Category: Law 12 – Fouls & Misconduct

Law 12 – Fouls & Misconduct

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

SLIDING FEET FIRST TOWARD AN OPPONENT

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Question:
I am always accessing this site for information. Even as I search for one topic I always stop to review many others that come up in a search. This time though my search did not bring up any information that I could use.

In a U14 Rec game, the goalkeeper would slide in a manner that brought his feet, and cleats first towards the attacking opponent. In various games this season the referee has warned and later yellow carded the [same] GK for this action. The GK has tried to modify his saving dives but his feet are still ahead of his hands and body and even though the cleats don’t directly point to the attacker they are visible first.

I am not the referee but rather the Soccer Director of this Rec league. The GK’s mother has come to me arguing that the referee is targeting her son for the repeated YC over the course of the season.

As a referee myself, I don’t see that the referee is making any incorrect calls here as I would follow the same actions. To me the GK is playing dangerously and the GK’s coach should be better instructing him to rid him of this dangerous bad habit. And when contact is made using this technique it is Reckless and deserves a yellow card.

I will never over rule any referee in the games they officiate in my league. But I would like to have some official information to give to this parent that clearly does not want to listen to my opinion or accept that of the referee. Also, I am a former GK myself and I know better than to slide in that fashion.

USSF answer (March 5, 2012):
There is absolutely no rule against sliding feet first if the boots are not used as weapons, but we have some difficulty visualizing a reason for a ‘keeper to be sliding feet first (particularly with “cleats first”) toward an opponent in a valid pursuit of the ball unless he was attempting to tackle the ball away with those feet. If this is NOT the case (i.e., he was trying to gain hand possession while sliding feet first toward an opponent), then his actions were clearly dangerous, if not in fact provocative. If he was performing a sliding tackle, then this action (as would equally be the case if done by a field player) would come under the guidelines that have been established for tackles of this sort — involvement of the lead leg, body used as a guided missile, trail leg involvement, combined with such misconduct elements as speed of movement, direction of attack, height of either foot above the ball, and exposure of the studs. Only the referee on the game can make the decision, no matter what guidelines the IFAB and the USSF issue.…

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.…

"Inventive" Refs

SUBSTITUTE ENTERS WITHOUT PERMISSION AND “FOULS” OPPONENT

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Question:
After a substitute enters the field of play and trips an opponent from behind (blind side) the referee stopped play and showed the substitute the red card. He restarted with a IFK. At the end of the game while writing the report the referee is struggling with what reason to write for the red card for.

The LOTG states: A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
• serious foul play
• violent conduct

The referee wants to go with SFP since the play wasn’t that violent to go with VC. But AR reminds him that ATR 12.33 says:
This does not include serious misconduct by substitutes, who should be punished for violent conduct if they commit an act as described in the first paragraph of this section. (See 12.34.)

My question, can the ATR trump what is very clearly stated in the LOTG?

Answer (February 10, 2012):
There is nothing in the Advice to Referees that recommends anything that is contrary to or “trumps” the Laws of the Game. The Laws of the Game always take precedence over anything in the Advice, as clearly stated in the introduction to the Advice. Your scenario is clear-cut and the same answers are in both publications.

First you must justify the nature of any misconduct committed by the substitute before you decide how to punish it. In your scenario the sub who enters the field and trips an opponent, but has not committed any act of a violent nature. Why would you send him off for serious foul play? A substitute cannot commit serious foul play. He can commit violent conduct, but your scenario does not include any act of violence. Therefore the information in Advice 12.33 is absolutely correct: The substitute MUST be cautioned for unsporting behavior (entering without permission), but not necessarily until he interferes with play, and the opponents awarded an indirect free kick from the place where the ball was when play was stopped. If the referee “needs” the second sanction for game management purposes, then he or she should caution the substitute for a second instance of unsporting behavior, tripping the opponent. If the trip from behind involved excessive force, then send the sub off for violent conduct.…

Indoor

FUTSAL RULE

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Question:
In futsal, it is illegal to tackle an opponent. This seems kind of broad to me. Tackling is the act of dispossessing an opponent of the ball. So, if a player takes the ball away from an opponent, without any contact, would this be illegal?

