Category: Law 18 – Common Sense

Law 18 – Common Sense

"Inventive Coaches"

UNSPORTING BEHAVIOR RESTART AND “END OF HALF”

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Question 1:
In the first 10 minutes of a U-12 Girls D-1 game, Orange Attacker collides with Blue Keeper. The Orange attacker gets up, but Blue Keeper stays face-down and motionless. The ball spins out of the penalty area toward the touchline when Orange Attacker 2 gathers the ball — completely unopposed. Both teams call for Orange Attacker 2 to kick it out because Blue Keeper is down. Orange Attacker 2 does kick it out.

When the ball is officially out of play, the “injured” blue keeper pops up – smiling. She was “hobbling” a little, but she was perfectly fine after she rubbed her leg a little.

In reflection of this incident, I SHOULD have cautioned Blue Keeper (unsporting behavior) for faking an injury to gain an advantage. I did not give her a YELLOW since I wanted to give her the “benefit of the doubt.”

If the card is issued, What is the re-start? Throw-in for the Blue Keeper’s team or Indirect Free kick (inside the penalty area) for Orange Attacker 1’s team?

Question #2:
At the end of the half in a different U-12 Girls D-1 game, there was a large melee in from of the goal. Time expired in the half PRIOR to the ball entering the goal, but before I could blow the whistle due to it slipping out of my hand at the crucial moment it should have been blown. I disallowed the goal as it was after I was aware the half had ended.

Obviously, the attacking coach told me that play continued until I actually blew the whistle and the goal should count. I told him, the half is over when the center referee is AWARE that time has expired, even if the whistle is NOT blown at all! I also told him the whistle has no official meaning under the laws of the game, but is simply a device officials use to get the attention of the players.

Should the goal have been awarded?

USSF answer (November 17, 2011):
Answer 1: The restart is governed by the reason the ball was out of play (if not stopped by the referee for some other reason). In this case, the correct reason is (apparently) a throw-in, after the referee has issued the caution for unsporting behavior to the goalkeeper (if it is deserved). If the referee did not feel that the goalkeeper’s injury was serious, then there was no reason for the teams to take action on their own to stop play. The referee should instruct the players to leave decision of this nature up to the referee and not take the law into their own feet.

Answer 2: Your decision was correct: no goal. As we constantly remind people, coaches will always attempt to influence your calls. Pay them no mind and call the game as you have been taught to call it.

In addition, your statement about the whistle is not strictly true and could even be confusing. A whistle is required for every ceremonial restart; without it, the restart is not authorized and must be retaken. In such cases, it is NOT merely to gain the attention of players.…

Law 11 - Offside

FOUL OR OFFSIDE?

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Question:
I had a situation last weekend in a local Div. 1 men’s league game. An attacker, in the offside position was fouled by a defender before he was ruled as “offside” by my AR. At the moment of the foul I blew the whistle and indicated an offside offense had occurred. Naturally, the attacking team was unhappy that their player had been fouled and the defensive team received the free kick. Does being fouled while in an offside position indicate “involvement” in the play?

USSF answer (November 15, 2011):
We are confused. The problem in answering is that so much depends on whether you or any referee realize(s) that the description of the sequence of events controls the answer..

In the scenario as described, the attacker in the offside position was fouled “before he was ruled offside by my AR,” but does that mean the AR didn’t see any touch of the ball until after the foul occurred? If so, then the foul clearly occurred first, It takes precedence, it determines the restart, and there was no offside offense because the attacker’s touch of the ball (“interfere with play” happened after play was stopped. If the description means that the AR was about to raise the flag for an offside offense that hadn’t happened yet (because the attacker hadn’t yet interfered with play) — an all too likely possibility — then again the result should be that there was no offside offense and only the foul is relevant here.

The only way we can see the offside being called and taking precedence over whatever the defender did is if the ball was passed to the attacker, the attacker made contact with the ball (interfered with play and hence committed an offside violation), and THEN was “fouled” by the defender; but of course it wasn’t really a foul because play stopped with the offside offense (if the referee accepts the AR’s flag) and so the defender can, at most, only be punished for misconduct.…

"Inventive" Refs

NO OFFSIDE?!

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Question:
Blue player takes a shot with everyone onside. Ball hits crossbar and lands at the feet of another blue player who went to play rebound. there was no defensive player between him and goalie and the ref blew whistle and called offside. Is this a true offside??

USSF answer (November 15, 2011):
In order to be declared offside, a player must be in an offside position and actively involved in play when a teammate plays the ball. That did not happen in this case. If any member of the blue team had played the ball legally into the goal then a goal should have been scored. It appears that your referee has an overactive imagination and a less than desirable knowledge of the Laws.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

OUTSIDE AGENT PREVENTS GOAL

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Question:
Hello, my question is while the ball is kicked and pass the goalkeeper and headed to goal, at this moment if a fan inters the pitch and blocks the ball from passing the line, what will be the referees decisions?

