Category: Law 12 – Fouls & Misconduct

Law 12 – Fouls & Misconduct

Handling

THROWING OBJECTS AT THE BALL

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Question:
hi hope you can help.
1, a goalkeeper in his area is beaten, the ball is heading towards the goals, he takes his boot of and throws it a the ball taking it away from goals, what do i do ?
2, what happens if he does the same thing outside his area?
3,what happens if a player other than the goalkeeper does it, inside and outside the penalty area?
i do hope it’s not to much to ask and i do appreciate your time.
regards matt.

USSF answer (September 1, 2008):
1. The goalkeeper is cautioned for unsporting behavior and the match is restarted by an indirect free kick to be taken from the place where the ball was when it was struck by the boot or similar object (see Law 13 for position of free kick).

2. We are unclear on your meaning in the second question, whether you mean (a) that the ‘keeper throws his boot at the ball while HE is outside the penalty area but the ball is struck by the boot inside the penalty area or whether you mean (b) that the ‘keeper is inside the penalty area and throws the boot outside to hit the ball.

The correct action for the referee depends on where contact with the ball occurred, not where the goalkeeper was when he threw his boot. If the place of contact was inside the penalty area, caution for unsporting behavior and indirect free kick where the goalkeeper was when he threw his boot. If the place of contact was outside the penalty area, red card for denying the obvious goalscoring opportunity and direct free kick where contact with the ball was made. If it was a defender other than the ‘keeper, red card for denying the obvious goalscoring opportunity regardless of where contact was made and a direct free kick if that location was outside but a penalty kick if inside.

3. The boot or similar object is considered as an extension of the player’s arm. Play would be stopped. If the boot struck the ball inside the penalty area, a penalty kick would be awarded and the offending player would be sent off for preventing a goal by deliberately handling the ball. If the boot struck the ball outside the penalty area, a direct free kick would be awarded and the offending player would be sent off for preventing a goal by deliberately handling the ball (see Law 13 for position of free kick).…

Advice to Referees

IMPEDING THE OPPONENT

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Question:
Apologies if this has been asked and answered on the site already, but I could not find an answer to this question on impeding or interference.

An attacking player is chasing a “through ball” that has been kicked past the last defender, and towards the goal. That last defender is also chasing the ball, and is actually closer to it than the attacker, but not close enough to it to be considered “playing the ball” at the time that I suspect a foul was committed.

With the ball still 7 or 8 yards from the defender, with the attacker following right behind, the defender sees that her goalie is coming out of the box to make a play with their feet to clear the ball. To ensure the attacker has less of a chance to get to the ball first, she slows and appears to deliberately block the attacker from getting a clear run at the lose ball, giving the goalie more time to get to the ball first.

Lots of spectators commented on what a heads up play it was, but I was of the opinion that since the defender was not playing the ball at the point she made contact with the attacker deny her a run at the ball that a foul had been committed.

What do the laws say about this please?

USSF answer (August 27, 2008):
It would appear from your description that the defending player impeded her opponent. The correct restart for this would be an indirect free kick from the place of the infringement. However, please read these excerpts from the USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game”:

12.14 IMPEDING AN OPPONENT
“Impeding the progress of an opponent” means moving on the field so as to obstruct, interfere with, or block the path of an opponent. Impeding can include crossing directly in front of the opponent or running between the opponent and the ball so as to form an obstacle with the aim of delaying progress. There will be many occasions during a game when a player will come between an opponent and the ball, but in the majority of such instances, this is quite natural and fair. It is often possible for a player not playing the ball to be in the path of an opponent and still not be guilty of impeding.

The offense of impeding an opponent requires that the ball not be within playing distance and that physical contact between the player and the opponent is normally absent. If physical contact occurs, the referee should, depending on the circumstances, consider instead the possibility that a charging infringement has been committed (direct free kick) or that the opponent has been fairly charged off the ball (indirect free kick, see Advice 12.22). However, nonviolent physical contact may occur while impeding the progress of an opponent if, in the opinion of the referee, this contact was an unavoidable consequence of the impeding (due, for example, to momentum).

12.15 PLAYING DISTANCE
The referee’s judgment of “playing distance” should be based on the player’s ability to play the ball, not upon any arbitrary standard.

…
Law 11 - Offside

CONFUSED REFEREE

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Question:
1) if there is a hand ball is it a direct or indirect free kick? how do you know when to call a indirect or direct kick?  2) if the goalie comes out of his area, and advances the ball to the opposite goal, and loses the ball, the defending team has the ball, how would you call that play as a linesman, would the last defender be consider a goalie? would the the forward be offside if he is in front of the last defender but the goalie is way on the other side of the field. this happened to me 2 weeks ago, i counted the goal but should i have?

USSF answer (August 26, 2008):
1) Let’s get some terminology straight here. A “hand ball” means nothing in soccer. If you mean that a player deliberately handled the ball, that is a direct free kick foul. If the handling was not deliberate, then there was no foul, no matter that the player whose hand the ball hit may have “gained an advantage.”