USSF answer (January 27, 2012):
That portion of futsal rules changed 2 years ago. It is generally like outdoor soccer, the difference being that in futsal contact with an opponent before contact with the ball is not allowed unless the referee feels the contact was inadvertent when both were playing for the ball. An outdoor-style shoulder charge is a no no. The same standards of careless, reckless, or use of excessive force are applied as in outdoor soccer.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

PENALTY KICK CONUNDRUM

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Question:
Let’s call A1 and A2 two players of Team A. A1 runs towards the opponents’ goal, but he is fouled inside the penalty area. The referee awards a penalty kick to Team A, but A1 is compelled to leave the field of play because of an injury due to the foul. He cannot return the field of play until the penalty kick is taken (‘An injured player may only return to the field of play after the match has restarted’, Law 5, Injured players).

A2 is going to take the penalty, and the referee blows his whistle.

Before the ball is in play, A1 commits an offence (e.g. strikes the assistant referee, uses an abusive language or throws an object to a substitute/substituted player of Team B), while remaining outside the field of play.

Now, A2 kicks the ball, but the goalkeeper catches it. So, according to Law 14 (an infringement committed by a teammate of the kicker), since a goal has not been scored, referee has to stop play, and an indirect free kick from the place where the infringement occurred has to be awarded to the opposing team.

But since the offence occurred outside the field of play:
1) Where has the indirect free kick to be taken from?
2) Does the IFK become a dropped ball from the penalty mark, since the offence occurred outside the field of play?

USSF answer (January 21, 2012):
Law 14 tells us:

Procedure
• After the players have taken positions in accordance with this Law, the referee signals for the penalty kick to be taken

Infringements and sanctions
If the referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and, before the ball is in play, one of the following occurs:
…
a team-mate of the player taking the 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

However, because the infringement occurred off the field of play there is no choice allowed by Law if the answer is to be determined by Law 14. Therefore another choice must be made to solve this conundrum.

The scenario says that A1 commits an offense “before the ball is in play” and thus the offense has occurred during a stoppage and so, despite the signal to start, play did not start… Therefore the referee must treat the kick as if it had not occurred. In this case the referee makes the decision to stop play for the offense which took place before the kick has been taken Deal with whatever A1 did (if this involves a red card, Team A plays down because A1 was a player of record, even though off the field, at the time), and then start with the original penalty kick (not a retake).…

"Inventive" Refs

PURPOSELY KNEELING OR LYING DOWN TO SCORE A GOAL

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Question:
There is a huge discussion on SOCREF about a goal that was scored as follows: The attacker beats the keeper and dribbles toward an open goal; then stops the ball, goes to the ground and with his head rolls the ball into the goal. The question is, if the referee deems this action a misconduct (USB), can the goal be allowed since it preceded the ball entering the goal? In other words, can the referee allow the goal but caution the player after the goal is scored? Some senior referees believe that the goal ought to be allowed. If that is true, then I am at a loss as to why such a goal is allowed even though the culprit violated LAW12 *before* the ball entered the goal.

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
We first answered this question back on September 19, 2001, when it was posted on the very same SOCREF-L to stop another “huge discussion.” Here is the correct answer to the question:

Please try to understand how the Laws of the Game work, particularly with regard to infringements of Law 12. The final bullet point under Law 12, Indirect Free Kick states:

• commits any other offense, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player

The indirect free kick is taken from where the offense occurred (see Law 13 – Position of Free Kick).

The player who gets down on his hands and knees and heads the ball into the opponents’ goal is taunting them and committing unsporting behavior. There is no other possible (rational) explanation for such behavior, and the only course of action open to you is to stop play, caution and show the yellow card. The restart is as described in Law 12.

Play ceases immediately a player commits such an offense, which, in the case we are considering, is unsporting behavior for his taunting of the opposing team. Therefore, no goal has been scored, nor can it be scored, because the offense was committed before the ball entered the goal.