USSF answer (November 14, 2011):
The fan is considered to be an outside agent. If an outside agent enters the field of play the referee must stop play (although not immediately if the outside agent does not interfere with play), have the outside agent removed from the field of play and its immediate surroundings, and then restart play with a dropped ball in the position where the ball was at the time when the match was stopped, unless the ball was stopped inside the goal area, in which case the referee drops the ball on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was when play was stopped.…

"Inventive" Refs

ONLY TEAM OFFICIALS CAN COMMIT “IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR”

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Question:
It’s very near the end of the game and Team A is losing to Team B.

Team A has a throw-in near the benches and is pressing very hard to equalize the score. As Team A’s player begins to take the throw-in Team B’s substitute goalkeeper, sitting on the bench, throws another ball into the field to prevent the restart.

The referee correctly identifies the goalkeeper, shows the red card, and sends him off for the misconduct. Now here’s the issue.

Some referees are opining that a substitute is considered “bench personnel” while at the bench. Therefore, the match report should say the GK is sent off for “irresponsible behavior.”

I argue that a substitute is a substitute, not bench personnel. As such the substitute GK can only be sent off for one of the seven reasons stated in Law 12 — and “irresponsible behavior” is not one of them.

Your response?

USSF answer (November 6, 2011):
Neither the substitute goalkeeper nor any other player may be sent off for the offense of “irresponsible behavior.” He may only be cautioned for unsporting behavior, unless something else occurs during the period following the initial cautionable misconduct of throwing the extra ball onto the field.

This was made clear in a position paper of March 22, 2006, on “Management of Behavior in the Technical Area.” The pertinent quote from that paper Is:
“,. . . in match conditions where spectators are not allowed near the immediate area of the field (for example, restricting spectators to stadium seats or behind barriers), the persons allowed in or near the field are strictly limited to players, substitutes, and team officials. For purposes of this memorandum, anyone officially allowed in the technical area who is not a rostered player or substitute (or substituted player) is a team official.”

Thus, no player (including substitutes and substituted players) may be sent off for “irresponsible behavior.” Such persons are not “bench personnel” and are thus not subject to the same treatment as team officials (coaches, trainers, medical personnel, etc.). Players (including substitutes and substituted players) may be sent off only for one of the seven reasons listed in Law 12, which covers players, etc:…

Law 18 - Common Sense

A REFEREE MUST ALWAYS FOLLOW THE CODE OF ETHICS

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Question:
Parents sitting within a few feet of the corner flags (basically, their positioning impedes the soccer players from having the appropriate space to kick the ball). I have traditionally had problems with rec parents (in particular) who get mad when asked to move at least 2 yards from the lines or from outside the corner goal area. As a matter of fact, this weekend a newly bridged ref (from grade 9 to grade 8 and whose dad was the coach of the team playing) got mad when asked to move (mind you he was sitting, as a spectator, within 2-3 ft of the flag – if he had laid down he would have touched the flag). During stoppage of the game, he came to the pitch to question why I would make a “ref” (while pointing to his new 2012 badge) move – wanted me to tell him “which rule”. I told him I’d be happy to talk to him after the game but not why I was currently reffing. Then he said, “The game has stopped. Tell me why you want me to move”. I told him I was in the middle of the game and he needed to leave the field so I could get the game going again. His dad then told him to get off the field so the team could play. Naturally, he did not come to find me at the end of the game.

I plan to talk to the Association today about this behavior; however it seems that there is some “ethical” issue that he may have violated
– particularly since he entered the field and had no reason to be on the field.

USSF answer (October 31, 2011):
This sort of situation is usually dealt with in the rules of the particular competition under which the game is being played. In other words, the rules of the league or the rec council or tournament, etc. In most cases these rules forbid spectators (particularly partisan spectators) from being behind the goal lines or less than three yards from either of the touchlines,although it will vary depending on where you are.

While the errant official may not have been on the game itself, he clearly violated a number of items under the Referee Code of Ethics:

(1) I will always maintain the utmost respect for the game of soccer.
(2) I will conduct myself honorably at all times and maintain the dignity of my position.
//3 items clipped//
(6) I will be loyal to my fellow officials and never knowingly promote criticism of them.
//2 items clipped//
(9) I will do my utmost to assist my fellow officials to better themselves and their work.
(10) I will not make statements about any games except to clarify an interpretation of the Laws of the Game.
/1 item clipped//
(12) I consider it a privilege to be a part of the U.S. Soccer Federation and my actions will reflect credit upon that organization and its affiliates.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

FLAG WITHDRAWN BUT GOAL DISALLOWED

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Question:
Here is what happened: During the first 10 minutes of the game a goal is scored but right afterward, (during celebration of the goal), to everyone’s surprise, the center referee stops play and goes to talk with the side referee. No one knew why at the time. Players that were in the area of discussion said that the center ref asked the side ref why he had put his flag up and then quickly down before the goal was scored. The side ref told the center referee that he did not mean to put up his flag and that it was a goal. The center ref says well you did put up your flag and so I blew my whistle and so whether you meant to put your flag up or not, you did, and so since I therefore blew my whistle I can not call it a goal. The side ref then said well it was a goal I made an error and I clearly saw that the goal scorer was behind the defender and it was a goal. But again the center ref said well I can’t count it as a goal. So he calls it no goal and does a drop ball. Now I must add that no one heard the whistle be blown and play continued during the goal being scored, no players stopped playing. What is the rule on this? How can an obvious goal not be counted just because the side ref accidently puts up his flag for a brief moment? And then the side ref says it is a goal. The center ref even came over to the head coach during half time to say that he knew that it was a goal but was sorry that he could not count it but under the circumstances he could not. By the way, this goal ended up being very important to the out come of the game. It was the only goal scored and made the difference between a tie and a win! And the points were needed, now its the difference between 1st & 2nd place in the bracket! Bummer! Thank you for your explanation and can anything be done at this point? Can a protest maybe correct this?

