Category: Law 18 – Common Sense

Law 18 – Common Sense

Law 18 - Common Sense

OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE WITH THE REFEREE

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At a recent game, an incident occurred and I wanted to get some clarification on what a referee/coach mentor is allowed to do during a game he/she is observing and what other referees who are waiting for their games can verbalize to another referee.  I also wanted to get clarification on Law 12 of the game.

Here is what occurred:

Question:
My team was on an offensive attack and a cross was delivered into the 6 yd box.  One of my players was making a run to the near post to attempt to score a goal.  The goalie came off the line and then fumbled the ball and the ball was loose on the ground in front of the goal.  My offensive player saw an opportunity to finish a play and proceeded to try to score.  The goalie then bent over and to the left to recover the bouncing ball and moved into the path of the oncoming offensive player.  The offensive player attempted to twist away from the goalie that was now in the path.  The goalie grabbed the ball and immediately proceeded to get in the upright position and collided with the oncoming offensive player.  The collision between the two players caused the goalie to go to the ground and the oncoming player was spun around and landed upright facing in the opposite direction.  The referee came and showed the yellow card to the offensive player.

After the initial call, the center referee went to the sidelines where the center proceeded to speak to the AR and another person on the sidelines who was not part of the 4 man crew.  After several minutes of discussion among them, the center showed the red card to the offensive player for a sendoff.

After the game, I asked who the referee spoke to on the sidelines, as it was a person not in referee attire and not part of the 4 man crew.  I was told that it was the referee mentor that the center was speaking to.  Several days after, I found out that it was actually just another referee awaiting a game that was involved in a discussion with the center and the AR.  The other AR and the 4th official were not involved in the discussion.

My first question is this, is the referee mentor or another referee allowed to give input in a game that they are not officiating?  Does the referee mentor have the capacity to give advise in regards to a specific incident during a game and help the center referee determine what call to make?  Can a referee who is not part of the 4 man crew render advice that potentially alters the call of the center referee?

Second, the player was sent off for violent conduct.  In reading the FIFA Law 12 in regards to violent conduct, I highlighted a statement that I felt was misapplied at the time of the send-off.  It clearly states that violent conduct is when an opponent is not challenging for the ball.  In the incident that occurred, the ball was loose and therefore the goalie did not have clear possession of the ball.  The offensive player was challenging for the ball.  The collision resulted due to the fact that the goalie moved into the path of the oncoming player to recover a dropped ball.  In reading Law 12 in regards to the verbage of violent conduct, my player should not have received this send-off.  Am I reading this Law correctly and was it misapplied in regards to this incident?
A player is guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball.

Violent conduct may occur either on the field of play or outside its boundaries, whether the ball is in play or not.

He is also guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against a team-mate, spectator, match official or any other person.

I would appreciate any clarity you can give.

USSF answer (May 25, 2010):
First question:
Mentors (and assessors) are not allowed to interfere with the referee’s management of the game until the game is over. During the game (from the first kick-off until the final whistle), the referee should not consult with or be bothered by anyone other than his or her assistant referees and fourth official, if there is one. No referee, instructor, mentor, assessor, assignor, or administrator who is not assigned as referee or assistant referee or fourth official is allowed to interfere in any way until the game is over. This answer of earlier this month may be of help in that regard:

USSF answer (May 4, 2010):
Unless there is some special rule in your state that does not exist in other states, the mentor (or the assessor) is not allowed to interfere with the referee’s handling of the game until after the game has ended; not at a stoppage, not at halftime. He or she cannot intervene to make the referee change a call or take back a card or anything else. That sort of thing is done in the postgame conference.

However, the mentor (but NOT the assessor) could quietly suggest to the nearer assistant referee that the referee might wish to do this a bit differently — provided that the game has not already been restarted. The AR could then pass this information on to the referee.

Second question:
What is of greater concern to us is your perception of the incident in which your attacker was involved with the opposing goalkeeper. As you describe it, we see your player in the aggressor role, bowling over the goalkeeper who was simply doing her job — protecting her goal. In doing so, your player would seem to have committed serious foul play, not violent conduct, by using excessive force and total disregard for the safety of her opponent, in an attempt to win the ball.

