Question:
I volunteer to referee for a recreational league of players ages 11-13. My question is regarding a dropped ball. One of the red team defenders was injured on the field and I stopped play (the white team had the ball in red’s penalty box). After the player was removed from the field, I did a dropped ball in the center circle (wrongly I know now).

After reading the FIFA laws, I know what the book says, however in every college and professional soccer game I have watched, a dropped ball was in the goal box where the goalie picked it up after the bounce, or in the center circle where the opposing team (the one who didn’t have the ball) kicks it down to the other team willingly.

What I did was talk to the red team and told them to kick it down to the white team and we would start play after the ball was dropped.

Unfortunately, the ball was kicked high and the white goalie caught it on the bounce and carried it into the net. This wasn’t my intent and after speaking with the coaches, the goal was disallowed (both agreed), and I dropped it in front of the white goalie. The complaining came more from the parents.

Keeping in mind that this is a rec league and some kids are still learning, I find the dropped ball to be extremely dangerous. What should my call and subsequent action have been and what is the gentleman’s agreement that should have been followed by the kids regarding a dropped ball?

USSF answer (October 22, 2008):
We congratulate you for volunteering to officiate and, even more, for being serious enough about it to think carefully about these situations and to look for ways to ensure fairness for the players.  We wish more referees would do that! Despite this, however, there are certain things even volunteers must be aware of, regardless of the level of play.

First, referees should not make “gentleman’s agreements” with players. Although the game was founded on the principle that it was played by gentlemen and those who played it would behave accordingly, that went out the door well over a hundred years ago. We do not bargain with players. Instead, we establish rules (beyond those in the Laws of the Game) early on, even for the less-experienced and less-skilled players.

Before dropping the ball — at the place where it was when play was stopped, just as it calls for in the Law — the referee should know who will be present at the drop. If players are too close, or are swinging their legs like pendulums on a clock gone haywire, the referee tells them to be still or to move back or whatever else seems necessary. He or she also reminds them that they cannot play the ball until it hits the ground.

If the referee wants the ball to go to a particular team, in a sense of fairness (as you describe above), he or she engineers the drop so that that particular team gets the ball. The referee cannot order the other team to stay away, but he or she can make a strong suggestion, calling upon that team’s sense of fair play.…

Question:
Recognizing your answer on this question from the archives (Oct. 12, 2007), I have always considered the goalkeeper perhaps carrying the ball a tad too long in his hands before punting as committing a doubtful or trifling offense (after all, what difference is 1 foot or so on a kick of perhaps 40 yards?).

Nonetheless, I had a zealous AR raise a flag for just such an offense, a flag that I did not see for several seconds as the ball was in dynamic play at the other end of the field when it came down. Flummoxed at seeing the flag, I blew the whistle and the AR proceeded to shout for all the world to hear, “The goalie crossed the line before punting.” I admit to being perturbed not just at the calling of the offense but at the flagrant disregard for procedure in the shout as it gave me little choice in addressing the matter.

I proceeded to tell this story with my crew at my next match and carefully included mention in the pre-game conference that I considered any offense well behind the course of play to be trifling unless it rose to the level of misconduct. Amazingly, an AR made the same call in that game even after the pre-game conference, and he also shouted out, “It was a whole yard.”

My question therefore is two-fold —

1. Am I indeed correct that this offense can be doubtful and/or trifling, even at “a whole yard,” when absolutely nobody on the field except the AR even notices?
2. If I am correct, do you have any advice for how the wise referee can recover some sense of credibility with the players after such a call is made? Having been burned twice, I want to be really ready next time.

USSF answer (October 20, 2008):
Answer 1: While recognizing that the offense by the goalkeeper of crossing the penalty area line with the ball still in hand is never doubtful, but often trifling, we must also recognize that it is certainly an infringement of the Law and must always be treated as such. The referee will usually allow the first such act to go unpunished, but must then clearly warn the goalkeeper to observe and honor the line and the Law. If it occurs again, the referee should call the foul and no later than the third offense caution the goalkeeper for persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game.

Answer 2: Sage advice for the intelligent referee is hard to give when assistant referees fail to follow instructions from the referee in the pregame conference. As long as play is stopped anyway, acknowledge the AR’s flag and go over to speak with him or her. Reinforce the instruction not to interfere in the flow of the game with trifling matters — but remember the sage advice given in Answer 1 — and remind the goalkeeper to stay within the confines of the penalty area when he or she has the ball in hand. Then restart the game properly and add the time lost in this exchange to the time of the half.

Another course of action might be for the referee to confer with the AR (making sure the conversation was private), direct the AR to nod his or her head in apparent agreement, walk back toward the ball (making a swing past the GK for a private discussion of no more than a sentence or two), and then restart with a dropped ball. In short, although the AR has obviously created a problem — both the the signal and then with his horrendous mechanics — the situation is still not without options.…

Question:
Regarding the law 11 The Offside . in the event of a goal kick the law says that there is not an offside position even though there is a offensive player clearly nearer the opponents’ goal line than the next-to-last opponent, now ,what happens if before this player touches the ball someone else touches it, and after that this player gets it. Is it now offside ?

USSF answer (October 17, 2008):
Actually, there is still offside position at a goal kick. Being in an offside position is legal and can occur at any time during play. However, there is no offside infringement directly at the taking of a goal kick. If an opponent plays/touches/makes contact with the ball on its way to the player in the offside position, there is no infringement of Law 11. If a teammate plays/touches/makes contact with the ball on its way to the player in the offside position, there is the possibility of an offside infringement, if the the player in the offside position is actively involved in play by interfering with an opponent, interfering with play, or gaining an advantage from being in the offside position.…