ACTION AFTER PLAY HAS BEEN STOPPED

November 25, 2009 by Jim Allen

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

November 25, 2009November 25, 2009 by Jim Allen

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.…

Law 18 - Common Sense

PRESSURE OF THE BALL

November 24, 2009 by Jim Allen

Question:
I have sat through the entry level referee clinics several times now and it has seldom been taught by the same guy twice. I do so to give the new referees a chance to meet their assignor and to keep myself in the loop on how they are being taught this year.

One year the instructor said that all balls should be checked by a gauge before the game. This he said was due to differences in construction, ambient temperature, altitude, etc…. The next sighted a ‘rule of thumb’ where you simply push in with two thumbs to get a feel for whether the ball is tight enough. I happen to side with the first of the two, especially knowing the I have some referees that could barely push a ball in at 6 lbs. and others that work in a packing house by day and could easily push in a ball at 18 lbs.

Here in lies my problem. I have a gauge and a back up (as well as one that is on an cordless electric pump that I keep in my bag). All 3 read the balls differently to one degree or another. How do I determine which is right and which one(s) I should throw away?

USSF answer (November 24, 2009):
Different instructors use different methods to make their points. As long as the referee learns that he or she must apply the requirements of Law 2, the Federation and the Law are satisfied.

As to how to judge the suitability of the ball, that is left to the discretion of the referee, based on what is suitable for this particular game.…

"Inventive" Refs

REPORT ALL MISCONDUCT!!!

November 24, 2009 by Jim Allen

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?

November 24, 2009 by Jim Allen

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.…

"Only in America!"

PLAYER AND MATCH MANAGEMENT

November 24, 2009 by Jim Allen

Question:
My husband and I are referees for a long while. We were wondering your opinion on the Elizabeth Lambert (“dirtiest” female soccer player) story. We haven’t heard much (which is unusual)about the referees that were doing that game. We feel that most of the responsibility for the continuation of such “unsporting”, violent conduct lies with the referee crew. Why wasn’t she ejected early in the game instead of letting this game be get out of control. We understand that we miss things but this sure seemed to occur over and over.

USSF answer (November 24, 2009):
Your reasoning appears to be logical and sound. However, because this game was not played under the auspices of the U. S. Soccer Federation and under the Laws of the Game, and because it was not refereed by officials assigned by the U. S. Soccer Federation or its affiliates, we can take no official position on this matter.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

PLAYER OFF THE FIELD

November 20, 2009 by Jim Allen

Question:
A winger dribbles the ball in the opposition half, directly down the touchline. He is tackled fairly off the ball by a defender and exits the field of play. The defender passes to a forward teammate who passes straight back; the first defender slips over; the ball continues directly down the touchline. The fallen winger meanwhile, noticing this, sprints down the touchline – still off the field of play – and onto the field to take the ball, alone, and score.

Goal?

USSF answer (November 20, 2009):
A player who has left the field in the course of play is expected to return as quickly as possible to a position on the field. The legality of the goal would depend on the referee’s perception of two things: Whether this player’s return occurred quickly enough and whether the player stayed off the field accidentally or to deceive the opponents.…

Advice to Referees

UP-TO-DATE MATERIALS ON THE LAWS AND REFEREEING

November 16, 2009 by Jim Allen

Question:
How can a referee determine what is the most current standard for a particular topic, given that there is a mound of reference material on the USSF website? Are we to rely on the most recent “Advice to Referees” as being the final word on every topic, or do we also need to search through historical memos, directives, etc?

The current USSF website has numerous memos that date back many years, some of which are duplicative (ie, 2004 Advice, 2005 Advice, etc).

For example, is it necessary to read the 2007 Law Changes Memorandum or are these law changes incorporated into the 09-10 Advice? Where there are conflicts, which document prevails?