These definitions from the USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game,” also meant for the reading pleasure of coaches, players, and spectators, may be helpful:

12.33 SERIOUS FOUL PLAY
It is serious foul play when a player uses violence (excessive force; formerly defined as “disproportionate and unnecessary strength”) when challenging for the ball on the field against an opponent. There can be no serious foul play against a teammate, the referee, an assistant referee, a spectator, etc. The use of violence or excessive force against an opponent under any other conditions must be punished as violent conduct.

It is also serious foul play if a player commits any tackle which endangers the safety of an opponent. In this case, the tackle may be from behind, from the side, or from the front.

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.).

12.34 VIOLENT CONDUCT
It is violent conduct when a player (or substitute or substituted player) is guilty of aggression towards an opponent (when they are not contesting for the ball) or towards any other person (a teammate, the referee, an assistant referee, a spectator, etc.). The ball can be in or out of play. The aggression can occur either on or off the field of play.

A player is unlikely to be “contesting for the ball” if the player’s action against the opponent occurs from behind and with the ball on the opposite side of the opponent or with the ball beyond playing distance.

…
Fourth Official

MAY AR1 DO FOURTH OFFICIAL DUTIES?

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Question:
May AR1 assume the duties of the 4th official vis a vis managing the technical area? Like most leagues in our area a 4th official is not assigned to the officiating crew. I realize the AR’s main focus lies elsewhere but there are times when the technical area needs to be managed.

USSF answer (May 25, 2010):
It is traditional that the senior assistant referee perform the duties now assigned to the fourth official (when a fourth is assigned). In fact, the position of fourth official was created to relieve the beleaguered senior AR of some of his (or her) burden of duties.

However, all fourth official duties (as with all other duties assigned to the AR in Law 6) take second place to the AR’s responsibility for assisting with offside decisions.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

BALL DELIBERATELY KICKED TO THE GOALKEEPER

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Question:
I have a clarification question regarding the goalie pass back rule. I’ve always understood the rule to be based on intent.

Which would imply that a goalie is permitted to handle a ball that was unintentionally passed back to him/her.

To be an intentional pass back, does the intent have to be a pass back to the goalie, or simply the act of passing back.

Specifically, in a recent game the goalie was inside the goal box. A midfielder passed the ball back from near midfield to a defender at the top corner of the penalty box. The defender never touched the ball, but followed it along the inside outer edge of the penalty box.

The goalie then ran out of the goal box to call off the defender and picked up the ball.

The intent of the midfielder was not to pass back to the goalie, but it was an intentional backwards pass. Does this qualify as a pass back infraction?

USSF answer (May 24, 2010):
Your perception of the concept of punishment for the ball kicked to the goalkeeper is flawed but certainly understandable for anyone other than a referee — many of whom also seem to remain unaware.

The Law tells us that the goalkeeper may not pick up or otherwise play with the hands any ball deliberately kicked — as opposed to miskicked in an attempt to clear the ball — by a teammate. It makes no difference that this particular ball ran all the way from near midfield to the goalkeeper, it’s still a foul for him or her to pick it up.…

"Inventive Coaches"

“I GOT THE BALL, REF!” “ALL BALL, REF!”

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Question:
A defender slides towards an opponent running with the ball. The defender’s tackling foot pushes the ball away from the opponent but the force of the defender’s momentum causes him to collide heavily with the opponent below the knees. The opponent tumbles to the ground. I adjudge the defender to have used excessive force and to have been reckless with regard to injury, and to have tripped the opponent (or attempted a trip) because the opponent’s feet were impeded in such a way that he fell heavily. I award a direct free kick.

I have been told by many players, fans, and coaches that this could not be a foul because the defender didn’t trip the player – he “got the ball”. I have heard commentators on TV say that a referee is wrong in calling a foul when a player “gets the ball”. I have never seen it written down in the Laws of the Game that if a player “gets the ball” he cannot at the same time be guilty of tripping or using excessive force. Am I missing some directive about the interpretation of Law 12?

USSF answer (May 18, 2010):
Saying that a player “got the ball” is meaningless in a tackle. What the referee must be concerned about is what happens during and after the tackle.

DURING
• If the tackler uses excessive force, he or she is sent off immediately for serious foul play and the game is restarted with a direct free kick or a penalty kick, if the foul and misconduct were committed in the tackler’s penalty area).
• If the tackler is reckless, he or she is cautioned and the game is restarted as above.
• If the tackler is careless, the game is restarted as above.
• If the tackle is committed fairly and there is incidental contact, there is no foul.

