Question:
On rare occasions, a Referee commits the grievous error of not sending a player off after a second Caution. If the Referee realizes his or her error later in the match, I understand that the Referee is to go ahead and issue the Send-Off. But the situation seems to be really messy, because the officials must now deal with some complications not addressed by the Laws. I’m interested to know if USSF has any guidance on these kinds of questions:What is the status of either team’s achievements and actions during the Interval between the second Caution and the eventual Send-Off? Do all goals scored in the Interval still count? Is the twice-cautioned person still considered to be a player during the Interval? If his or her player status has changed, does that affect rulings on fouls or misconduct committed against him or her during the Interval? If either team’s achievements or errors during that Interval are canceled, does the Referee add time to compensate for what is, effectively, lost playing time?
You know, the more I think about this situation, the less I want to ever stumble into it.
USSF answer (March 28, 2007):
The answer to the first question follows from the rest.
Yes.
Yes.
No.
No answer necessary.
And we agree: It should never happen, which is why all referees and ARs should keep good notes.
