Question:
In a recent game player A grabs player B and pulls him down on the ground. Prior to the whistle being blown, player B stands up and holds the ball in his hands stopping play…..whistle is blown.
Player A should be cautioned but in discussing this with both National and State Emeritus refs, they both state that only Player A should be cautioned.
Normally I would agree, however in reading the following, I believe I would be required to caution Player B as well.
12.32 SEQUENTIAL INFRINGEMENTS OF THE LAW
If the referee has decided to stop play for an infringement of the Law (foul, misconduct, offside, or other reason) and another infringement of the Law occurs between the making of this decision and the actual whistle to stop play, this subsequent violation must be treated as misconduct and handled appropriately
.USSF answer (September 21, 2009):
The first foul was called (in the referee’s mind at least) and the delay in whistling covered in the Advice to Referees is irrelevant. You seem to have misunderstood the language of 12.32. It doesn’t mean that ANYTHING that happens after play is stopped is misconduct — it is merely a statement that anything that happens after play is stopped can ONLY be misconduct (i. e., not a foul). Player B committed no offense, whether he thought the whistle was going to blow or not, because the referee’s mental decision had effectively stopped play. Now, if B had reacted to something else (e. g., an AR flag) and the referee had decided NOT to stop play, then we have an entirely different matter.