AFTER
If, after the tackle is fairly made, the tackler uses the foot or body in a careless or reckless way or with excessive force, see DURING.

Coaches will always protest an act that disadvantages their team, no matter that it was done legally. As for commentators on television, many of them actually know little or nothing of the game and how it should be played or refereed, no matter what their accent or “credentials.”

Only the referee on the game can make that decision, applying The Seven Magic Words, “If in the opinion of the referee, . . ..”…

"Only in America!"

REFEREE CARELESSNESS LEADS TO PROBLEM

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Question:
I’m eager to learn how to correctly handle the following situation (NFHS Rules Set, whether that makes a difference):

Team A throw-in near Team A’s 18. Team A substitutes; Team B substitutes. Official signals for Team A to proceed with the restart.

With the ball now in play and being kicked about for some seconds, it is recognized by Official X that there are 12 Team B players participating on the field (yes, shoddy substitution management by the officials). A brief second *prior* to Official X sounding his whistle to address the discrepancy (yes, two whistles sound in unintended succession here), Official Y had sounded his whistle upon observing a Tripping Foul by a Team A player in Team A’s penalty area – clearly a PK for Team B. What to do now?

USSF answer (May 18, 2010):
A reminder to all readers: We do not answer questions on high school rules in this forum. We deal strictly with the Laws of the Game. Accordingly, we are answering the question based solely on the Laws of the Game. You will need to determine on your own whether any of the rules you are using would require a different answer.

This problem was caused by three related things: Having two referees with whistles on the field (against the explicit requirements of the Laws of the Game), failure to follow the guidelines in Law 3 regarding substitution, and failure to count the players after the substitution.

Despite the sequence in which the whistles were blown, the primary problem here is the excess number of players for Team B, so that must be dealt with first. The referee cannot know which of the players is the twelfth, so must caution (unsporting behavior) and remove one of the Team B players. Because the excess number of players existed before the “foul” that would lead to a penalty kick, there is no penalty kick. Instead, the game is restarted with an indirect free kick for Team A at the place where the ball was when play was stopped (for the illegal entry onto the field by the 12th B player). As for the “foul,” you could verbally admonish the player who committed it (since it won’t be punished in the usual way) but, depending on the player’s action, you could caution (e. g., unsporting behavior for recklessness or perhaps it was a tactical foul) or you could send off the player with a red card for violent conduct if the “foul” involved violence.

In other words, you retain the ability to card even if the player’s action can’t be counted as a foul…

Disciplinary Matters

CAUTION OR SEND-OFF WITHOUT CARDS OKAY?

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Question:
I am an Assistant Referee, therefore I am not able to center and do not know the answer to this question. Can you card a player even if the center does not actually have his cards with him.

Had a girl playing very dangerously making late tackles, grabbing and got up one time after a late tackle and said “I don’t care if he cards me”. So I went the the center at halftime and said I was very surprised he did not card the player after the 3rd, 4th or 5th foul.

His response was don’t tell anyone but I left my cards in my bag. He did end up carding her in the second half which really should have been a second yellow by that time. Basically can a ref raise his hand over a play and say Yellow or Red or do they actually have to have a card to show? I can see a game really getting out of control if a ref can’t issue a yellow or red just because they don’t have a piece of plastic in their pocket.

USSF answer (May 18, 2010):
While normal and fully correct procedure would be to show the card to a player after telling him or her why he or she was being disciplined, we can state quite definitely that a player may be cautioned or sent off without showing the card. Any referee who fails to enforce the Laws correctly simply because of having forgotten the cards does the game a major disservice — and can give him- or herself major problems with discipline and game management.

And, wonder of wonders, the referee can always stop the game and go back to his bag and fetch the cards to put them to use. And don’t forget the pen or pencil, or the notebook or note card on which to write what has happened for the game report. In addition, each AR should have had cards with him
which the referee could have borrowed.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

SHINGUARDS AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

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Question:
Shinguards

Especially at the professional level (MLS), are referees looking to see the players have some type of shinguard on their legs, but nothing more? 

As you are well aware of, Law 4 – The Players’ Equipment states:

Shinguards
-provide a reasonable degree of protection

Two examples of almost no protection would be Colorado’s and former USA International Pablo Mastroeni and Chivas USA’s Blair Gavin (I’m sure there are more).

