Category: Law 18 – Common Sense

Law 18 – Common Sense

"Inventive Assessors"

NO GOAL FOR DENYING A GOAL BY DELIBERATELY HANDLING THE BALL?

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Question:
hi my question is this if the player is on the line and puts his hands up to stop the ball from crossing the line in what happen.

I thought it was called a goal and a red card is given .

USSF answer (July 6, 2010):
You are not alone in your wish that this was true, but not in soccer, or at least not yet. There is a rule in both forms of rugby that allows the referee to award what is called a “penalty try” when an opponent commits misconduct, and thus prevents a try — the equivalent of a goal or touchdown in rugby — being scored. However, there is no such rule in soccer. The referee sends off the player who prevented the goal or the obvious goalscoring opportunity and restarts in accordance with the nature of the foul that led to the misconduct. In the situation you describe, that would be a penalty kick.…

Disciplinary Matters

“CURSING” AND OVERSENSITIVE REFEREES

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Question:
I was recently officiating a U12 boys match (as an assistant referee) and I encountered a situation that was very conflicting for me as a referee.

An attacking player was making an advancement on goal when he was cut off by a defender and the ball was played in the opposite direction.

As play moved downfield, the attacker stayed behind (about 6 yards from my position) and he was obviously mad about his performance. I then heard him mutter the “s” word under his breath.

From what I could tell, he uttered the word simply because he was upset with his own performance. He was not directing the word towards any opponent, referee, coach or fan, and as I mentioned it was “under his breath” (yet still audible by myself).

Now I am aware that the FIFA Laws of the Game insist that a player is to be shown the red card and sent off for using abusive language. My question is though, if the abusive word is not directed towards anyone and is simply used out of frustration, is the player still to be sent off?

As you can imagine, red carding a player in a U12 game is a fairly big deal. Although as a referee, I did not think I could let this go. So after hearing the abusive word, I signaled the center official over and explained to him what happened. He proceeded to show the yellow card and caution the player in question.

I am very conflicted with what happened. In a way, I think a yellow card was the more appropriate form of punishment (I support my center referee!), but at the same time, I cant help thinking that this situation was not handled as it should have been under FIFA law.

So basically my question is, should a player be red carded and sent off for using any curse word, at any time, under any circumstances, period? And did the center official make the correct decision in giving a caution in ths game?

Thank you for the help.

USSF answer (July 2, 2010):
This excerpt from the USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game” may be helpful:

The referee should judge offensive, insulting, or abusive language according to its content (the specific
words or actions used), the extent to which the language can be heard by others beyond the immediate
vicinity of the player, and whether the language is directed at officials, opponents, or teammates. In
other words, the referee must watch for language that is Personal, Public, or Provocative. In evaluating
language as misconduct, the referee must take into account the particular circumstances in which the
actions occurred and deal reasonably with language that was clearly the result of a momentary
emotional outburst.

Referees must take care not to inject purely personal opinions as to the nature of the language when
determining a course of action. The referee’s primary focus must be on the effective management of
the match and the players in the context of the overall feel for the Spirit of the Game. “

Beyond that, one of the first lessons a referee should learn is that he (or she) should hear only what needs to be heard to do one’s job well. In other words, the referee should only “hear” what is vital to good game management. All the rest is simply background noise, to be shut out and not processed.

What possible harm has this player who used the “s” word done? None. He was not cursing another player, a team official, a spectator, the referee, or you,

Could the word be heard by spectators or others? Probably not.

There are too many referees who look for reasons to punish players for totally unimportant and inconsequential events. Let it go.

So your answers are these: No, you should not have brought this matter to the referee’s attention. No, the referee should not have cautioned the player.

Let it go.…

Law 14 - Penalty Kick

LAX ENFORCEMENT OF GOALKEEPER MOVEMENT AT PENALTY KICK

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Question:
I know this has been asked before, but having just watched Japan and Parguay go to PKs to determine a winner I need some input.

On almost every kick the keeper from Japan came off the line prior to the ball being kicked which is against the rules. The keeper can move side to side, but can not move forward until the ball has been struck.

With one ref and two linesmen positioned specifically to observe the action I don’t see how this could be missed. Is it just ignored at this level of play? Perhaps the most well documented example of this was Brianna Scurry coming off the line way early against China to make a dramatic save. I believe Scurry later acknowledge bending the rules to the press after the match.

