Category: Law 5 – Referee

Law 5 – Referee

Law 18 - Common Sense

THE PREGAME CONFERENCE

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Question:
what do we talk about in our per game? is it just like the signals for calls.

USSF answer (February 23, 2012):
We are not aware of any formal checklist of pregame instructions, although our sponsor Official Sports and some other vendors do carry them. The referee should review the guidance given in the USSF publication “Guide to Procedures for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials,” pointing out any additional tasks that need to be done. In turn, the ARs should ask questions to clarify what it is the referee expects in given situations.

As leader of the officiating team, the referee must establish during the pregame conference how the team will work and cooperate. The referee (depending on his or her own level of experience) should tailor the pregame to fit the composition of the refereeing crew, including their likely varying levels of knowledge and fitness; the age, competition, and skill levels of the players; and the particular requirements of the competition itself. It is often useful for the referee to develop a checklist for topics to be covered in the pregame conference. The amount of detail would be tailored to the needs (see above) of the referee, the assistant referees (ARs), and the fourth official. First and foremost, the referee must ensure that the ARs (and a fourth official) are familiar with the guidelines and mechanics laid out in the USSF publication “Guide to Procedures for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials.”

For starters, when working with unfamiliar crew members, the very first task (after introductions) is to ask questions which (gently) elicit information about these issues — e.g., How long officiating? Grade level? Most frequent level of assignment? Club/league/association? Entry class instructor (if within first or second year of experience)? This will help the referee tailor the pregame to the needs of the team.

Ideal topics for the checklist would include the duties of the AR, signals of the AR (including NOT signalling when the referee can clearly see the incident), what to do when AR signals are missed by the referee (such as when and how long to maintain the flag); duties of the fourth official (if one is assigned); differences between the rules of the competition and the Laws of the Game, if any; what the ARs should do in situations that are not covered by the Laws of the Game, such as unofficial signals or when the AR may/should enter the field; duties at a penalty kick; a reminder to communicate at all possible moments (such as a quick look exchanged between the referee and the lead AR on all through balls or at stoppages in play. Likely the most important item is a reminder to the ARs and the fourth to immediately alert the referee to any mistakes in procedure, such as having cautioned a player a second time but failed to send that player off.

Finally, the referee should encourage the ARs (and a possible fourth official) to ask questions during the pregame conference, just to ensure that they have understood what has been discussed and what they are to do.…

Coach

DELAY IN STARTING A PERIOD OF PLAY

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Question:
I was the CR in a game today that was un-eventful except for one thing. I had trouble getting one team back on the field after halftime.

After the halftime, I blew the whistle to summon the teams to the field for the 2nd half. The blue team came out and lined up for the kick-off (they were to take the kick-off to open the half). The red team didn’t move. This is not unusual, so I waited about 30 seconds and blew the whistle again. Still the red team didn’t come out of their huddle.

I waited another 30 seconds and one of the blue players joked that I should just start the game without them. I blew the whistle AGAIN and summoned the captain BY NAME and the coach BY NAME to send out the team and got NO response.

After another few seconds I blew the whistle a FORTH TIME and the red team finally got up, did their little pre-game “HOO-Rah” cheer and took the field.

I considered this an unacceptable delay. Law 12 states I must issue a yellow card for “delaying the restart of play.”

1) Would I be justified in issuing the Yellow Card to the Captain?

2) As odd as this question is, is there something in “the laws” that would prevent the Referee from starting the game without the Red team ON THE FIELD? Law 3 DOESN’T say the teams must be ON the field and they had ignored 3 requests to get on the field?

USSF answer (February 20, 2012):
Both teams must come out as quickly as possible for the start of a period of play when the referee indicates that the time has arrived. Matches are scheduled to begin at a particular time and for a specified amount of time (depending on the rules of the competition). The Laws also provide that players are entitled to an interval at halftime (must be stated in the competition rules, but may not exceed 15 minutes), which can be altered only with the consent of the referee, not by the coach or other officials of one or both teams. In other words, the teams should make good use of their halftime break and be prepared to come out at the referee’s signal.

If the team does not come out to play when ordered by the referee, that team is in violation of the Laws of the Game and the coach and other team officials can be removed for irresponsible behavior in accordance with Law 5.

Despite having that power, the referee should behave proactively and remind the team that the allotted time has passed and encourage them to come out before applying any draconian measures.

All of which leaves the ultimate question — what if they still don’t come out? Certainly, the coach and other team officials can be ordered away for behaving irresponsibly. As for the players (i.e., persons on the field at the end of the first half) could be cautioned for delaying the restart of play (after appropriate warnings, entreaties, etc.), but at some point this has to stop. Simply abandon the match for having fewer than the minimum number of players required to start/restart/continue play based on the rules of competition and include full details in the match report.…

Law 10 - Scoring

DOES THE GOAL COUNT?