Second but related topic, which is organization of the ussoccer.com webpages for referees. Why isn’t there one page that is kept current and represents the current definitive body of laws, directives, advices, etc. As of this date, the laws are on one page, along with a long list of documents, and the advice is on another page. This is confusing. It would be better to have a section called “Current Laws and Interpretations” which contains the FIFA LOTG, the Advice, and any of the historical memos which aren’t incorporated in the Advice that still apply. There should be another page titled “Historical Documents” that contain all other documents, with language that these have been supplanted by more current interpretations.

Thanks!

USSF answer (November 16, 2009):
Your suggestion for improving the utility of the webpages has been passed along to the appropriate people. Thank you.

As to which document “trumps” the others, this excerpt from the Introduction to the Advice to Referees should prove helpful to you:

This book of Advice to Referees is specifically intended to give USSF referees, assistant referees and fourth officials a reliable compilation of those international and national guidelines remaining in force, as modified or updated. It is not a replacement for the Laws of the Game, nor is it a “how to” book on refereeing: It is an official statement of Federation interpretations of the Laws. However, the referee, coach, player, team official and spectator should remember that there are also other sources of information:

* the Laws of the Game, published annually by USSF from the text provided by the IFAB through FIFA;

* the Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees, which replace the former Questions and Answers;

* annual FIFA Circulars, as republished in designated USSF annual Memoranda;

* USSF Referee Program Directives, the Week in Review, and podcasts;

* the USSF Guide to Procedures for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials;

* entry-level referee clinics, in-service clinics and referee recertification clinics taught by USSF instructors;

* other official publications from the USSF instructional program, including articles in Fair Play and specific subject memoranda (position papers).

In general, one can say that the 2008/2009 and earlier editions of the Advice is nice for historical purposes, but are no longer applicable in many situations. The same is true of the older memoranda and Laws of the Game. They are all included in the collection because many referees, instructors, and assessors like to be able to follow the history and development of the Laws and their interpretation. In all cases, the most recent document (on the particular topic) in any of these series is the one with the current information. The Advice is kept as much up to date as possible, including all documents published in the period since the last revision, but any document is “outdated” the moment the ink hits the paper. This means that the reader should look to the Advice plus all recent memos (with the latter eventually to be incorporated into the next revision).…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

BALL DELIBERATE KICKED TO THE GOALKEEPER (YET AGAIN)

November 16, 2009 by Jim Allen

Question:
Defender under pressure kicks the ball back to the keeper, it is a crappy rainy day, the keeper misplays the ball trying to kick it away but it bounces up an into the air only a short distance away where it bounces and as attackers and other defenders are now close at hand the keeper chooses to grab this ball with the hands.

Is this an INDFK offence?

Can it be ignored as the keeper tried to do the right thing the first time but failed?

Should it be ignored if a pursuing opponent was there to challenge but prevented because the keeper WAS able to use the hands?

Is the ONLY reason to make this call if time wasting was the reason?

Does the intention of the passer or the intention of the keeper matter?

USSF answer (November 16, 2009):
There is no issue here at all if the scenario is to be given its face value meaning. A teammate kicks the ball back to his goalkeeper — no violation.

The goalkeeper kicks the ball (badly, but that doesn’t matter) — no violation. The goalkeeper subsequently handles the ball — since this occurred directly (no intervening play of the ball by anyone ELSE) — violation.

In short, there is no issue that a violation has occurred. The only question is whether it was trifling or should be whistled. This HAS to be decided by the referee based on the circumstances of play, taking risks, maintaining flow, etc. The only fact bearing on the matter is that the goalkeeper DID illegally take hand control of the ball under pressure from the opponents. In other words, he illegally withheld the ball from challenge, which is what this infringement is all about. Accordingly, although the decision must be up to the referee, the scenario tends to favor whistling this indirect free kick foul.

Referees often make the mistake of treating this as an issue involving time-wasting when, in fact, the central issue is unfairly withholding the ball from challenge.

And, no, the “intention” of the passer is not relevant to this decision because that was resolved when the action was determined to be a violation.…

Advice to Referees

TRIFLING INFRACTIONS

November 11, 2009 by Jim Allen

Question:
I’d like some guidance on what fouls or infractions should be considered trifling.