Given the game deciding weight these plays carry, why is this common rule violation tolerated? It seems crazy to play 90 minutes, plus 30 minutes to let it all rest on these kicks when rules are ignored. It brings in to question the intergrity of the game.

If we had all week I move on from this topic to the blatant diving, shin clutching and face holding that seems to accompany any hard contact these days. Here is how it works: Get hit, go down hard, fake a mortal injury, get on the stretcher and then get right up and jog around once they are brought off the field. Really classy.

USSF answer (July 2, 2010):
Yes, the ‘keeper is required to remain on the line until the ball has been kicked. If he (or she) moves forward before the ball is kicked and moved forward (and thus in play), the kick should be retaken. However, if the kicker scores anyway, then the referee disregards the infringement — but should warn the goalkeeper against further violations.

As to why the officials do not act on these infringements and the others you suggest, we cannot comment and must leave the solution to the officials and their assessors.…

Law 11 - Offside

DEFENDER LEAVES FIELD WITHOUT PERMISSION; OFFSIDE?

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Question:
If the second to last defender’s momentum pushes him or her out of bounds while playing a ball, do you just presume that he or she is out of the play and you just line up with the new second to last defender (for offside) or what do you do?

USSF answer (July 2, 2010):
Any defender who leaves the field over the goal line without the permission of the referee, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, is still counted for offside purposes.

You will find this paragraph in the back of the Law book, under Law 11 in the Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees:

Any defending player leaving the field of play for any reason without the referee’s permission shall be considered to be on his own goal line or touch line for the purposes of offside until the next stoppage in play. If the player leaves the field of play deliberately, he must be cautioned when the ball is next out of play.

…
Law 11 - Offside

WHAT BODY PARTS COUNT FOR OFFSIDE?

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Question:
As as assistant referee focusing on an offside situation I am mostly looking for the scoring part of the player in determining offside most time the head is the farthest point ahead. With that in mind as I am looking at players lined up along the center half I am looking for the same thing. So if a head is over the line and the feet may not be is this technically an offsides call? Many people seem to think that where feet are is an issue but referees aren’t typically looking at feet for offsides calls.

USSF answer (July 2, 2010):
Your first sentence has it all: When judging the offside position, we look solely at the body parts that can score a goal in a legal play on the ball: the head and the feet, but NOT the hands.

There is, of course, no offense called “offsides.”…

"Inventive Coaches"

RETAKES OF PENALTY KICKS

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Question:
We were in a PK situation to decide a match. One of the kickers placed the ball correctly then kicked it prior to the referee’s whistle. The referee warned the kicker to wait for his signal and allowed another attempt. The kicker replaced the ball correctly and proceeded to kick the ball again prior to his whistle.

Once again the warning and a third kick was allowed which eventually decided the game. Is this the correct ruling? I can see possibly allowing one restart but when the player repeats the offending action shouldn’t the kick be nullified?

USSF answer (July 2, 2010):
The referee has no choice but to allow the kicker to continue taking the kick. See below, taken from the Laws of the Game 2010/2011, Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees:

LAW 14- THE PENALTY KICK
//deleted//
Preparing for the penalty kick
The referee must confirm the following requirements before the penalty
kick is taken:
* The kicker is identified
* The ball is properly placed on the penalty mark
* The goalkeeper is on the goal line between the goal posts and facing the kicker
* The team-mates of the kicker and the goalkeeper are
– outside the penalty area
– outside the penalty arc
– behind the ball

Infringements – After the whistle and before ball in play
Outcome of the kick
Infringement
for encroachment Goal No Goal
Attacking Player Penalty is retaken Indirect free kick
Defending Player Goal Penalty is retaken
Both Penalty is retaken Penalty is retaken

However, if the kicker repeats this after being warned, the referee has the option of cautioning ( yellow card) and, upon further repetition of the act, of sending the player off and showing the red card. Even though the kicker may be warned, cautioned or sent off for repeating his offending action, the penalty kick will still be retaken (by any player on the kicking team).…

Law 18 - Common Sense

TOWER OF BABEL, SOCCER STYLE

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Question:
I have a NON-controversial World Cup Referee question! My mom asks me this every World Cup. You have a team from Asia playing a team from Africa with a ref from South America. When the ref calls players over to talk / scold, how do they communicate?

