What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

In a U-8 boys game, red player #10 removes his shin guards because they bother him and throws them out of the field of play. Immediately after he receives a pass, shoots and scores a goal without the shin guards.
 

Answer:

Law 4 – The Player’s Equipment states that shin guards are part of the basic mandatory player equipment. Shin guards must be worn at all times in games and practices and should be entirely covered by socks. Removing the shin guards is an infringement which does not require play to be stopped, therefore in this scenario the goal counts.

The referee should ask the player to leave the field of play to correct his equipment and restart the game with a kickoff for the blue team. The player can reenter the field of play when the ball is out of play and his equipment has been checked by the referee. The referee can delegate this type of equipment check to the assistant referees in the pregame conference. In U-8 games referees are providing a lot of teaching of the game to the kids. The referee can explain to the player the safety benefits of wearing the shin guards and then recommend that he wears them at home to get used to them.

(See pages 18 and 19 in the 2010-11 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game).

 

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

In a U-14 girls game the referee sends off blue player #5 and red player #9 ten minutes into the second half. Red player #9 switches shirts with red player #19 and at the end of the “quarter” gets substituted for red player #3. A couple of minutes later the referee notices that red player #19 is the red player who he sent off earlier.

Answer:

Red player #3 remains the player of record because the red player #19 was sent off while wearing #9, so from that point on she was no longer eligible to participate in the game. Any player who is sent off and goes back into the field of play is considered an outside agent. Therefore, the referee should stop the game, and have the player with the red shirt #19 removed from the field of play. The referee should also caution the substitute who is the official red player #19 for unsporting behavior by switching shirts, show her the yellow card and ask her to wear the red shirt #19.

If in the referee’s opinion the coach knew about the players’ misconduct, switching shirts and intentionally substituted a player who had been sent off, then he should dismiss the coach for irresponsible behavior. Ask red player #3 to get back on the field of play and restart the game with an indirect free kick for the blue team. All of the details must be properly documented in the game report. We recommend that the assistant referee on the side of the team bench always pay attention to the substitutes’ activity in order to prevent this type of misconduct.

(See pages 17, 22, 33 and 60 in the 2010-11 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game and page 25, Section 5.10 in the USSF Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game, 2009-10 edition).

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

In a U-16 boys game, red player #9 makes light contact with the blue team’s goalkeeper as he challenges for the ball. The goalkeeper controls the ball and because he was upset over the contact, he throws it directly at the back of the head of red player #9 who is now 3 yards outside of the penalty area.

Answer:

Carelessly hitting an opponent with the ball is considered a striking foul which is punishable by a direct free kick. In this case, the point of the infraction is considered to be where the ball struck the opponent (or would have struck if the attempt missed). When the ball is in play and a player throws an object or the ball at an opponent in a reckless manner, with complete disregard for the safety of his opponent, he/she should be cautioned for unsporting behavior. If the player throws the object with excessive force, creating danger to his opponent, then he/she should be sent off for violent conduct. Therefore in this scenario the referee should stop play and, depending on his/her opinion, caution or send off the goalkeeper and restart with a direct free kick where the ball made contact with red player #9.

(See pages 32, 34, 35, 109, 115, 119 and 121 in the 2010-11 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game).

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

In a U-19 girls' game, red player #9 is dribbling the ball into the blue team’s penalty area. Blue player #7, attempting to get control of the ball, kicks red player #9 who is able to keep control of the ball and take a shot on goal which then goes over the crossbar.

Answer:

The FIFA Laws of the Game used to include the following paragraph known as International F.A. Board Decision 8 which was included in Law 5 until it was dropped in 1997: "The Laws of the Game are intended to provide that games should be played with as little interference as possible, and in this view it is the duty of referees to penalize only deliberate breaches of the Law. Constant whistling for trifling and doubtful breaches produces bad feeling and loss of temper on the part of the players and spoils the pleasure of spectators."

