Category: Procedure-Ref

Procedure-Ref

Procedure-Ref

RESTART AFTER A MISSED VIOLENT CONDUCT

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Question:
An interesting thread has popped up on [a] UK board . . . :  http://refereeforum.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=48002632

The question is when the center referee has missed an incident of violent conduct, the AR sees it, but the center does not see the AR’s signal until after play has restarted.

Laws I&G page 90 says,
“Whenever the assistant referee signals for violent conduct and the signal is not seen immediately:

• if play has been stopped for disciplinary action to be taken, the restart must be in accordance with the Laws (free kick, penalty kick etc.)

• if play has already restarted, the referee may still take disciplinary action but not penalise the offence with a free kick of penalty kick”

Advice 5.17 says, “The referee may send off and show the red card for violent conduct to a player, substitute, or substituted player after the game has been restarted if the assistant referee had signaled the offense before the restart.”

Does the second bullet point in the Laws quote mean that the restart is a dropped ball? I would have thought the restart to be an indirect free kick, based on a stoppage solely for misconduct.


USSF answer (January 8, 2010):
Yes, the correct restart in this case is a dropped ball. See also Advice 5.13.…

"Inventive" Refs

STRANGE EVENT

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Question:
An AR raises his flag to signal that team A’s goalkeeper has stepped out of the area with the ball in his hands before punting it. The center referee doesn’t see the signal for approximately 15-20 seconds. The ball has traveled all the way to the opposite end of the field before the referee notices the flag and blows his whistle. He does not give any indication to the teams that the infraction occurred at the other end of the field. Team B’s players think an infraction has been called in their end of the field and do a quick restart where the ball was stopped. Several seconds later the referee stops play.

He then restarts play with a dropped ball in Team B’s end of the field saying Team B did a quick restart. Obviously if the players knew the infraction occurred 70 yards down the field just outside the area, they would have taken a direct kick on goal from there. Did the referee act correctly in allowing the quick restart point which was 70 yards from where the infraction occurred?

USSF answer (December 2, 2009):
Your information (not included here) suggests that you were at a high school game, for which we cannot provide an official response. If we assume that the game was played under the Laws of the Game, then here is your answer. Be prepared, as mistake after mistake seems to have turned this game into a fiasco.

1. First we have to ask if the flag by the AR was REALLY necessary? Generally this infringement is trifling, particularly if no one but the AR noticed it. And because it was likely trifling and the referee took so long to notice it, the flag should have been dropped almost immediately. (And if it was the first occasion, it would likely have required only a brief and professional warning to watch the line, which the AR could have done him- or herself.)

2. Are we certain that the referee stopped play for the flag or only noticed it after he stopped the game (and decided to disregard it)? That would explain the restart at the far end of the field.

3. General lack of professional conduct by the referee in not making clear what was happening.

4. Tough luck for the Team B players, who drew a conclusion not supported by the actions of the referee. (Clearly ambiguous, or were they not? See 2.)

Without knowing what the referee was actually thinking, we cannot answer your final question with certainty and authority.…

"Inventive" Refs

ACTION AFTER PLAY HAS BEEN STOPPED

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Question:
Goal keeper grabbed the ball in his hands, all players were taking back their positions. An opponent player intentially pushed the goal keeper. Goal keeper was started to protested. Match referee was not absolutely sure about the fact. He came in D area and showed the Yellow card to goal keeper. Every one was stunned. Goal keeper came out from D area along with football during protestion. One player, asked the referee to concern with assistant referee. Assistant referee told the actual fact to match referee. Then he took back his decision of yellow card which he showed against goal keeper. And gave the free kick to other team outside the D because goal keeper took the football outside the D in his hands during protestion. Question is that, can a referee withdraw from his wrong decision of Yellow card during the match and if he do that, then if goal keeper during protestion against the wrong decision of referee, come out from D area with the ball in his hands, be punishable?

USSF answer (November 25, 2009):
If the referee had already stopped play for the incident between the goalkeeper and his opponent, then the place where the restart must be taken is the place where the opponent pushed the goalkeeper. That would be a direct free kick for the goalkeeper’s team. The referee cannot change the location of the restart.…

"Inventive" Refs

INFORMATION FOR THE REFEREE

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Question:
In a match, one team secured the goal and referee gave goal whistle. Afterwards, he forthwith came to know from the outside persons that actually ball was touched by the player’s hand and then it was entered in goal net. Before start of the game again, referee took back his decision of goal and called the player and showed him “yellow card” as he didn’t reveal this fact. Question is that can a referee take back his decision of goal if he come to know from the public that he has given a wrong decision.