For example, in your July 9, 2009 question on the AR signal for a PK, you said how the AR was to determine and signal “if the goalkeeper has moved illegally AND IT MADE A DIFFERENCE.” (your ALL-CAPS). Does “MADE A DIFFERENCE” mean, for example, that if the keeper leaves the line early, but the shot misses the goal (no keeper save), that leaving early made no difference in helping a save, so no foul? Or did it mean that if a goal was scored anyway, leaving early “MADE no DIFFERENCE”, so no need to signal?

It seems that the first option makes sense as being trifling leaving early had no impact upon play since the shot missed the goal.

But the LOTG and ATR seem clear that it does not matter if the shot is saved or misses when calling this.

Similarly with trifling – players that enter the penalty area on a PK slightly before the kick seem to have “no significant impact upon play” [ATR 5.5] in almost all cases. Yet much of Law 14 addresses this infraction. If the ball enters the goal on a PK, how could an attacker’s pre-kick entry into the penalty area not be considered trifling?

There seems to be consensus that things like 6-second rule violations, and keeper handling slightly outside the area when punting are trifling offenses. Right? But why are foul throw-ins not almost always trifling?

Thanks for providing “the answer” to so many important questions.

USSF answer (November 11, 2009):
1. Goalkeeper leaving the line early:
The original meaning was that the goalkeeper’s leaving the line early may be disregarded if the ball enters the goal. If the kick missed, then it COULD have made a difference and the kicking team gets another “shot” at it. The final decision here is made by the referee on the game, not those of us who are watching (and adding up the “mistakes” by the referee).

2. Trifling infringements
For those who have not yet downloaded this year’s edition of the Advice to Referees, here is the text referred to in the question, Advice 5.5:

5.5 TRIFLING INFRACTIONS
“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 former International F.A. Board Decision (previously included in Law 5 as Decision 8) was removed from the Law only because it was felt to be an unnecessary reminder of the referee’s fundamental duty to penalize only those violations that matter. The spirit, if not the words, of this Decision remains at the heart of the Law. It is applicable to all possible violations of any of the Laws of the Game.

A trifling infraction is one which, though still an offense, has no significant impact upon play. A doubtful offense is one which neither the referee nor the other officials can attest to. Under no circumstances should the advantage clause be invoked for such “offenses.” The referee’s decision as to whether a player’s action is trifling or not is affected considerably by the skill level of the players. However, the referee should remember to consider trifling offenses in determining persistent infringement of the Laws. Further, the referee may wish to talk to or warn a player regarding infringements which, though considered trifling, may nonetheless lead to frustration and retaliation if they continue.

With regard to entering the penalty area early, we can say that if it had no effect on play, then it need not be punished, as this would disrupt the flow of the game unnecessarily.

However, if, in the opinion of the referee, a kicking team player’s early entry into the penalty area had some effect on the play, it would not be trifling and would have to be punished in accordance with the Law.

Infringement of the six-second rule is sometimes misinterpreted. The count starts when the goalkeeper is preparing to release the ball, not when he or she actually gains possession. Why? Because very often the goalkeeper has to disentangle him-/herself from other players or move around fallen players, and it would be unfair to begin the count in such a case.

The goalkeeper’s handling of the ball “outside” the penalty area by crossing the line when punting the ball is clearly trifling, particularly if it occurs only once in a game and is only VERY slightly beyond the line. The referee should first have a word with the goalkeeper, warning him or her to watch the line in the future or risk consequences. No referee should rush into danger of losing control by punishing any trifling matters.

Foul throw-ins are generally trifling. What should be our primary concern is having the throw-in taken from the proper place, within one yard/meter of the point where the ball left the field. A throw-in is simply a way of putting the ball back into play quickly and efficiently.

Finally, please remember that such matters should be covered in the pregame conference between the referee and the other assigned officials.…