Month: September 2008

Kicks from the Mark

FEINTING AT A PENALTY KICK

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Question:
This is a question regarding Law 14. While I know the kicker can stutter step or even change direction as they approach the ball, I believe that the kicker cannot come to a complete stop and then proceed to continue to approach the ball for the kick. Is this correct or have I misinterpreted something?

USSF answer (September 28, 2008):
According to the Interpretations of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees in the back of the 2008/2009 Laws of the Game:

LAW 14- THE PENALTY KICK
Procedure
Feinting to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted as part of football. However, if, in the opinion of the referee, the feinting is considered an act of unsporting behavior, the player must be cautioned.

Feinting at a penalty kick is allowed, including a brief stop along the way to the ball.

The issue of “feinting” underwent a significant change in 2000. Prior to that time, the kicker was expected to make one continuous, uninterrupted move to the ball; in and after 2000 (based on the FIFA Q&A), certain forms of deception were allowed.

FIFA clarified in 2002 that the kicker may seek to misdirect (or feint) at the taking of a penalty kick. USSF, in a memo of October 14, 2004 on this subject, identified four specific actions by the kicker that could constitute misconduct:

– he delays unnecessarily after being signaled by the referee to proceed,
– he runs past the ball and then backs up to take the kick,
– he excessively changes direction during the run to the ball, or
– he makes any motion of the hand or arm which is clearly intended to misdirect the attention of the goalkeeper.
In such cases, the referee should suspend the procedure, caution the player involved, and then signal once again for the kick to be taken. If the kick has already been taken, the referee should order it retaken only if the ball enters the goal. The player must still be cautioned for his misconduct regardless of the outcome. If the kick is not to be retaken (see above), the game is restarted with an indirect free kick for the defending team where Law 14 was violated.
As to the goalkeeper leaving the line early, all referees are expected to order a retake of a penalty kick or a kick from the penalty mark if the ‘keeper’s movement off the line has interfered with the kicker’s ability to score the goal.

Referees should watch for the sorts of feinting described in the position paper of October 14, 2004, but should not consider all deceptive maneuvers to be a violation of Law 14 or of the guidelines on kicks from the penalty mark in the section of the Laws pertaining to “Procedures to Determine the Winner of a Match or Home-and-Away.” They should ensure that the run to the ball is initiated from behind the ball and the kicker is not using deception to delay unnecessarily the taking of the kick.  The kicker’s behavior must not, in the opinion of the referee, unduly delay the taking of the kick in any feinting tactic. Others would include changing direction or running such an an excessive distance such that, in the opinion of the referee, the restart was delayed; or making hand or arm gestures with the intent to deceive the kicker (e .g., pointing in a direction).

The referee should allow the kick to proceed. If the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken.  If the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick to the defending team.

To this we can add only that more and more liberal interpretation is taking place throughout the world. The kicker is permitted to approach slowly, stop, take few quick steps, and shoot.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

ACTIONS OFF THE FIELD OF PLAY

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Question:
A defender is physically off the field of play, (feet, legs, and torso), but reaches ONTO the field of play to either 1) hold or push an opponent, or 2) strike an opponent. The question is the determination with regard to “on the field of play” and therefore foul versus misconduct?

Striking
With striking, the guidance is pretty clear that the offense is committed where the contact is made or would have been made if the attempt is unsuccessful. A punch thrown by a defender who is inside the PA at an opponent who is outside the PA results in a DK, not a PK, but a defender who is outside the the PA and strikes an attacker who is inside the PA results in a PK because the striking offense is where the contact occurs, not where it was initiated. What is confusing in this situation is determining what happens when the offender is physically off the field of play but strikes a player who is on the field of play? Is the person doing the striking considered to be off the field of play even though his “fist”, and the offense, are ON the field of play?

Holding, Pushing, etc.
Same situation(s). Most of the person committing the offense is physically off the field of play, but they reach onto the field of play to hold or push an opponent. Is the person committing the offenses considered to be off the field of play, therefore guilty of misconduct, or on the field of play, therefore foul?

Methinks it is misconduct, but I’ve been wrong before.

USSF answer (September 28, 2008):
If the player has left the field during the course of play and that player reaches a hand or a foot (or any other body part) back onto the field of play to interfere with an opponent, that is considered to be a foul. The restart would be in accordance with which particular foul was committed.

However, if the player has left the field with the permission of the referee and reaches a hand or a foot (or any other body part) back onto the field of play to foul or interfere with an opponent, that is considered to be both a foul and an act of misconduct — entering the field without the permission of the referee. The player is cautioned for re-entering the field of play. If the foul itself is deserving of a caution the player will be sent off for receiving a second caution in the same match. Play is restarted in accordance with the nature of the foul.…

Law 11 - Offside

OFFSIDE ON A FREE KICK?