USSF answer (June 28, 2010):
Thank goodness for non-controversial questions!

English is generally recognized as the most-used language in the world for transactions between non-native English speakers who do not speak the other person’s language. All FIFA referees are required to be proficient in English. Of course, that does not apply to players, so the conversations are likely conducted with sign language (as we have seen) or in “Globish,” some variation of English that is generally understandable by both sides. …

"Inventive Coaches"

TEAM INTENTIONALLY LOSES TO ADVANCE OPPONENT

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Question:
A hypothetical question arose at our USYSA State Cup this weekend. Suppose two teams from the same club have advanced through their brackets to the state championship game, and are scheduled to play each other in the final. One team (the ‘A’ team from the club) has already qualified for Regionals via a regional league play-in, but the other team (the ‘B’ team) has not. If the club’s coaches want the ‘B’ team to advance to Regionals as well, is instructing the ‘A’ team to allow the other team to score on them for an easy win something the referee has the authority to act upon (presumably, by warning and/or dismissing the coach(es) of the ‘A’ team for bringing the game into disrepute)? Your answer of September 7, 2006 indicates that deliberately kicking the ball into one’s own goal is an example of bringing the game into disrepute (for which a player should be cautioned), yet your answer of October 2, 2008 makes reference to the rules of competition (as far as tournament standings and advancement) not being the referee’s problem.

Obviously, the club could just “forfeit” their better team by not showing up, thereby advancing the lesser team. But if the coaching staff decides to play the match as a farce, is it the referee’s issue to deal with? Or the competition authority?

As always, your guidance and direction is greatly appreciated!

USSF answer (June 21, 2010):
You would seem to have missed an answer from 2002 that states exactly what was in the IFAB Q&A of 1996 and 2000, as well as 2004, 2005, and 2006. Although it is no longer included in the Laws of the Game, the following answer from the IFAB Q&A 2006 remains valid:

Law 5:
13. How should a referee react if, during the course of a match, he realizes that one of the teams is deliberately trying to lose? Should he draw the attention of the team in question to the fact that if they continue to play in that way, he will terminate the game in accordance with the provisions of Law 5?

The referee has no right to stop the match in this case.

That, of course, does not prevent the referee from including in the game report any information he (or she) hears or learns of before, during, or after the game that substantiates collusion to “fix” a game.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

NO GOAL FOR THE UNITED STATES

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Question:
In the on-line comments that I read concerning the controversial call that denied the United States a third goal in the US — Slovenia World Cup game, I found the following statement:

“You have another ref in the press box watching the replay and he relays the correct call to the main ref via microphone. Side line refs are told not to call anything on close plays like this and if it is offsides the goal is taken away quickly after the upstairs ref reviews the replay. This could have taken seconds.”

Is this statement, or any part of it, accurate? It seems contrary to everything I have understood concerning who has the power to make decisions about play and under what circumstances.

USSF answer (June 18, 2010):
The ways of referees are mysterious. There was no flag from the lead AR to indicate a foul or any other infringement. Yes, there was a fifth official assigned to the game, but he was sitting on the bench behind the fourth official and could not have seen the action in the Slovenian penalty area any better than the fourth official and did not communicate anything to the referee.

While some national associations have conducted tests with the sort of system you describe, this system is not being used in this World Cup. The person who posted the comment you cited is ill-informed.…

"Inventive Assessors"

INDOOR RULE ON COACHES STANDING IN BENCH AREA

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Question:
In an NPSL match, as the match went on and became more contentious, the assistant coach as well as several substitutes began standing in the technical area, occasionally making dissenting remarks.

One comment by an assessor was to allow only one team official to stand at a time.

Is there any USSF requirement that players or coaches remain seated?

As a fourth official, can I demand that the players or coaches remain seated?

USSF answer (June 17, 2010)
The competition rules of NPSL do nor require team officials to stand one at a time, nor that they remain seated. The same applies to the published USSF indoor rules, probably because most facilities don’t always even have seats in the benches.

However, if the teams were playing outdoor soccer, the Law does require that only one team official at a time be standing in the technical area.…