Question:
I have had several discussions with referees about the proper procedure for an AR when a throw-in is either illegal or improper (never enters the field of play).

A player for the attacking team was taking a throw-in and stepped on the field. I immediately raised the flag straight up in my left hand and waited for the referee’s acknowledgment. Once the whistle blew, I pointed for a throw-in for the defending team. The center referee told me that I should have waved the flag. I argued that if I waved the flag, that I would be providing information that I observed a foul. I could not find this specific issue in the Guide to Procedures, but I reasoned that it should be treated similarly to a ball that leaves the field and immediately returns and is still being played.

If a throw-in never enters the field of play, I normally signal for a throw-in for the same team. When I am the referee, I normally tell my ARs to follow this procedure.

Thanks for your help.

USSF answer (October 12, 2010):
The Guide to Procedures is clear: The assistant referee “Supervises throw-in elements per pre-game conference” (p. 18).

That means that the AR should keep the referee informed if the ball is not thrown in accordance with the procedure outlined in Law 15 or never enters the field. This, however, should be discussed in the pregame conference and the AR should not signal at all if the referee has a clear view of the situation.

Note that any AR involvement in signaling problems with a throw-in should be ONLY within the terms of what the referee wants done, as discussed in the pregame. If the referee does not make clear what, if anything, the AR should do in the case of any illegality in performing the throw-in, ASK.

And, assuming the referee has directed the AR to signal certain violations of Law 15, the correct signal is for the AR to raise the flag straight up, make eye contact with the referee, and then signal the correct restart (e.g., for an illegal throw-in by Red, give the throw-in signal in favor of Blue).…

Question:
I have understood that an AR (in a standard diagonal) should carry the flag in his or her left hand to be closer to and more visible to the referee, then transferring it below the waist to make one of the many right-handed signals. (With the exception that when running towards mid-field while not side-stepping, the flag should be in the right hand, again so it is more visible to the referee.)

I have heard rumblings of a limited change to that procedure by which the AR would carry the flag in the right hand when moving side to side alongside the penalty area. The rationale, I understand, being that more signals are made with the right hand so the signal can be made more quickly.

So my question is which the current proper procedure is — or is either one acceptable?

Thank you.

USSF answer (October 4, 2010):
There is no directive requiring the method you suggest. However, we can offer some advice on the matter.

First, if the referee directs the AR to follow this mechanic, then do it because it is just a mechanic and therefore an assessor, asking the AR why he was doing this, would (reluctantly) accept the “Nuremburg defense” (i. e., “he told me to do it” — “he” being a person in a position of authority), but then the assessor would proceed to grill the referee.

Second, it is arguably a mechanic which replaces an existing standard procedure and thus is not allowed in the Guide to Procedures (which you can find at this URL: http://www.ussoccer.com/Referees/Referee-Development/Instructional-Materials.aspx).

Third, it is possible that you have misunderstood the emphasis — namely, that several of the flag signals performed by the AR down that close to the goal line are signals for offside, goal kicks, and corner kicks, and they ARE recommended to be performed with the right hand (although so far only the requirements for pro match referees have insisted on using the right hand). In most of the games we do it doesn’t matter that much.

Fourth, the emphasis for the last several years has (rightly) been on “getting it right” and not on “getting it done quickly” so the alleged need for a quick signal is not persuasive.

And finally, this is the sort of thing that needs to be discussed at some length in the pregame conference among the officials on the game.…

Question:
I was refereeing a U15 Boys game and I was an Assistant Referee. A situation arose in which “gold” kicked the ball toward “whites” goal. The ball went far to the right, and landed on the goal line still in, but barely. It was on the goal line inside the penalty area and since it was still in bounds, I never signaled goal kick.

However the keeper came over, dribbled the ball back to the 6 yard box, and took what he thought was a goal kick.The keeper kicked it, but it never left the box and gold, the keeper’s opponent, shot the ball into the goal. I tucked my flag an ran up the line to signal a goal, but the referee disallowed it thinking it was a goal kick, even though I never signaled for one. This, to me was a pure case of bad communication but is there any way it could have been handled better?

Thanks.

USSF answer (October 1, 2010):
This was a matter of the referee not paying attention to what you, the AR, were telling him — that the ball was still in play. Two thoughts occur, both proactive in nature:
• You could have told the goalkeeper that the ball was still in play, loudly enough for others to hear it, or
• You could have kept the referee informed that the ball was still in play by using a supplementary signal, such as the unapproved but widely used one-handed “advantage” signal, to show this. This should have been discussed in the pregame conference. (To quote the Guide to Procedures: “Other signals or methods of communication intended to supplement those described here are permitted only if they do not conflict with established procedures and only if they do not intrude on the game, are not distracting, are limited in number and purpose and are carefully discussed within the officiating team prior to the commencement of the match.”)…