USSF answer (November 25, 2009):
The referee should not accept information from anyone other than his assistant referees or fourth official. However, if the referee had received this information from one of the assistant referees or the fourth official, then, yes, he could deny the goal, caution the player, and restart with a direct free kick from the place where the infringement occurred.…

"Inventive" Refs

REPORT ALL MISCONDUCT!!!

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Question:
Is a referee required to include in their game report the red card infractions issued during the game? Can he/she change their ruling after the game is over, and not file the report. I know of this happening in our league. A player is red-carded, removed from play.

The referee, intentionally, does not file the report with this infraction included. The player and team assume the infraction, and a suspension game is served. In this case without notice of disregard.

This allows a referee to disregard at their own will, a call that has been made and affected the current game, as well as future games, with disregard for notice or consideration. Also, seems to reflect their intent of issuing the red card in the first place.

USSF answer (November 24, 2009):
All cautions and dismissals must be reported. There is no excuse for not doing so. Any referee who fails to do this should be reported to the competition and to the state referee authorities.

In addition, considering the gravity of not reporting serious misconduct (a clear violation of the Laws of the Laws of the Game), the referee in such a situation could also be dealt with under the terms of US Soccer Policy 531-10, Misconduct of a Game Official. The policy is contained in the Referee Administrative Handbook, which can be downloaded from the Instructional Materials section of the referee program pages at www.ussoccer.com.…

"Inventive" Refs

WHEN SHOULD AR SIGNAL FOR OFFSIDE?

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Question:
There was a discussion at halftime today between me and another AR about the proper way to signal and call offsides. As a center ref, I prefer to have my AR’s hold up their flag when they notice someone in the offside position so I can watch them as well to see if they become involved in the play. As an AR, I was doing that for the center ref today. The other AR asked why I was signaling the offside position this way and went as far to say that it was against the rules to signal offside until there is an actual offside violation. Is this true? I asked around today with some regional referees and there didn’t seem to be a clear consensus on this issue.

USSF answer (November 24, 2009):
Assistant referees should NOT flag to indicate offside position; nor should they be instructed to do so. The AR’s job is to indicate that a player in an offside position is actually offside ONLY at the moment that player becomes involved in play by gaining an advantage from the offside position or interferes with either play or an opponent. Then the referee makes the final decision as to whether that player is actually offside.…

"Inventive" Refs

TWO FALSE YELLOW CARDS

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Question:
In a state sanctioned soccer match, a referee ejected a player after showing the player a yellow card for a tackle (yellow card was deserved), followed by a red card. The player attempted to ask the ref what the Red card was for, but the Ref would not talk to the player and just told the player to leave the field. The player was sent off and 9 minutes later when the ref was near the bench, the player again asked the ref why he was sent off when he never had a first yellow. The ref THEN looked into his book and realized he had made a mistake as the player never received the first yellow card. He apologized and allowed the player to return into the game.

What is the FIFA laws for this kind of mistake? Can the game be contested?

USSF answer (October 27, 2009):
This excerpt from the Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game applies to your question (Advice 5.13):

If the referee discovers after play has restarted that the wrong player was cautioned (yellow card) or sent off (red card), the display of the card cannot be changed and must be reported. The referee must provide in the match report all details relevant to the mistake.

The failure of the referee to include in the match report accurately and fully all cards displayed during play and not timely rescinded is a serious breach of the referee’s responsibilities. In addition, the referee may not record cards as shown which have not been shown, although the facts of the player’s behavior may be included in the match report.

Referees may not decide to rescind a caution if the player who has already been charged with misconduct apologizes.

In your situation, the referee erred by allowing the player to return. Life is hard and the referee owes the player both an apology and appropriate remarks to that effect in the match report.…

Law 13 - Free Kicks

MANAGEMENT OF FREE KICKS

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Question:
Question:
As a spectator, coach, player and referee, one of my pet peeves is what I see as poor management of free kicks in the so-called “Danger Zone”, where referees in the competitions where I operate seem to immediately make all such free kicks ceremonial, denying dangerous quick free kick attacking opportunities for the offended team.

As a referee, I strive to be the absolutely best that I can be, so I spend hours each week studying all the official and unofficial material I can get my hands on. But looking at the February 10, 2009 directive on Free Kick and Restart Management, I walk away confused on this subject. The directive accurately quotes FIFA on this subject: “If a player decides to take a free kick and an opponent who is less than 10 yards from the ball intercepts it, the referee must allow play to continue”, and offers the clarifying point “If the kick is taken, it has not been prevented from being taken and play must be allowed to continue.”

But later it states “Intercepts the QFK after the kick is taken: The referee may exercise discretion depending upon whether he/she felt the defender deliberately prevented the ball from being put into play.”