This statement has been captured in the AYSO Rules and Regulations, section I.D.5, and the spirit, if not the words, of this concept remains at the heart of the Laws and it is applicable to all possible violations of any of the Laws of the Game. As the skill (technical, physical and emotional) level of players increases more player actions become trifling and referees have more opportunities to allow game flow. Kicking the opponent may become a foul if it causes the opponent to lose control of the ball or if it interferes with the opponent’s ability to effectively pass the ball to a teammate or take a shot on goal.

This criterion should be applied regardless of whether the action takes place in or outside the penalty area. n this scenario blue player #7’s action can be considered trifling because red player #9 was able to keep control of the ball and take a shot on goal, so there is no foul to be punished.

However the referee should firmly warn blue player #7 to be careful with her playing and not to kick opponents so players continue to feel safe. If the player continues to kick the opponents the referee may find her guilty of persistent infringement which merits a caution.

(See pages 32, 34 and 110 in the 2010-11 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game and page 22 in the 2009-10 USSF Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game.)

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

In a U-14 boys’ game, before a penalty kick is taken by red player #10, the goalkeeper moves to his right and then to his left while remaining on the goal line. The kick is taken and the goalkeeper deflects the ball over the cross bar. Immediately after, the assistant referee stays in position at the intersection of the goal line and the penalty area line and signals by holding the flag across his lower body.

Answer:

Once the referee whistles for the penalty kick to be taken, the goalkeeper may move from side to side on the goal line but may not move off the goal line either into the field of play or off the field of play (backward) until the ball has been kicked. The goalkeeper may have one or both feet off the ground as long as he/she does not move forward or backward from the plane of the goal line. This goalkeeper movement restriction also applies to the procedure Kicks from the Penalty Mark which is used to determine the winner of a match. In this scenario the goalkeeper did not infringe any Laws so the assistant referee should have not signaled to the referee. Therefore the referee should waive down the signal and project good teamwork and support for the assistant referee by giving him/her a “thumbs up” signal and saying something like, “Thank you. I’ve got it.”

The referee should signal for a corner kick because the ball was last touched by a defender before it left the field of play over the goal line without a goal being scored, and restart the game with a corner kick for the red team. We recommend that the referee team review in the pregame conference the procedures, mechanics and responsibilities for key game incidents such as the penalty kick procedure. The pregame conference helps develop awareness about the game and understanding of individual responsibilities which is good for avoiding misunderstandings and miscommunication.

(See page 48 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game and page 73 in the USSF Advice to the Referees on the Laws of the Game, 2009-10 edition).
 

Blue player #5 has control of the ball approximately 15 yards outside his own penalty area when an opponent pressures him. The blue player decides to kick the ball hard towards his own goal. The blue team’s goalkeeper who is outside his own penalty area sees that the ball is heading towards his goal and decides to dive and catch it with his hands. The goalkeeper was the last defender between the ball and the blue team’s goal. Is this action considered denying a goal scoring opportunity?

Answer:

When the goalkeeper is outside his/her penalty area he/she becomes a regular player and is not allowed to deliberately handle the ball. In the question presented the goalkeeper was outside of his penalty area and deliberately handled the ball which should be penalized with a direct free kick. The other concept in this question is denying an opponent an obvious goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball. A player can also deny an opponent a goal scoring opportunity by committing an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick and this concept will be addressed in future editions of Whistle Stop including the four factors or elements known to referees as the “Four Ds” that must be considered before determining that an obvious goal scoring opportunity existed.

In the scenario presented, if in the opinion of the referee the ball was heading towards the goal and there were no other defenders that could have stopped the ball from going into the goal then the goalkeeper is guilty of denying a goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball. Therefore the referee should stop play, show the red card to the blue team goalkeeper, send him off and restart the game with a direct free kick for the red team.

(See pages 35 and 111 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game and page 63 in the USSF Advice to the Referees on the Laws of the Game, 2009-10 edition).
 

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

The ball is in play when blue player #3 punches red player #10 just outside of the center circle. The referee stops play and sends off blue player #3 for violent conduct. The referee then makes eye contact with the lead assistant referee who gives him a thumbs-up signal. He proceeds to restart the game with a direct free kick for the red team. Ten minutes and several restarts later when the first half ends, the other assistant referee notifies the referee that player #10 punched blue player #3 first which caused the retaliation by blue player #3.

