TEAM INTENTIONALLY LOSES TO ADVANCE OPPONENT

June 21, 2010 by Jim Allen

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 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

CARELESS, RECKLESS, EXCESSIVE FORCE VS. ACCIDENTAL

June 10, 2010 by Jim Allen

Question:
The Laws define the terms “careless, reckless and with
excessive force” for penal offenses:

1. Kicks or attempts to kick an opponent.
2. Trips or attempts to trip an opponent.
3. Jumps at an opponent.
4. Charges an opponent.
5. Strikes or attempts to strike an opponent:
6. Pushes an opponent
7. Tackles an opponent.

This makes it much easier for Referees to gauge the respective punishment when the force reaches a certain level. However, is it possible to do any of the above without a foul actually being called since it was neither careless, reckless, nor with excessive force?

A defender and attacker are running full speed, side-by-side shoulder-to-shoulder and stride-for-stride. The defender makes a cut and to make the cut he extends his leg outside his normal gait. The attacker’s leg clips the defender’s leg and the attacker goes down like a sack of potatoes. There is nothing to be considered careless, reckless or with excessive force. The referee considers the tripping to be unintentional and accidental and allows play to continue. But who on the field is going to accept that when the defender wins the ball? The attacking team is going to be irate and the defending team is going to think that they got away with one. The offense is “Trips or attempts to trip an opponent”. A trip is a trip, intentional or not. Should the referee call a tripping foul? Or does the brave referee make the non-call with the comfort in knowing that he’s the only one on the field that knows he’s right?

USSF answer (June 10, 2010):
You might wish to search through the archives to find this answer (only an excerpt given here) of April 15, 2010. It should answer all your questions on this matter.

12.3 CARELESS, RECKLESS, INVOLVING EXCESSIVE FORCE
“Careless” indicates that the player has not exercised due caution in making a play.

“Reckless” means that the player has made unnatural movements designed to intimidate an opponent or to gain an unfair advantage.

“Involving excessive force” means that the player has far exceeded the use of force necessary to make a fair play for the ball and has placed the opponent in considerable danger of bodily harm.

If the foul was careless, simply a miscalculation of strength or a stretch of judgment by the player who committed it, then it is a normal foul, requiring only a direct free kick (and possibly a stern talking-to). If the foul was reckless, clearly outside the norm for fair play, then the referee must award the direct free kick and also caution the player for unsporting behavior, showing the yellow card. If the foul involved the use of excessive force, totally beyond the bounds of normal play, then the referee must send off the player for serious foul play or violent conduct, show the red card, and award the direct free kick to the opposing team.

And it is worth repeating — yet again — that the occurrence of contact between players does not necessarily mean that a foul was committed. Contact occurs and it is accepted and welcomed, as long as it is accomplished legally — and that includes most accidental contact.

And the referee can very effectively reinforce his or her conviction that no foul has occurred by shouting out “No foul!” Never leave doubt in the minds of the players as to your comfort with your decision.…

Guide to Procedures

AR SIGNAL FOR GOOD GOAL AT PENALTY KICK

June 8, 2010 by Jim Allen

Question:
The Guide to Procedures tells us if a goal is scored during the taking of a penalty kick that the lead assistant referee “follows the normal goal procedure”. Since the assistant referee would not be in a position to “run a short distance along the touch line”, what, if any indication does the assistant referee give to the referee to confirm that a goal has been scored?

USSF answer (June 8, 2010):
In the case of a penalty kick, the lead assistant referee indicates that the goal is good by moving back to the touchline (to take up a position for the next phase of play — i. e., the kick-off) and, if it was not good, by staying where he was with the flag held at waist level parallel to the ground.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

ADORNMENTS FOR REFEREES

May 26, 2010 by Jim Allen

Question:
Could you help me settle an on-going discussion within our referee board?

Although the rules of the game and most local leagues are clear on adornments worn by players, there appears to be little ever said about adornments worn by referees. Specifically, earrings. Does US SOCCER or FIFA have any directives on this subject? I seem to remember seeing what I thought was an earring on an English Premier League game referee, or was I mistaken?

USSF answer (May 26, 2010):
With the exception of the referee’s watch (and the possible exception of a wedding band), no referee should wear any adornment that is not permitted for players. In other words, NO JEWELRY.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE WITH THE REFEREE

May 25, 2010May 25, 2010 by Jim Allen

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.

…

"Only in America!"

REFEREE CARELESSNESS LEADS TO PROBLEM

May 18, 2010 by Jim Allen

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?

May 18, 2010 by Jim Allen

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.…

Advice to Referees

AR INFORMATION TO REFEREE ON OFFSIDE AND FOULS

May 12, 2010 by Jim Allen

Question:
I am a grade 8 assistant referee with two grade 7 referees, one as the other assistant and the other a center. In the pregame I was given two main instructions, “wait on offside calls, and call what you see,” from the center. I have two questions in regards to this game.