2) Only the goalkeeper can be considered the goalkeeper. Neither of the last two opponents between an attacking player and the opponents’ goal must be the goalkeeper. No, you should not have counted the goal if there was only one opponent between the player and the goal line and the ball was played to that player. That player would have been in an offside position and thus offside (interfering with play) when his teammate played the ball to him.…

"Inventive" Refs

WHEN MAY A CARD BE SHOWN TO A SUBSTITUTE?

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Question:
In a game I played yesterday, one of the substitutes was verbally advised by the referee that as soon as he came onto the pitch to play that he would give him a yellow card.

The incident came about as the subsitute said something to the linesman during the 20th minute of the game. The referee did not show a yellow card at the time, but advised the player that as soon as he did come into the game that he would give him a yellow card. The substitute came into the game in the 75th minute and as soon as he entered was shown a yellow card.

Can the referee do this, or does he have a time limit on when to show a yellow card?

USSF answer (August 11, 2008):
Another inventive referee! If it was going to be done at all, the referee should have cautioned the substitute at the moment of the misconduct — or at least prior to the next restart. Under these conditions, i. e., the referee was aware of the misconduct (dissent, we presume) and had not received any later signal from the assistant referee, the referee must caution at the next stoppage following the misconduct or he or she no longer has that privilege. The referee can, of course, still include details of the misconduct in the match report, but it cannot be considered to be a caution.…

"Inventive" Refs

PLAYERS OF ANY AGE MUST BE SENT OFF FOR SERIOUS MISCONDUCT (2)

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Question:
A recent discussion created much debate about the duty and responsibilities a referee under law 5 had to exercise an opinion on law 12 send off offenses when playing 11 aside soccer. The question posed was the failure to show a red card for a send off offense that the referee actually admitted was in fact a send off offense but the referee refused to send off a player because the player was between 9 to 14 years of age a miss-application of law? If a referee was to stop play and award a dfk or pk for a spitting at another or a DOGSO incident where the player CLEARLY denies a goal via the illegal use of the hands but chose not to show a red card due to age is that an opinion on a fact of play or is it a miss application of law? I understand that as an opinion the referee can say there was no criteria for send off and as a fact of play not much can be done but can he say I saw the goal denied point 4 states the player is to be sent off but I do not care? Are not the send off offenses more along the lines of if that occurs then this happens not if it does happen I can pretend it didn’t because the player might get upset?

USSF answer (August 5, 2008):
Yes, the Federation suggests that the referee weigh the facts in every case of misconduct, so as to ensure that both the Letter and the Spirit of the Laws are satisfied. But if the referee chooses to excuse a player aged 9-14 for committing an infringement that should be punished by an immediate sending-off simply because he or she is so young, how will such players ever learn right from wrong and how to play soccer properly, not to mention to exist in society?Furthermore, who would want to be such a referee on the witness stand testifying as to why he let “Davie” stay in the game because he was a cute 11-year-old who had performed a studs-up tackle on “Mark,” was let go this time, and then broke “Freddy’s” leg two minutes later with the exact same maneuver.  Whether the referee shows a red card or not, a violent player must be gotten off the field.…

"Inventive" Refs

PLAYERS OF ANY AGE MUST BE SENT OFF FOR SERIOUS MISCONDUCT (1)

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Question:
Is it appropriate to take game and situational factors, especially the age of players, when considering sending-off offenses? The ATR “philosophy of cautions” is clear that the referee must consider qualitative factors when determining whether or not to give a caution. Does the same concept apply to send-offs? To be more specific, having determined that a sending-off foul occurred, must the referee send off the player regardless of the player’s age?

As an example, I would be hard-pressed to send off a U12 player for DGH. The law seems intended to prevent older and more skilled players from trading a sure goal for a PK, by adding the consequence of playing a man down. A U12 player is unlikely to understand this, and more importantly is far more likely to handle the ball in an “oh crap” moment than with malicious premeditation. If possible, I’d appreciate a general response as well as an answer to the specific example.

USSF answer (August 5, 2008):
Yes, the Federation suggests that the referee weigh the facts in every case of misconduct, so as to ensure that both the Letter and the Spirit of the Laws are satisfied. But if the referee chooses to excuse a player aged 9-14 for committing an infringement that should be punished by an immediate sending-off simply because he or she is so young, how will such players learn right from wrong and how to play soccer properly, not to mention to exist in society? There is, of course, the question as to whether an accidental (“Oh crap”) handling should be considered at all — and the answer must be a resounding “NO!”…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

CONSEQUENCES OF A DISMISSAL (SENDING-OFF)

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Question:
What does Send Off mean if the player was on the bench, as a substitute when they received a red card? The match has started, but would it make a difference if the ball had been out of bounds at the time? My interpretation is that the team must play a man down, even though none of the players committed the Send Off offense and it was a substitute. As in the ruling, substitutes who receive a red card are treated as if they were players on the field. Just asking.