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Question:
Assume you are the AR.

The center referee calls a direct kick. He stops play to mark off the ten yards. All the defenders line up evenly across the field. An offensive player lines up next to the wall even or slightly in front of the wal l(less than 10yds).

Just before the kick is taken the players in the wall step forward to do an offside trap. The ball is chipped over the wall to the offensive player that was even with the wall and he scores.

Since the wall moved forward within the 10yds, it is actually encroachment. The offensive player that was where the wall was originally placed now looks like he was in an offside position.

How should the AR rule? Offside, or allow the play to continue and the goal count.

USSF answer (September 28, 2008):
Provided all is precisely as you say — and the kicking team’s player remained where he was when the wall was set and that all the opponents moved forward, making them all nearer to the ball than the required ten yards — there is no offside infringement to worry about. Why? Because the defending team committed the first infringement by violating Law 12’s requirement that a player must respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in. Thus the referee may simply invoke the advantage and allow the goal. In fact, if the referee felt so inclined, he or she could easily caution all members of the wall for committing that infringement.

In this case, the AR should leave the flag down. The team that lives by the offside trap also die by the offside trap.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

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Question:
This subject has become a debate between coaches and referees. Perhaps you can shed some light on it.

At the beginning of the game, and at the beginning of the second half the referee will normally count the number of players on the field to ensure they have enough players to begin a game. So question #1, if there are less players than the max allow, but enough players to meet the min requirement, does the referee need to say anything to the coach?

Question #2 In some leagues, they do not allow free subs, but rather break half way through each half to allow subs. In a case where a team has been signaled to return to play, and a coach does not respond by allowing his players to return to the field of play ( without addressing delay of game here ) and the referee decides to signal to begin play… hence the coach now scrambles to release his players, who fault is it that the correct number of players are not on the field of play? If the coach had kept the time to substitution the referees could have confirmed the number of players on the field. But in this case, the ball had been put into play and it was discovered after the restart that the team was short a player ( or in other cases had too many players ).

Is this not the fault of the coach for not communicating to his team properly?

USSF answer (September 28, 2008):
1. The referee should tell the coach that there are enough players to begin and to get them on the field. The referee should also tell the coach that when more players arrive, they should get the attention of the assistant referee on that side of the field, so that the players, their passes (if necessary), and their equipment can be checked for entry into the game.

2. It should never come to this. The referee must manage the break and alert the coaches and captains that the time for restarting is near. Any numbers under the allowed maximum limit of players on the field are the fault of the coach; any numbers over the allowed maximum are the fault of the referee.…

Interpretations/IFAB

NO JEWELRY FOR REFEREES

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Question:
I am almost certain that I have seen somewhere that referees should not wear jewelry.
Can you tell me where that information is at so that I can pass it along to a few of my referees?

USSF answer (September 24, 2008):
You saw it in the 2008/2009 Laws of the Game, the INTERPRETATION OF THE LAWS OF THE GAME AND GUIDELINES FOR REFEREES, which begins on page 55. It’s there under Law 4.

Jewelry
All items of jewelry (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather bands, rubber bands etc.) are strictly forbidden and must be removed.
Using tape to cover jewelry is not acceptable.

Referees are also prohibited from wearing jewelry (except for a watch or similar device for timing the match).

…
Law 10 - Scoring

MAKE CORRECT DECISIONS!!!

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Question:
Over this last weekend there was an incident in England’s premiership where the referee and assistant referee awarded a goal when in fact there had been none. The referee facing the goal saw the ball zoom forward and get knocked away to the side. The assistant referee believed the ball had fully entered the goal and then been knocked away. The replay shows the ball never reached the goal.

The English FA ruled the awarded goal must stand because they have no authority under the laws to overrule a referee’s decision. This must mean that a referee may award a goal to a team and it cannot be undone as long as the referee stands by that decision. This is obviously absurd when you think of all the crazy things that can happen as a consequence of upholding a referee’s decision.

There is a limit to everyone’s power. Besides not assigning an errant referee to another game, what practical thing can a federation do to set aside a nefarious decision by a referee?

USSF answer (September 24, 2008):
Law 5 says it all:

Decisions of the Referee
The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final.