The only way I have come up with to reconcile this in my mind apparent inconsistency within the directive is to say that, in the event of an intercepted kick, an infraction has been committed if the defender, previous to the actual kick, prevented the kick from being taken in some even slightly other direction, pace, angle, etc., at some point beforehand, and that the fact of the interception may rightly lead the referee to draw that conclusion (in particular based on the skill level of the players involved).

Does it sound as though I have this right?

USSF answer (October 20 2009):
We hope this response from Brian Hall, the USSF Manager of Assessment and Training, will help you.

Thank you for “striving to be the absolutely best that you can be” and for being a student of the game. Your dedication is very much appreciated.

Now, in terms of your question, there are two important terms:
“Deliberately prevents” and “intercepts.” Both are used in the Laws of the Game and have been used in the 2009 Directive “Free Kick and Restart Management” for this purpose.

“Deliberately prevents” is an action that must result in a caution. This is “moving/lunging/advancing toward the ball.”

“Intercepts” is a situation in which the attacking team knows the defender is in the area and still puts the ball into play (attacker assumes the risk of putting the ball into play). The defender does NOT move/lunge/advance toward the ball.

A situation that may result in a caution for intercepting is the “statue” that is mentioned in the Directive. A player may move within several feet of the ball/restart and NOT “deliberately prevent” because he does not lunge at the ball with his foot but the referee judges his actions are cautionable because the player’s actions were, in general terms, preventing the ball from being put into play quickly. For example, a player who has been warned on prior occasions from running directly in front of the ball (thereby becoming a “statue”) to slow the restart. These involve situations in which the referee has, most likely, tried preventative measures and the player(s) have not responded because they are using it as an unfair “tactic.”

The Directive also uses the example of a player running from behind the ball and makes contact thus denying the attacking team the chance to put the ball into play appropriately. This is not moving/lunging/advancing toward the ball but, nevertheless, cautionable.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

DOGSO?

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Question:
Understanding that “you would have to be there,” as referee I was somewhat surprised on a particular DOGSO. U-19 girls, D-4.

The attacker was on a breakaway with the defender stride for stride next to her… the Center Ref was following the play by about 10 yards with no one between the Ref and the play. There were no other defenders in the play or between the play and the goal.

As the two continued stride for stride, with the defender making some moves to retreive the ball, about 5 yards outside of the penalty arc, both girls fell to the ground and the ball rolled forward into the penalty area where the goalie was standing.

The Ref whistled a foul, set the ball for the direct kick but as the girls began to set their wall, AR-1 called the CR to the line. The CR returned to the field, called over the defender and ejected her for the obvious goal scoring opportunity.

My issue was two-fold. One, the distance seemed too far particulary given that both girls were side by side, stride for stride and working toward the ball. At 20+ yards to the goal, if for a U-19 it seems far to deserve an injection. Second, it would seem that the Center Ref was in the best position to make the call and had already set the ball for the direct kick prior to the AR calling him to the side.

Was the ejection appropriate, given the facts above? As a ref, I saw two girls going for the ball and agreed with the direct kick assuming that there was contact between the defender and the attacker – versus the ball.

USSF answer (October 20, 2009):
Unless there is something you have not revealed to us, we see no reason for any call here, much less a sending-off for denying the opponent a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Soccer is a contact sport. Unless the contact is illegal, there is no infringement of the Law.

Furthermore, aside from the issue of whether there was even a foul, we have no idea what the AR said to the referee and could only speculate as to how this added information may have affected the referee’s decisions. Finally, you have provided no information as to any of the other “D” elements in OGSO (distance to ball, direction of play) but it is clear that the “number of defenders” element was present and the “distance to the goal” element is the one you are arguing about. “Distance to goal” is a judgment of the referee and we cannot second guess the decision (short of the play perhaps being near the opposing team’s goal line!).…

"Inventive" Refs

SHOULD ARs “SNAP” THE FLAG?

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Question:
As a grade 8 referee, I referee both youth and adult matches. I have worked with referees who are doing their first game up to the 30+ year veteran. There always seems to be some discussion and disagreement about whether an AR’s flag should be “snapped” up or raised quietly. I could not find anything specifically in the Laws, Guide to Procedures, or Advice to Referees (maybe I missed it), but I believe that the flag should be raised quietly. The reason for this is that that if the AR snaps the flag up, now everyone turns their attention to the AR. We referees are supposed to be involved in a game as little as possible, but, to me, this clearly does not meet this guideline. Another way I think of it is that the AR’s flag is for the referee and not the players, coaches, spectators, substitutes, etc. The referee should be glancing over to the AR every time there is potential for offside. What are your thoughts?

USSF answer (October 16, 2009):
Although “snapping” the flag was once fashionable, there is no longer any reason to do so. You have outlined quite succinctly the principal reasons for not snapping the flag.…