Answer:

The referee has the duty to control the match in cooperation with the assistant referees; therefore, he/she may caution and/or send off a player as soon as he/she learns from an assistant referee the pertinent facts that would justify a disciplinary action.

The caution and/or send off must be given at the time of the misconduct or no later than the next stoppage of play. If the referee fails to do this then he/she cannot later caution and/or send off the player for the related misconduct except in two rare specific circumstances: First, the player may be cautioned or sent off even after the subsequent restart if an assistant referee signaled for misconduct and maintained the signal but the referee did not see it until after the play was restarted. Second, a player may be sent off at any time prior to the end of the game if the player was cautioned a second time without being sent off. Neither of these circumstances occurred in the situation presented. Therefore, in this case the referee cannot send off player #10. However, the referee should notify red player #10 that he/she knows what happened and ask #10 to avoid committing misconduct.

It is recommended that the referee make eye contact with both assistant referees and quickly get input before making critical decisions. If the referee does not check with one or both assistant referees, and they have critical input, it is okay for them to get the referee’s attention and provide the input. The referee makes final decisions, but it helps to have as much input as possible especially in critical situations.

(See page 21 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game and sections 5.13 and 12.26 in the 2009-10 USSF Advice to Referees).
 

Question 109:

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

The referee is managing kicks from the penalty mark to determine a winner. During the third kick from the mark, the referee decides that the kick taken by red player #8 needs to be retaken because the goalkeeper moved forward before the ball was kicked and player #8 kicked the ball over the crossbar. Red player #8 decides not to retake the kick and instead red player #12 comes up to the ball and gets ready to take the kick.

Answer:

The Laws of the Game and the International F.A. Board decisions apply when kicks from the penalty mark are being executed for the purpose of determining a winner. Each kick must be taken by a different player and all eligible players must take a kick before any player can take a kick again. If the red player #12 has not yet taken a kick then he can do the retake of the third kick. If red player #12 took one of the first two kicks then he must wait until all of his eligible teammates take a kick.

(See page 51 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game and page 83 in the 2009-10 USSF Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game).

Question 108:

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

In a U-19 boys game, the referee stops play for a holding offense committed by blue team player #3 in the middle of the field. The red team requests a substitution, and the referee motions the substitute, red player #12, to enter the field. The substitute enters the field. Then red player #7, who was identified to be substituted and who has not yet left the field of play, strikes an opponent.

Answer:

Referees need to follow the proper substitution procedure as it helps avoid problems. In this scenario, the referee did not follow the proper substitution procedure as red player #12 was allowed to enter the field of play before red player #7 had left. However, the substitution was completed because red player #12 received permission from the referee and entered the field of play, becoming a player of record. Therefore, red player #7 is considered a substituted player from the moment the referee authorized the substitution and red player #12 entered the field.

The referee must show the red card to red player #7 and send him off for violent conduct. Since red player #7 was a substituted player when he committed the violent conduct, the red team does not have to play with one less player. The game should be restarted with the direct free kick in favor of the red team per the holding offense committed by the blue team.

Recommendations: The referee should have an awareness of potential player frustration. Players who are asked to be substituted may project frustration triggered by an opponent's provocation and/or a sense of "I'm not happy to be substituted so let me do something about it!" It is recommended for the referee to focus on the player to be substituted, and if needed, accompany him to his bench so that he will not get involved in misconduct.

The assistant referees can help manage the substitution process, so discuss the role of each official during the pregame discussion. In this scenario, the assistant referee on the side of the team requesting the substitution could have held the new player from entering the field of play until red player #7 had left the field.

(See pages 16, 25, 32, 59 and 77 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game.)

