. The permission of the referee is not required.

– Attempting to create an offside situation. If, in the opinion of the referee, the defender left the field with the intention of placing an attacker in an apparent offside position (by changing the determination of which teammates are the last and second to last defenders), this is a violation of the Law and a form of misconduct (leaving the field without the permission of the referee). However, play should normally be allowed to continue but the defender off the field is considered to be on the closest point of the boundary line for purposes of determining an attacker’s offside position. Thus, if the defender on the field closest to the goal line is the goalkeeper standing a few feet from the goal line and the defender left the field across the goal line, that defender is, in effect, considered to be on the goal line as the last defender and the goalkeeper has become the second to last defender.

– Misconduct. When a defender has committed misconduct by leaving the field in an attempt to place an attacker in an offside position, the referee’s normal course of action is to allow play to continue but to caution the defender when the ball goes next out of play. However, it is not necessary to wait for the ball to leave the field. The next stoppage of play could occur in a number of ways – a foul or a serious injury or the expiration of time, for example. The referee could also whistle to stop play solely because the attacking team no longer controls the ball (e.g., a shot on goal by the attacker is saved and held by the goalkeeper). In this case, the stoppage is due solely to misconduct by a player off the field: after showing the yellow card, the restart would be an indirect free kick for the opposing team where the ball was when play was stopped by the referee.

We believe that this position paper will resolve many questions for referees and ARs. As to what the AR should do, we recommend that the assistant referee continue to remain even with the second-to-last defender or the ball, whichever is nearer to the goal.  The only thing that changes when a defender leaves the field is the determination as to WHICH defender is second to last.  If the defender left the field farther away from the goal than the second-to-last defender, then the defender off the field is not taken into account at all, either in determining the second-to-last defender or in where the AR should be.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

SAVING FALLEN COMRADES (REDUX)

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Question:
I pose this question only to test the limits of your imagination and wisdom (which always impresses me).

The goalkeeper runs into a goalpost and falls unnoticed by the referees. The ball comes rolling toward the open goal when the last defender grabs the hands of the unresponsive goalie and stops the ball
– puppeteer-like.

Is this handling by the defender and thus a red card incident?

USSF answer (August 12, 2009):
Please see our answer of August 11, 2009, on a similar topic. This would not be a case of deliberate handling by the ingenious last defender, but it would certainly be unsporting behavior, punishable by a caution and an indirect free kick for the opposing team from the place where the misconduct occurred. It also meets the requirements for a send-off for denying the opposing team a goal or a goalscoring opportunity through an act punishable by a free kick.

Of course, there is always the alternative for the intelligent and proactive referee, who, before the defender’s act, sees that the goalkeeper’s injury was obviously serious (though unnoticed earlier) and stops play. In such a case, with the mental decision by the referee predating this curious behavior, play would be stopped (for the injury) before all this foolishness occurs. Some harm, no foul, no outrage from either team.…

Ball in Play

PLAYING THE BALL OFF THE FIELD

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Question:
Can a player in the game be standing out of bounds then run over jump up and head a ball that is in the air but over the side line, with out stepping in before making contact with the ball.

USSF answer (August 11, 2009):
Assuming the ball had not left the field by crossing entirely over the touch line when the player headed the ball and that the player in question was not off the field with the permission or at the order of the referee, it doesn’t matter if that player at the time was partially or even entirely off the field.  While players are expected to be on and to remain on the field during play, the Law allows a player to leave the field briefly if this is done “in the course of play.”

If the ball left the field of play before being headed by the player, then the continued play must be ignored because play is considered stopped whenever the ball leaves the field.  If the player who headed the ball was off the field with the permission or at the order of the referee, then the player must be considered to have re-entered the field illegally (i. e., without permission) — play is stopped, the player is cautioned, and the match restarted with an indirect free kick for the opposing team where the ball was when play was stopped.  These responses would be the case whether the player headed the ball or played it in any other way.…

"Only in America!"

GOLDEN GOAL

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Question:
I recall in one of your past posts your comments on the “golden goal.” How do clubs get away with this at USSF Sanctioned Tournaments? Not only that, but in the Competition Rules it reads “OVERTIME: There is no overtime in preliminary round games. There is no overtime in consolation games. In playoff games, overtime shall be two 10-minute periods for U11-18 and two 5-minute periods for U10. The FIFA Golden Goal Rule shall apply.” Just like you said, there is no such rule.

Many tournaments I’ve worked this summer have used this method. Is this something that can be amended by each state’s youth rules (such as the unlimited substitution rule?) and still be sanctioned by USSF?

USSF answer (August 11, 2009):
You raise a complicated question. Under the Laws of the Game, the only allowable method of determining a winner of a game or a home-and-away series is through kicks from the penalty mark. In some competitions, the kicks from the penalty mark may be preceded by two equal periods of extra time. The IFAB, the people who write the Laws of the Game, removed the “Golden Goal,” also known as “sudden death” or “sudden victory,” from the methods for determining the winner of a game in the Laws of the Game 2004/2005. We suspect that the cited rule is a hold-over from the days when this WAS permissible and the competitions have neither the interest nor the inclination to bring their rules up to date (inertia is so much easier than work). Competitions in the United States and affiliated with the U. S. Soccer Federation — including all state associations and youth soccer — are NOT PERMITTED to use this method of determining the winner of a game.