This information comes to us from the International F. A. Board, the folks who write the Laws of the Game. No matter how “unfair” some people may think it may be, it is the Law, and there is no way, creative or otherwise, around it. Play ceases as soon as you, the referee, have made the decision that an infringement has occurred, whether or not you have signaled that decision to the world. If you choose not to make that decision in this case, then you are violating both the letter and the spirit of the Law.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

TRICKERY? YES, INDEED

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Question:
Is it Trickery when defender A passes the ball back to the keeper and the keeper flicks the ball up to the defender A who then heads it back to the keeper? I know two defenders can do this and it is normal play but I was curious if the keeper is allowed to initiate without penalty.

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
This was one of the first tricks used when the Law was changed to do away with this sort of behavior. Yes, it is trickery.…

"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.…

"Inventive" Refs

SPECTATOR HARASSMENT; PLAYER SIZE

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Question:
I have two questions:
1. I whistled once at a poor call by a referee. A simple whistle. No words were spoken. At the half, the referee came over to the entire group of parents on our side of the field and said if he heard a whistle again, he would throw all of the parents out of the game. Is this permissible/legal under the rules? The whistle did not sound anything like the referee’s whistle.

2. A player on the opposing team was purposely hurting my son and others on our team by spiking them and knocking them off of their feet to the ground with his shoulder. The coach seemed to be encouraging this and the referee would do nothing about it. If I video this behavior taking place, who can I report it to? I was seriously concerned that my son was going to be hurt. He was 12 years old playing on a varsity team with 17 and 18 year olds. Our coach would do nothing, the opposing coach did nothing and the referees did nothing.

What should I have done?

USSF answer (January 3, 2012):
First of all, we are not authorized to answer questions involving high school rules. That is the job of a high school rules interpreter. We answer only questions based on the Laws of the Game, the rules the world plays by.

1. If this game had been played under the Laws of the Game (and not including any special rules of the particular competition), then the answer is no, the referee cannot clear the spectators out of the area of the field. That does not mean that spectators at a soccer match are allowed and enabled to harass the officials. A referee can require proper behavior from the sidelines if it is interfering with his/her authority and/or affecting play unfairly. If proper behavior does not occur, the referee can suspend or terminate the match (after taking appropriate measures to have team officials or competition authority representatives resolve the issue before having to take such stringent measures).

2. There is no such foul as “spiking,” so we are uncertain what you mean. A player is allowed to charge his opponents fairly — generally shoulder to shoulder, with both players having at least one foot on the ground and without using excessive force. The use of excessive force (in the opinion of the referee) should result in the sending-off of the guilty player, but that decision is up to the referee, not the parents or other spectators. A younger player and his parents take their chances when the youngster plays with teammates and opponents who are much larger and stronger. The referee will certainly give the smaller player as much protection as the other players, but he is not entitled to special consideration. It would seem that the referee and the coaches knew what they were doing.

As to “reporting” player behavior, if the referee and both coaches were not concerned, it would seem unlikely that the competition authority (the league, etc.) would act.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

WHY WAS THIS PLAYER SENT OFF?

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Question:
I was watching the below clip from a professional match. The referee restarted play with a drop ball. The red team expected the white team to kick the ball back to them because the red team had the ball before played was stopped. Instead, the white player took the ball and went on to score despite the protests. The referee went on to send off the scorer. I’m assuming it was for unsporting behavior (and hopefully that was his second yellow card and not a straight red).

So I have a few questions. Can you caution a player for unsporting behavior because they refuse to play “fair play” at a drop ball? If so, does the goal still count and what is the proper restart? Also, what punishment if any do the red players get for confronting the scorer and attempting to trip him?

Video: http://youtu.be/uwDA5vYkz28

USSF answer (December 16, 2011):
The answers to your questions in the order in which they were asked:
1. No, although the referee might have detected some separate misconduct by the white player that we non-Lusophone (Portuguese or Brazilian) speakers are unable to comprehend from the match commentary. Lacking an understanding of the language, we can say only that there is absolutely no requirement under the Laws of the Game that the white player surrender the ball to the red team.
2. If some misconduct by the white player was detected, then no, the goal does not count; the proper restart would be an indirect free kick from the place where the misconduct occurred.
3. If the referee applied the advantage for these attempted trips, then there is no punishment necessary.…