USSF answer (October 31, 2011):
The referee acted correctly only if in fact he had blown the whistle upon seeing the AR’s flag go up. He apparently reacted (albeit inaudibly) to his assistant referee’s flag and stopped play for whatever the flag may have meant — offside, foul, etc. The fact that the AR then lowered the flag does not make any difference in the outcome; the referee’s decision was made and the whistle was blown (even if inaudibly). Play stops when the referee decides it has stopped. Anything that happens after the decision to stop play has been made does not change the fact of the stoppage.

No, the referee has not misapplied the Laws or called something counter to the Laws, so we doubt that any protest would be allowed. If the referee included full details in the match report perhaps the competition authority will have pity.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

PITCH INVASION BY IRATE PARENTS

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Question:
In the 30th to 36th minute of a 45 minute second half game for U17B, there was a foul that took down a player and they were injured. That player remained on the field until the coaches could be called on to attend to him. During that time, the parent of this player ran onto the field yelling at the referees that they allowed his son to get injured because they didn’t make the calls necessary to stop the rough play. The coaches from the parents’ team got the parent off the field of play and away from the referees. The player was then taken off the field. During this time, the referees conferred in a conference and then came back and stated the match was suspended due to parent coming on the field.

Since the match was called in the 36th minute of the 2nd half does the score stand as official? Should the officials have notified the coach to have the parent removed or the match would be suspended before they just suspended the match? Can they have the results of the match overturned to a forfeit for the team with whose parent entered the field of play?

USSF answer (October 24, 2011):
We cannot understand why the referee needed to have a conference with the ARs to determine that the match was suspended. The match is automatically suspended the moment the referee allows authorized medical (or coaching) staff to enter the field to examine the player.

Surely the referee told the teams that the match had been “terminated” because of the actions of the parents, who entered the field without permission and then verbally attacked the referee.

What happens when a match is terminated is dictated by the rules of the competition (league or state/local association, etc.), not by the referee. The referee must include full details in the match report. Then the competition authority will determine what remains to be done;…

"Inventive Coaches"

“MOTIVATION” ON THE FIELD

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Question:
Hi: I am a Boys U-12 coach and also an intermediate referee. I think the following is appropriate and I see no rule against it. But I need an opinion.

My team is names AC Milan. Throughout the game I usually scream “who are we?” My team on the field respond, “AC Milan”. I use this as a way to motivate my kids. Also to make sure we are a team. I do this every once in a while throughout the game.Not specifically when we score.

This is ok to do, correct?

USSF answer (October 21, 2011):
It is okay only if the referee on the game does not view it as an attempt to intimidate and/or distract the opponents. If he or she detects either intimidation or distraction, then the players doing the responses on the field could be cautioned for unsporting behavior and you, the coach, could be removed from the game (expelled) for irresponsible behavior. The referee must judge the appropriateness of both the WHEN and the WHY of the coach’s and players’ actions.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

SUBSTITUTES MUST BE READY TO GO

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Question:
I have two questions re: U10 Girls soccer:

1) We have played a team multiple times that if they are ahead, will substitute their goalie with less than 5 minutes left in the game.

When they substitute, the girl coming into the game is not ready…not pinny, no gloves. Instead, we have to wait for them to switch pinny and goalie gloves. This eats up the clock and obviously slows the momentum of the game in their favor. What are the rules in relation to subing a goalie?

2) One of our girls was going to a 50/50 ball with the opposing team.

Our girl was tripped and while trying to get up, got kicked in the head (and was not playing the ball). The ref called a dangerous play on our girl and gave the opposing team the free kick. If she is not playing the ball and merely trying to get up (while the other team is kicking the ball into her and kicking her), shouldn’t it be a dangerous play with a drop ball?

Thank you!

USSF answer (October 19, 2022):
1) As with the substitution of any player, the referee must ensure that the new goalkeeper is already fully prepared to enter the field before the referee permits the restart to be delayed for the substitution.

Players, including goalkeepers, must be ready to play with all uniform/equipment parts in place when they appear at the midfield line to indicate a request to substitute. The only “delay” allowable in a goalkeeper substitution is to hold the restart until the new goalkeeper has reached the goal.

2) If the situation was precisely as you describe it, then the referee would seem to have made an error in calling playing dangerously on your player and not calling a foul on the girl from the opposing team, who kicked your player. In no case can the kicking by the opposing player be considered to be playing dangerously by either player: it is clearly at least careless play by the opponent and must be punished with a direct free kick.…