USSF answer (August 5, 2008):
You have confused the process of sending a player or substitute or substituted player off with the consequences of sending that person off. A player who has been sent off, whether on the field or off at the moment of the misconduct, may not be replaced as a player. The player must leave the field and its environs. In that case, the team plays with one fewer player. A substitute who has been sent off may not be replaced on the roster by any other person. As this was a substitute and thus not a player, there is no effect on the number of players on the field. The substitute must leave the team area and the environs of the field. The dismissal of a substituted player, no longer a participant in the game under any circumstances — except in competitions that allow substitutes to fly in and out of the game — must simply leave the team area and the environs of the field.

Note: For safety reasons, there are certain exceptions for youth players/substitutes/substituted players, but these individuals must not be allowed to interfere with the further progress of the game. If they do interfere, the referee should terminate the game.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

SUB ENTERS AND INTERFERES WITH POSSIBLE GOAL

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Question:
A substitute is warming up behind the goal.His team’s keeper makes a mistake playing up field out of the penalty area. The opponent, seeing a wide open goal, kicks the ball directly towards goal, The ball OBVIOUSLY heading in the goal is kicked away by the sub that was warming up who ran onto the field.What do you do to the sub and what is the restart?

USSF answer (August 4, 2008):
Law 3 tells us:

Substitute or a substituted player: If a substituted or a substituted player enters the field of play without permission- the referee must stop play (although not immediately if the player in question does not interfere with play or if the advantage can be applied)- the referee must caution him for unsporting behavior- the player shall leave the field of play. If the referee stops play, it must be restarted with an indirect free kick for the opposing team from the position of the ball when play was stopped (see Law 13 — Position of Free Kick).

In addition to the caution for unsporting behavior for entering the field of play without the referee’s permission, the referee could consider cautioning the substitute or unsporting behavior for kicking the ball away, leading directly to a sending-off for a second caution in the same game.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

MISCONDUCT

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Question:
i did a veteran game and a few players of a team is not satisfied with a two decisions against them within minutes.

a while later, i feel that particular player defender is trying to test me. a long ball is send towards him from the opponent, and when he clear the ball, an opponent was trying to block the clearance. i saw no contact or late tackle, so there is no foul. at the same time, he shouted for pain and holding his ankle. i knew that it is fake.

after a second or so, he shouted “good call, referee”, which definitely not a praise.

is this unsporting behavior? what should i do if i encounter such acting again? i know that simulation in the penalty area appealling for penalty is a caution, but this is different situation.

USSF answer (July 30, 2008):
No matter how hard we try, not all players will be satisfied with our decisions. What the player did was to express his dissatisfaction openly. The first act, simulating a foul, with a slight hint of feigning injury by crying out in pain, is a cautionable offense (unsporting behavior). The second act, “Good call, referee,” was dissent, also a cautionable offense. How you deal with these situations is a measure of your ability to manage players.

Much of it depends on how confident you are in dealing with such situations. You will find that this varies from game to game, from team to team and from player to player. Caution this player if need be, but if the rest of the players seem satisfied with what you are doing, then simply have a quiet word with the dissenting player. Remind him that he has committed two cautionable offenses and could already have been sent off. Then warn him that further acts like these will not go unpunished. Finally, do not forget to follow through if these or similar acts occur again.

Finally, just to make it clear to other readers, it is not only simulation in the penalty area, but simulation anywhere in the field in an attempt to influence any decision by the referee (is or is not a foul, is or is not misconduct, is or is not a red card instead of a yellow card) is itself misconduct.…

Interpretations/IFAB

TACKLES (AND CHARGES)

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Question:
The word TACKLE is used variously in soccer coaching material, in general speaking and in referee laws and instructions.

It’s used by TV commentators to describe a player sliding to kick a ball out of bounds without an opponent being in close proximity.

Coaches teach a ‘block tackle’ which is often no more than a front-to-front confrontation that doesn’t touch the ball. Referees say a kick of the ball made by reaching between the legs of an opponent from behind, without touching the opponent, is a ‘poke’ while a reach in front of a player to drive the ball away is a ‘tackle.’ In relaxed conversation a tackle has to touch the ball – or not.

It’s all a bit confusing. Is there a standard description for the word TACKLE that applies to the Laws of the Game?

(I’m still unsatisfied with the MAKER of a throw-in being the TAKER of the throw-in and not the one taking it on foot, head or chest.)

USSF answer (July 29, 2008):
In the less-complicated world of the Laws of the Game and refereeing — in contrast to the complicated and overly-esoteric scientific world of the coach — a tackle is any play with the foot for a ball under the control of the opponent, whether the player contacts the ball with the foot or not. This includes “pokes,” “block tackles” or whatever other term the coach(es) may use. In all events, a “tackle” is not limited to “sliding”; a sliding tackle is simply a tackle performed in a particular way.

In addition, there is something in the Laws for 2008/2009 that applies to both “tackle” and “charge” (Law 12). Both terms refer to actions that occur many times during the game without violating the Law — they only become an offense if either is performed carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force.…