The club or tournament is affiliated with the state association and the state association is affiliated with USSF and USSF is affiliated with FIFA. If the match “counts” for the referee, then it should also follow the Laws of the Game, with the only exceptions being those permitted by the IFAB itself (as described in the Lawbook). Referees should always review the rules of the competition before accepting an assignment and remember that they could jeopardize their standing by working games that are not run in accordance with the Laws of the Game.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

SAVING FALLEN COMRADES

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Question:
I saw a situation while watching WPS this past weekend that got me thinking. A shot came in to the keeper who caught it and stumbled backwards towards the mouth of the goal. She caught herself on the goal post and was successful with the save. Here is my question, what if she had not been stopped by the goalpost, but my a teammate? I know a player cannot use a teammate to boost themselves up, for example in a header, and that this can be considered unsporting behavior. What about a stumbling goalkeeper with ball in hand falling back towards the goal? Would you allow this? Unsporting behavior with a caution and IFK according the special circumstances for IFK offenses inside the goal area? I would assume one could make a case for DOGSO, but good luck with that (arguing the 4 D’s would be difficult.) I appreciate your response. Thanks.

USSF answer (August 11, 2009):
This is one of those issues that has been much debated and, while there is no significant conceptual difference between a teammate propping up the goalkeeper to prevent her from falling back — not misconduct — into the goal (thus causing a goal) and a player lifting a teammate up to enable her to head the ball — the latter being clearly a misconduct — we would hesitate to make an ironclad ruling on this.

All of this makes for an interesting discussion, but the long and short of it is that it would be difficult to sell the notion that the teammate had prevented an obvious goalscoring opportunity under any circumstances — if the ‘keeper had the ball in her possession, there was no chance for the attacking team to play the ball. It would also be difficult to caution the teammate for unsporting behavior, unless the act was so blatant that it could not be denied. Apply The Seven Magic Words: “If, in the opinion of the referee, . . ..”

Now, if that teammate lifted up the ‘keeper so that she could control the ball . . .…

Handling

HANDLING THE BALL OUTSIDE THE PENALTY AREA

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Question:
During a recent Men’s intramural game the Goal Keeper went for a low hard shot and collected the ball but due to his momentum running for the ball and a wet field, he slid outside the penalty area. In my opinion he was unable to stop and slid out by a few feet but did have possession of the ball when he slid out. Immediately the attacking team was calling for a “hand ball”. In my opinion he played the ball in the area and did not deliberately handle the ball outside the penalty area. I allowed him to get up and go inside the area and release the ball. After the match several players and referees approached me and disagreed with my call saying I should have awarded a DFK. Your opinion please.

USSF answer (August 11, 2009):
Our opinion, and it is strictly opinion, is that if the condition of the field caused the goalkeeper to handle the ball outside the penalty area, the referee COULD apply the common sense notion of a “trifling offense” and do as you did, allowing the goalkeeper to return to the penalty area and release the ball into play for others.

However, we must point out that the Law does not recognize weather conditions and the correct decision would be to award a direct free kick for deliberately handling the ball.  Although we need to remember that the Laws of the Game were not written to compensate for the mistakes of players, that does not apply in this case.

There is no case to be made here for saying that the goalkeeper’s handling offense prevented a goal, so there would be no reason for showing a red card to the goalkeeper.…

"Inventive" Refs

REFEREE CANNOT ORDER SUBSTITUTIONS

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Question: Hi!
great website.

I was a coach of a u12 boys team. In a league game, one of my players was injured, and I was beckoned onto the field by the referee to attend to my player.

By the time I reached the player, he felt better, and wanted to continue to play. The referee stated that since I had entered the field, I was required to substitute for the (briefly) injured player, and that he could re-enter the game at the next appropriate substitution opportunity.

I know that once a player leaves the field for an injury, he must wait for approval from the referee to re-enter the playing field, but I was puzzled that I was made to substitute for the injured player who had never left the field, for the sole reason that I had come on to the field to tend to him.

Was the substitution correctly required? Thanks!

USSF answer (August 11, 2009):
Under the Laws of the Game a player must leave the field if the referee has allowed someone to enter the field to assess or treat an injury. Under the Laws of the Game, that player may not return to the field at all if a substitute replaces him (or her), but many rules of competition do allow such substitutions.