A player from Team A attempts to deliver a ball to a teammate in an offside position around midfield on the far side of the field. A player from team B intercepts it, the player in the offside position begins to approach the player now in possession of the ball and is promptly within 2 yards of the player, and the player in possession wiffs the ball out. This happened within about one second. I kept my flag down, thinking it wasn’t an offense itself to be in an offside position and it isn’t an excuse for the player to wiff the ball out.

The coach disagreed, and so did the center at halftime. Who is right?

My second question is referring to call at the end of the second half.

The center is at the top corner of the 18-yard box about 15 yards away from me. There was, in my opinion, a foul against the defending team and when I looked at the center he might have had his back turned to the play. (Afterwards he said he saw it in the corner of his eye but let it go because it was the end of the half.) I signaled a foul, the flag in the hand in which the direction was going, and the referee blew the whistle. The center seemed to regret the decision, placed the ball at the spot of the called foul, then blew the whistle as the end of the game (by my watch exactly 1 second after full time) instead of letting the attacking team have a chance for the goal. The other AR said that was a bad call on my part, that it was solely the center’s. I said that I saw a foul, I had a reasonable belief that the center couldn’t have seen it because of his position, and if the the center did see it he could have waved off my flag if he didn’t think it was a foul. In my opinion a AR never makes a call, every call is the center’s.

Do you think my call was correct, or at least, close to call?

USSF answer (May 12, 2010):
Please, please, please! Coaches are not entitled to provide input on any decision made by a referee or an assistant referee.

Question 1:
If it is clear that the player from team B has possession of the ball, then there is no offside. This excerpt from the Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game (2009/2010) may be helpful.

11.14 BECOMING “ONSIDE”
The possibility of penalizing a player for being in an offside position must be reevaluated whenever:
1. The ball is again touched or played by a teammate,
2. The ball is played (possessed and controlled, not simply deflected) by an opponent, including the opposing goalkeeper, or
3. The ball goes out of play.

The result of such a reevaluation, of course, may be that the player remains in an offside position based on still being beyond the second-to-last defender, the ball, and the midfield line. Referees must remember that a player cannot simply run to an onside position and become involved in play. The player’s position with relation to the ball and the opponents must change in accordance with the Law.

In the case of the ball leaving the field in favor of the team whose player was in an offside position and actively involved in play (e. g., a corner kick or throw-in for the attackers), it is traditional to call the original offside offense. If the restart would be in favor of the opposing team (e. g., a goal kick or throw-in for the defenders), it is usually preferable to ignore the offside infringement, as the defending team’s restart gives them the possession under circumstances not much different than the indirect free kick for offside-and often with less controversy.

Most likely no offside in this case.

Question 2:
Referees must sometimes act on the advice of the referee when they might otherwise not do so. The rule is that the AR flags for an infringement only if positive that it occurred out of the sight of the referee. From your description of the incident, it does seem that you were correct to flag. The problem appears to us to be that the referee REACTED to your flag and then regretted it (for whatever reason — maybe he did indeed see it out of the corner of his eye or — and here is something for you to think about, as only you can know — perhaps you had previously flagged for offenses that the referee HAD seen and wouldn’t have stopped play for. This might have made him have second thoughts afterwards.

If we are wrong, then please accept our apologies.…

Handling

GOALKEEPER HANDLES TO PREVENT GOAL?

May 6, 2010 by Jim Allen

Question:
A referee brought up this question at our association meeting tonight. It started quite a debate and we would like to know the correct answer to put this to rest:
A shot on goal is made by an attacker. The goalkeeper is too short to stop the ball from entering the goal with his hands so he pulls on the back of the net thus preventing the ball from completely crossing over the goal line.
What should the referee do in this case? If he stops play, what action should he take and what is the restart?

USSF answer (May 6, 2010):
In using the net as an artificial aid (and extension of his hands), the goalkeeper has theoretically denied the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball. However, as we know from Law 12, the goalkeeper is expressly excluded from the requirement for a send-off in this case, “(this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area).” Solution? After the caution is given for unsporting behavior, award an indirect free kick for the opposing team on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.…

"Inventive Assessors"

INTERFERING MENTOR

May 4, 2010 by Jim Allen

Question:
During the game, the center referee (CR) issued a yellow card to a player for a (presumed) reckless tackle. After showing the yellow card, the CR was called over to the sidelines by another referee who was mentoring the game (GU15). If the center referee issues a yellow card for a reckless foul, can a 5th referee (the mentor) recommend to change the yellow to a red, and have the center referee change the yellow to a red on the spot? The 5th referee being a mentor but is not a 4th official and not having no active part of the game.

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.…