…
"Inventive" Refs

HIP CHARGES; REFEREE COWARDICE

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Question:
I have seen this similar situation at least 4 times in the last year – with the same results. An attacking player is dribbling from a wing area (left or right of the goal) in the defenders penalty area. A defender takes a hard and late hip charge into the offensive player. Enough to move them 2 – 4 feet off the ball. The offensive player maintains balance and control. But either immediately or within 1 or 2 seconds loses the ball to the second or third defender (in each situation the defense outnumbers the offense in the immediate vicinity of the play). No whistle and actually no play on is verbalized or signalled. In all cases after the game the referee informs the offensive team/player that if the player had been knocked to the ground a penalty would have ensued. I love a good physical game and in some cases I could easily argue that advantage was the call. But the seemingly late nature of the hit bothers me. Myself, as a ref I’m loath to call a PK but worry about benefiting the defensive team with questionable play and penalizing the offensive team for not flopping. These hip charges are hard, from the side or slightly behind the offensive player. If the offensive player went down I don’t think anyone would have been suprised. But with them not falling I can’t see a foul being called. So, there are a couple parts to my question. 1.) using the four P’s the call seems rather legitimate but it seems to me that the defense gained advantage using a questionable tackle. Could this be whistled as a foul? 2.) even if it is not a foul could this warrant a caution?

USSF answer (September 24, 2008):
We cannot make any definitive comment on a game played under high school rules, as it would not have been played under the Laws of the Game. However, if the game had been played under the Laws of the Game, we can make some definite statements:

1. What you describe has nothing to do with advantage, but is strictly a matter of a referee afraid to make a call. There is no room for cowards in the refereeing corps.

2. In general we can say, without fear of being incorrect, that hip charges at any level of play (male/female, young/old, skilled/unskilled, etc.) are unfair and thus not allowed. Charges must be shoulder to shoulder, with both players having at least one foot on the ground. However, we must consider some allowance for differences in height and weight and bodily proportions. In other words, we must not forget that both the laws of physics and Mother Nature can overrule the Laws of the Game, in that women are usually wider at the hips than men and men are usually wider at the shoulders than women. What we judge is how those bodily characteristics are used. If they are used unfairly — and only the referee on the spot can do that — then a foul should be called.

3. Referees who do not call unfair charges should consider two courses of action: Either call fouls correctly or stop refereeing, as they are doing the rest of us no favors. Simply because a player was fouled but not knocked to the ground is not a valid reason not to call a foul. A foul is a foul is a foul.

4. Referees MUST make the same call in the penalty area that they would make on the rest of the field. If they cannot do that, they must consider those same two courses of action, because their failure to call the game correctly makes problems for all referees.

5. If the referee chooses to make a decision — which each of us must do thousands of times in a game — then it had better be for the good of the game. The decision to award the advantage must be based on the four Ps, but in that case the referee must follow through and speak to the miscreant afterwards. There may be no need for a caution on the first offense, that is up to the referee, but if the player or the team contnues to do that, the referee must punish the misconduct.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

HEARING AIDS AND LOST SHOES

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Question:
1a. What kind of hearing aids are permitted by players with hearing disabilities? b. Can a mini-receiver with a short, flexible antenna be worn, with or without headware that could hold the device in place?
2. A player kicks a ball while the ball is in play. His/her shoe comes off, but doesn’t go near or hit anyone. The player kicks the ball again, into the goal. While shoes are required equipment, may a goal be allowed?

USSF answer (September 24, 2008):
1, The referee is the sole judge of the safety and suitability of any player equipment. Something that is permitted in one game may not be permitted in the next.
2. The player is expected to replace the lost shoe as quickly as possible. If the amount of time between loss of shoe and shot on goal is minimal, then the goal should be allowed.…

Assignments

DO NOT REFEREE GAMES IN WHICH FAMILY IS INVOLVED

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Question:
Is it ok to referee a game of a family member so long as it is fairly administered etc.?  If so, are there any disclosures recommended or required prior to the match to allow the coaches to make the call?

USSF answer (September 24, 2008):
The referee (or assistant referee) should turn down the assignment to such a game as soon as it is offered. To referee such a game other than in the most dire emergency is a violation of the Referee Code of Ethics.

That said, we understand circumstances may call for someone associated with the team to fill in as an assistant referee and, as long as both teams are aware of the situation and do not object, this may be the only practical way of ensuring full coverage on a match.…

Law 4 - Equipment

OUTSIDE PERSONS MAY NOT ALLOW UNSAFE EQUIPMENT

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Question:
I just started out reffing and I told a girl she was not allowed to play with earrings. Her mother came out onto the field and started fighting me about it, delaying the game. I stuck to the rule and she called the athletic director and she said it was ok. Is the athletic director above the rules?

USSF answer (September 23, 2008):
We do not deal with high school or junior high school rules, but with the Laws of the Game, so we cannot speak directly to the authority of an athletic director. However, if this game was played under the Laws of the Game, the athletic director (or any other person) would be wrong to tell the referee to allow an infringement of Law 4, which specifically forbids the wearing of any jewelry — and the referee should tell her so.…