I was refereeing a U-10 game this weekend when the blue team had a breakaway. Just before kicking the ball, a blue player was pushed hard from behind inside the penalty area. He stumbled and then regained control of the ball. The blue player kicked the ball into the goal. When the player was pushed I immediately blew the whistle and then got the ball out of the net and set it up for a penalty kick. As I looked to my assistant referee she was talking with the coach of the blue team and calling me over with her hand. The blue team coach told me that the advantage was not taken away from the blue player and that the goal should be counted. I discussed this with my assistant referee and she agreed with the blue team coach. I awarded the goal to the blue team, forgetting the penalty kick altogether. Was this the right call?

Answer:

Play stops when the referee makes the decision to stop play and the whistle announces this decision to everyone else. In this case, when the whistle was blown, play was stopped just before the blue player kicked the ball. Unfortunately, the ball went into the goal and this is why in similar scenarios referees should consider applying advantage. That is, show the proper advantage signal, verbalize "play on" to indicate that you have seen the foul and allow play to continue when the team against which an offense has been committed will benefit from such an advantage. Since you stopped play before the goal was scored, you should have restarted the game with the penalty kick in favor of the blue team.  

For future games consider waiting a couple of seconds for the fouled player to recover if the foul is not very severe and the position of the foul is close to the opponent's goal where there may be an opportunity to score a goal. The referee can penalize the original offense, within a few seconds, if the advantage does not develop as anticipated.

(See page 21, 66 and 75 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game; section 9.1 in the AYSO Guidance for Referees and Coaches - 2009 edition).

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

Red player #11, who is in an offside position, turns her back towards the opponent's goal and makes no attempt to play the ball as the ball rolls past her after being passed by a teammate. Blue defender #3 runs past red player #11, gets possession of the ball a few yards past the offside player, and turns up field dribbling it. Red player #11 immediately challenges the blue player and tries to tackle the ball away.

Answer:

The red player #11 who is in an offside position may become onside if the blue opponent plays (meaning possessed and controlled, not simply deflected) or gains possession of the ball.

In this scenario the referee should judge and determine if blue player #3 gained control of the ball. Since the blue player got possession of the ball, turned up field and dribbled the ball, she had control of the ball. Therefore red player #11 is now back onside and may challenge for the ball. The referee should allow play to continue.

(See pages 31 and 100 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game; pages 40 and 44 in the USSF Advice to the Referees on the Laws of the Game, 2009-10 edition.)
 

Question 105:

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

A red team attacker with clear possession of the ball has penetrated the blue team's defense and is on a breakaway attack in the blue team's half of the field when the referee notices that a blue player is lying on the ground.

Answer:

This decision must be made quickly and with due consideration to the age level of the players. Younger players seldom simulate injury to affect the outcome of the game and referees must take this into consideration when making the decision. Even if the players are older, the referee must put the welfare of the player first when deciding what to do.

The referee must quickly determine whether the player on the ground is injured, assess the potential level of the injury and take action as appropriate.

Play should be stopped immediately if:

a) In the opinion of the referee, the player is seriously injured.

b) The referee has doubt as to the level of the injury, in which case the player should be considered to be seriously injured.

With older players, if the referee decides that the injury is minor then play should be allowed to continue until either the ball goes out of play or the referee can stop play without affecting the outcome of the match.

If instead the referee does stop play immediately for an injury that was not caused by a foul, the game should be restarted with a dropped ball where the ball was when play was stopped.

If the referee determines that a foul occurred, the game should be restarted in accordance with the foul, and if appropriate, disciplinary action should be taken (e.g. caution, send-off).

(See pages 21, 67, and 68 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game.)

Question 104:

In a boys U-19 game, I blew the whistle to indicate that defender #4 impeded the progress of attacker #14. As I'm pointing in the direction of the defender's goal, the attacker pushed the defender to the ground. The pushing seemed more serious to me than the foul committed by the attacker so I gave a direct free kick in favor of the defender's team. I had several parents complain but I proceeded with the direct kick.

Was I right?