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Question:
I was watching a clip of a professional men’s match when the following occurred. Team A attacked Team B’s goal, and missed, with the ball being shot into the hands of team B’s goalkeeper. The team A shooter’s momentum carried him off the field of play to the right of team B’s goal.

Team B’s ‘keeper carried the ball out to about his 12 yard line and put the ball down to kick it upfield, whereupon the team A shooter who had left the field of play “snuck” up behind the ‘keeper, and stole the ball, dribbled once, and scored. The goal stood.

My question is related to whether or not the scorer was eligible to even re-enter the field of play without the referee’s permission.

Clearly, his leaving the field of play resulted in a tactical advantage, although he did not originally leave the field intentionally. Does the goal count?

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
Because the shooter left the field during the course of play through his momentum, he does not need the permission of the referee to return to the field. The goalkeeper was “punished” for his lack of shortsightedness in losing track of where the opposing player was. Score the goal.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

SUSPEND OR ABANDON A MATCH?

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Question:
I was watching a Girls U14 match (11v11 on a full-sized field with 35 min halves) that started late due to bad weather. With about 15 minutes to go in the game, it was almost too dark for me (standing on the sidelines around midfield) to see either goalkeeper — it was nighttime (no longer “dusk” or “twilight”). I was there because I had friends with daughters on BOTH teams.

Some of the parents of both teams were asking me if we could switch to a nearby lighted field (within the soccer complex). I responded that in this situation, I felt the Laws of the Game only allow for a match the be suspended, abandoned or terminated. I also stated that I saw no reason that switching fields would violate the laws of the game.

In my opinion, the referee should have abandoned the game (but in this game, I was just a spectator with a referee license). I was not going to criticize HIS decision to the parents, but I did say if I were the referee, I’d abandon the game and restart from the beginning OR have used prudence and NOT started the game that late.

Since suspending the game is only “temporary,” I considered “over-night” to be too long to be “temporary.” I felt the match should be abandoned and restarted FROM THE BEGINNING on a later date.

Since the score was 2-1, I didn’t think the coaches would agree to an early “termination.”

This was a D-1 “league game,” not part of a tournament.

Questions: 1a) Could the referee have suspended the game and CONTINUED FROM THE POINT HE STOPPED THE GAME in the morning or on some other day?

1b) If it is resumed from where the referee stopped play, does the same referee crew have to finish the game or can they be replaced by different personnel?

2) Could the referee have suspended the game and moved to the nearby lighted field?

3) How long is “too long” for a “suspension” of a game? My thought is a 3-4 hours at the most and then the game should be “abandoned.”

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
“Suspension” is not an option in this case. Although we see matches stopped and delayed for light failure at lighted stadiums, under the Law the referee may suspend the match only for any infringements of the Laws (at his discretion) or because because of outside interference of any kind, not for weather or lighting conditions (including darkness).

Therefore, depending on the rules of the competition, the referee could decide to delay, postpone or terminate the match. In the event of poor light , it may be possible to commence or continue the game after a suitable delay at another field if the rules of the competition do not forbid it and the owner of the field will permit it. In some circumstances, it will be obvious that the game will not commence or restart.

Because of the initial delay due to bad weather, the best solution would have been for the referee to speak to both teams prior to the beginning of the match and suggest that the halves be shortened. If the teams did not agree, then the match would have been postponed to another time/date and the competition authority would have to deal with it. The refree’s job is to do what is best for the game, not for him- or herself.…

"Only in America!"

COLORED WHISTLES

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Question:
I was attending the Association Cup Quarter Finals yesterday and in the pregame to officials, our State Youth Referee Administrator instructed us that he better not catch us using colored whistles. He further elaborated that only black whistles are to be used and if he any of the referee were to use anything but BLACK whistles we would not be working for him again. I simply have two questions. One is, does USSF support such comments and secondly does the State association or in this case, SYRA has the power to instruct the referees with this sort of demands?

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
The Federation has no requirement that whistles be of any particular color; however, the traditional color for plastic whistles used by referees is black. Your SYRA would have a hard time enforcing such a requirement for referees who use metal whistles. However, at an independently-sponsored tournament the director could insist on this.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

STOP, SUSPEND, ABANDON OR TERMINATE REDUX

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Question:
I’d like to revisit one aspect of the distinction between abandoning and terminating a match. I understand the basic distinctions and the process for determining which course of action a referee should take as described in your answer at http://www.askasoccerreferee.com/?p=2224 . However, I would like to ask specifically about the case of a youth match played in the US: if the last “responsible adult” in the team area has to be expelled for irresponsible behavior (thus leaving no adults in the team area), would the match be abandoned or terminated. I lean towards the latter answer since it seems to fall within the realm of serious breaches of the Law and should result in a game that cannot be replayed. However, I can also see that one may argue that the match should only be abandoned so as to allow for replay of the match once the competition authority has dealt appropriately with the inappropriate adults. Which is the most appropriate choice?