Again, at what level of play does it not become necessary to provide a reasonable degree of protection? Or is it necessary, even at the professional level, but not always enforced by the referee? Do FIFA referees enforce this law or let it go as trifling and simply make sure everyone has some type of shinguard? 

USSF answer (May 6, 2010):
In general, the decision on the “reasonable degree of protection” is made using The Seven Magic Words, “If, in the opinion of the referee.” Referees must remember that at the professional level, the players and trainers must take responsibility. What is sufficient protection to one, may not be to another.…

"Only in America!"

UNUSUAL FIELD MARKINGS

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Question:
Do all of the lines on a field need to be of uniform color?

While common sense would prevail that they should be of the same color that is always not the case due to fields being utilized by more than one sport. In this case it was a grass field, not an artificial surface. It was a U9 “travel” game.

The touch lines were of different colors, the goal lines were different than the touch lines and the penalty area was yet another color. I know there is a law regarding the size of the lines but I could find nothing requiring the uniformity of color for all boundaries. “..all lines must be of the same width, which must not be more than 12cm (5inches)…” the game was played but our coach told me that his team and the referee had difficulty throughout the game identifying if a ball was in or out of a particular are of the field.

USSF answer (May 4, 2010):
While Law 1 states only that the goal posts and crossbar must be colored white, it is traditional that all field markings are in white. And traditional means that this is the way it is supposed to be done. Field managers should not be artistic geniuses; they should prepare the field in accordance with the expected: White lines.

We understand that some competitions use multipurpose fields and that the participants must cope with that.…

"Inventive Coaches"

COACH PROVIDING TACTICAL ADVICE DURING AN INJURY STOPPAGE

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Question:
My understanding is during a stoppage for an injury a coach (the team not with the injured player) is not allowed to call his players over to the bench area (technical area) and provide coaching instruction. Likewise, the coach of the injured player who comes on the field with permission cannot gather his field players and provide coaching /tactical advise. I cannot find this in the Laws, Guide to Referees, and Advise to Referees.

Can you direct me where in the USSF I can find this? Also, what is the ruling and where is it for NISOA and NFHS?

USSF answer (May 3, 2010):
We cannot provide official answers for NISOA or NFHS games. However, we can provide official answers regarding the Laws of the Game.

There is no rule against either coach or other team official calling his or her players over to the touch line to discuss tactics during a stoppage for injury. However, if a coach or other team official is permitted on the field to see to the status of a seriously injured player — the only reason for stopping play for an injury is if the referee believes it to be serious — he or she may not share any information with any players of that team who are on the field. That would be regarded as irresponsible behavior, forcing the referee to expel the coach.

However, the intelligent referee will preempt the coach from coaching by stopping him early and letting him know that coaching on the field is not permitted. If the coach persists, then the referee should take more drastic action.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

PAYING CLUB LINESMEN

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Question:
I was the center referee in a youth (U-9 through U-18) tournament this past weekend. Due to the size of the tournament, we had an acute referee shortage. I was forced to do two games with a club line. I know that the local select league has a rule that indicates club lines are not to be paid. Further, I was told that there is a FIFA directive that says under no circumstances can a club line be paid. The 10 year old boy was the ONLY person to volunteer.

I gave him $10 for his time (he did a nice job and his mom had come over to my side following the game rather irate that her daughter’s team had paid big $$$ only to have to have her son “work” the game).

My question: Is there anything illegal about offering compensation to a club line?

My second question: Could we have legally used a two-man (I HATE IT, just for the record) system for a USSF-sanctioned tournament?

USSF answer (May 3, 2010):
We are unaware of any rules anywhere in the world that prohibit paying club linesmen (as they are called, whether male or female); however, while it would be unusual to do so, there is no reason not to give someone who has sacrificed his or her body for the cause a bit of compensation.

As to the dual system of control (“two-man system”), it is forbidden by the Laws of the Game, which require a referee and two assistants, but will allow two club linesmen. In fact, probably at least 90 percent of games played throughout the world are run with one referee and two club linesmen. Nevertheless, some leagues or tournaments run their games with two officials — and sometimes even they are not affiliated with USSF. It is up to the state associations to police these matters.…