Answer:

The moment you decided that defender #4 committed the offense of impeding the progress of an opponent (attacker #14), the ball was out of play and you stopped the game. You confirmed your decision and made the players aware of it by blowing the whistle. Since you stopped the game for the impeding offense, the restart should have been an indirect free kick in favor of the attacking team. Attacking player #14 committed the pushing offense when the ball was out play; therefore, the restart should have remained the same. In addition, attacking player #14 committed a cautionable offense, which was pushing the opponent when the ball is out of play. For this reason, you should have shown the yellow card to attacking player #14 and cautioned him for unsporting behaviour (pushing the player to the ground).

In a U-19 game, showing the yellow card and cautioning is acceptable as the players are older and most likely have higher levels of technical and physical skills. In a U-12 or younger game, it is recommended to the referee not to use cards and instead manage similar situations by verbally admonishing the players and teaching them about appropriate behavior.

(See pages 29, 33, 34 and 109 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game, and pages 41, 43 and 45 in the AYSO National Referee Program-2009 Edition.)

Question 103:

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

Red team attacker #12 dribbles the ball into the penalty area with an obvious goal scoring opportunity as he faces the goalkeeper from the blue team. Just before he takes a shot on goal, blue team defender #3 catches up with the attacker and takes him down by tackling him with excessive force, causing the attacker to lose control of the ball inside the penalty area.

Answer:

Blue defender #3 committed two sending-off offenses, one is serious foul play (SFP) for using excessive force against the opponent, and the other one is denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) to an opponent moving towards the blue team's goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or penalty kick. SFP is the more serious offense of the two; therefore, the referee should stop the game, show the red card to the blue player #3 for SFP and restart it with a penalty kick for the red team. In addition, the referee must report SFP as the reason for the send-off of blue player #3.

(See pages 32, 35, 109, 118 and 122 in the 2009-10 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game.)

Question 102:

We had a goalkeeper receive the ball with his feet from the attacking team, and then dribble the ball to corner of the penalty area near the goal line, kneel down next to the ball and wait for the attacking team to come and pressure the ball. The center ref gave him a verbal warning for delaying the game. The goalkeeper said he was not doing anything wrong technically speaking because he had not picked up the ball. I think he was in a way taunting the other players by getting down on his knees next to the ball and should have been cautioned.  What do you think?

Answer:

Technically, the goalkeeper did not break the Laws of the Game by dribbling the ball to the corner of the penalty area and waiting until the opponent was close to pick up the ball. Experienced and knowledgeable goalkeepers do this when they are winning a game. However, depending on the age of the players, their skill level and the level of frustration, there is a risk that the attacking player may get to the ball faster and with additional strength than the goalkeeper can safely pick it up, creating a situation for potential injury.

The referee was correct to provide awareness to the goalkeeper, but delaying the game is not the correct reason to site. Instead, a better approach is to get close to the goalkeeper and verbally communicate: "Play the ball to your teammates so we can keep the game fun and safe. Thank you." This provides a chance for the goalkeeper to pick up the ball or just kick it to a teammate in a safe environment.

(See section 12.20 and its related note in the USSF Advice to the Referees.)

Question 101:

To Whistle Or Not To Whistle?

What should the referee do, and how is play restarted if...

An attacking red team player, who is adjusting his shirt, grabs the bottom of it with both hands as the ball is played to him. He "catches" the ball with the bottom of his shirt (as a basket), without touching the ball with his hands, then he releases the ball from the shirt to his feet and kicks it into the goal?

Answer:

The bottom of his shirt became an extension of the hands as the red team player was holding it with his hands and made a "basket." Therefore, the red team player is guilty of handling the ball. The referee should stop the game and restart it with a direct free kick for the blue team from the place where the offense occurred. In this case, if the infraction (handling the ball deliberately) occurred inside the blue team's penalty area, then all opponents must be at least 10 yards from the ball and remain outside the penalty area until the ball is in play, which requires for it to be kicked directly out of the penalty area.

In addition, depending on the age of the players and if, in the opinion of the referee, the red team player intentionally used the "basket," that is deliberately handled the ball, to prevent an opponent from gaining possession, then before restarting the game the referee should caution the red team player for unsporting behavior.

(See pages 32, 37 and 111 in the 2009/2010 AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game.)

From: AYSO Whistle