In addition, the referee had no authority to require a substitution. His only authority is to require the injured player to leave the field — whether that player is substituted for or not is a decision of the player/coach/team and is subject to any limiting rules of competition.…

"Inventive" Refs

COACH QUESTIONS STRANGE SUBSTITUTION RULE

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Question:
I have a question regarding substitutions and whether anyone has ever encountered something like this before. I was coaching a U11 boys/girls team (full field 11 vs 11 games). We’re behind in the game but manage to score a goal. The ref is walking the ball back to half and I call for a sub. He denies me the change. I question why? He says “its the other teams advantage”. Now I am somewhat confused and ask if we scored because I thought perhaps I missed something. He became annoyed and chastised me for questioning his authority. And fyi, there was a good 15 mins remaining in the half so its not like the halftime was upon us. And I was neither yelling or being out of control. I was more confused then anything.

At halftime, I raised my hand up almost like a schoolboy and asked the ref if I could speak to him and clarify the rule (and I did so privately so as not to embarrass him). He proceeded to get very defensive, telling me I was wrong with the rules and that I can only sub on a goalkick or when its my advantage (like when the other team scores against me). He then tells me that I cant sub when its not my advantage nor can I sub when its a free kick or corner kick (which I already knew). Then he goes off on a tangent about having refereed soccer for over 8 yrs and I smiled and just walked away…realizing it was useless asking him about it (and not bother informing him I have been playing the game for over 32 yrs). Just curious if a rule like that could possibly ever be in place. I keep asking the local committee to clarify but no one will get back to me. Personally, I was just trying to be kind to the guy refereeing as I didnt want him making the same mistake in a game that truly meant something but he took it as if I was questioning his authority I think. And no other ref in this same age group has ever called the same no-sub after a goal rule.

USSF answer (August 11, 2009):
Mysterious are the ways of referees — there is no rule under the Laws of the Game that a team may substitute only when it is to their “advantage.” Mysterious also are the ways of the people who “craft” the rules for various competitions.

Are you certain of the rules for substitution in your league? We ask solely because many competitions do not follow the Laws of the Game and allow substitutions only on certain occasions. They thus operate counter to the Laws of the Game, which allow substitution at any stoppage of play. The Federation has no direct control over these leagues, which are affiliated with the state association to which they or their club belong, but these affiliation links carry certain obligations, one of which is to maintain local rules of competition which are consistent with the Laws of the Game (including having local variations which are consistent with the areas in which the Laws of the Game permit variations). If any affiliated team, club, or state association were to pose a question to the Federation, as you are doing here, our obligation is to answer based on the presumption that this obligation is being honored.…

Guide to Procedures

WHISTLE FOR RESTART?

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Question:
My question pertains to a proper re-start, specifically who the referee is suppose to respond to when determining whether or not to utilize a second whistle.

I’m confused on this point and apparently there are 2 different interpretations, according to the Guide to Procedures and USSF classroom instruction provided last month. The 2009-10 Laws of the Game does not address this specific question, but simply states (p.29), “If, when a free kick is taken, an opponent is closer to the ball than the required distance: the kick is retaken.” According to the 2009-10 Guide to Procedures (p.28), the referee should “allow a quick free kick, without the necessity of a second signal, except where the kicker indicates a need.” During my USSF refresher, I asked this question to the instructor and he indicated that anyone from the kicking team can ask for the required distance and as a referee you are obligated to provide a second whistle at that point (if the defenders are indeed clearly less than the required distance to the ball).

In being in and around the game for over 35 years, as a fan, player, coach, and the last 10 years, as a referee, my understanding and according to the Guide to Procedures, that only the kicker can create the need for a second whistle. Is it basically being up the referees’ discretion? Or is it that anyone can ask for the required distance (a teammate on and/or off the field, coaching staff, or spectators) and be granted with a second whistle?

USSF answer (August 11, 2009):
We see no conflict here; provided the referee is satisfied the request is in the best interests of the kicking team, it makes no difference who on that team requests it. There is often confusion in any case as to who will take the kick, so the specific reference to “the kicker” can include any member of that team. However, the referee pays no attention to anyone OTHER than a player of the attacking team (no coaches, substitutes, spectators, color commentators, etc.).…

Law 15 - Throw In

SPINNING THROW-INS

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Question:

In a recent game a player was spinning the ball and not actually throwing from above and *behind* the head. Spinners only throw from above the head and perhaps slightly back and are therefore able to place their dominant hand more behind the ball. It is difficult to get so much spin on a ball thrown properly from behind the head.

How far back is “over and behind the head”?

Since a ball spinning that much is harder to control do referees consider it a wash?

USSF answer (August 10, 2009):
There is no rule that the ball may not “spin” when thrown.  Complete requirements for the throw-in are spelled out in Law 15 (The Throw-In) in the Laws of the Game.

Procedure
At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower:
* faces the field of play
* has part of each foot either on the touch line or on the ground outside the touch line
* holds the ball with both hands
* delivers the ball from behind and over his head
* delivers the ball from the point where it left the field of play

All opponents must stand no less than 2 m (2 yds) from the point at which the throw-in is taken.
The ball is in play when it enters the field of play.

After delivering the ball, the thrower must not touch the ball again until it has touched another player.

And the referee is the sole judge as to whether or not this procedure has been followed.…