For completeness, if the last responsible adult must leave for some reason other than irresponsible behavior (e.g., illness, family or work emergency, etc), it seems to me that abandonment would be the appropriate decision for the referee in such a case. Do you agree?

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
Our original answer of March 31, 2010, titled STOP, SUSPEND, ABANDON OR TERMINATE, simply suggested that the referee abandon the match in the scenario you put forth. Why? There is nothing in the Laws of the Game to cover this specific situation — and may not be in the rules of the competition either — but common sense suggests this to be the safest course to follow.

The International Board’s use of the word “termination” is, as in a number of other cases, a bit loose, suggesting only that the game is declared to be ended (as in the final paragraph of Law 5 on “Decisions of the Referee”). In most cases it is generally reserved for a situation where non-weather influences (invasion of the field, general melee, etc.) have made the game no longer playable.…

Guide to Procedures

COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION!!

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Question:
While officiating a U14 tournament match with game time running down, a corner kick was taken by attacking team A. The corner kick ball carried into the goal area where a collection of players from teams A & B were positioned.The ball squirmed out and was cleared from the goal area by defending team B. As the ball soared towards midfield, time expired and I signaled the end of the game with a whistle. I then noticed my AR2 signaling a foul in the goal area.

After consulting with him it was determined a defender B, prior to time expiring, had handled the ball before it was cleared by his teammate. I called all the players back to the penalty area and advised them all, a handling foul was committed before time ran out and a penalty kick was being awarded to Team A. The ensuing PK was scored by team A, thus tieing the game and sending the match to a shootout to determine the winner. Without any special provisions in the tournament rules to rely upon, did I follow correct USSF procedure for awarding the PK?

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
Well, unfortunately, there is no way the AR’s information can be used: You and the AR did not follow accepted procedure. Once you have ended the game, no further decisions on that game (other than misconduct following the end of the game) can be made. Why? Because by ending the match without checking with your ARs for any information, you have fallen victim to these words in Law 5:
“The referee may only change a decision on realizing that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee or the fourth official, provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match.”

Simply following correct procedures would have allowed you to take the AR’s information into consideration, but after the decision to end the game has been made the referee’s hands are tied.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE

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Question:
In a local U9 tournament refereed by a USSF referee, three fans of a team were ejected from the field of play for unsportsmanlike conduct directed to the referee (abusively protesting calls). This behavior also had an adverse and intimidating impact on the opposing team. The ejected fans refused to leave the field of play, one issuing a “make me” taunt to the referee. The referee supposedly referred the situation to “field marshals”, play was resumed, and the ejected fans remained for the balance of the game.

My questions: is this what should have happened, and if not, what should have happened?

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
Without going into the terminology used in the questions, we can safely say that no, this is not what should have happened. The referee has no power under the Laws to send people away from the field; however, if the field marshals do not do what they are supposed to do, remove trouble makers, the referee does have the power (see Law 5) to stop, suspend, or abandon the match because of outside interference of any kind. That includes disturbances such as you describe. If the difficulty continued after the field marshals failed in doing their duty, then the referee should have done his duty to the Letter of the Laws and the Spirit of the Game and the players and abandoned the game for this outside interference. He or she should also have submitted a full report to the tournament authorities.…

"Inventive" Refs

MISCONDUCT FOLLOWING THE END OF THE MATCH

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Question:
Should a ref enter a changing room after a game is over to give a card to a player or should he inform a club official he is going to report the player in his match report

USSF answer (January 5, 3012):
Under normal procedure, the referee must inform the player of his decision at the moment of the misconduct (whether a caution or a dismissal), rather than dithering about and waiting till the players had entered the changing room. Why? Because the Law forbids the referee from changing a decision once he has declared the match to be ended and the referee in this case clearly did not make the decision until the match was over, a dreadful mistake.

In this case the referee could tell a team official, if one is available outside the dressing/changing area, but there is no need under the Law for the referee to enter the changing area. The referee simply gives the team official the information and then sends a full report to the appropriate authority within the specified time limits. However, because of the mistake the competition authority may refuse to deal with the matter at all.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

LACK OF CARDS DOES NOT EQUAL NO BOOKINGS!

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Question:
The referee forgets to bring red & yellow cards and notebook to match. advises team managers who say it’s not a problem.

during the course of the match 1 player gets a “yellow card” booking and another gets 2 “yellow cards” and therefore a “red”.

However, due the the lack of the appropriate equipment, should these “bookings” stand and should the players still receive fines (we’re talking and under 15’s sunday match here.)

Should the referee offer to ignore the offences in his match report and could the teams involved ASK him to ignore the bookings on the basis that he forgot his match official’s equipment.?

USSF answer (November 29, 2010):
Yes, despite the referee’s own carelessness in forgetting his cards, the bookings stand, as does the dismissal for the second caution in a match. No, the referee cannot ignore the bookings, and any attempt by the two teams to ask him to do so should also be includ…