Question Number: 15084

Mechanics 3/31/2007

RE: O 30 1st division Adult

Robert Hewer of Birmingham, MI USA asks...

During a Cup game a foul was committed just outside the penalty area by one of our players. The referee issued a yellow card for the challenge. The play had stopped. Our team began to set up a wall for a free kick. The other team quickly set the ball and took the kick resulting in a goal. Our team was waiting for the wistle to resatrt play and was busy setting a wall. Should the referee have disallowed the goal because the team restarted before the whistle? I realize that under normal play the kick can be taken quickly but in this case there was a card given.

Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

When awarded a free kick a team is permitted to take it freely unless the referee specifically asks them to wait for a signal. The team guilty of foul play has no rights. They may only INSTANTLY retire the required distance. Everything else coaches and players think they can do are simply myths.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Teams are allowed to take a quick free kick and opponents must retire the 10 yds immediatly. If the referee stops the game to back up the wall (because the attackers asked) or to issue a caution/ send off, the referee then needs to restart play. H does not necessarly need to use the whistle, but needs to give some signal to restart. Here the referee stopped the game for the caution and thus needs to restart play with a signal. The signal though need not be a whistle. It could be a verbal "play", "kick", or "resume". It could be a hand signal of some sort.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

I just want to reiterate the defending team has NO rights to set a wall before I appear to be picking holes in the mechanics of the referee.

QUOTE
In no case may a caution (or send-off) be delayed beyond the next restart. It must be given as soon as play is stopped, even if this means preventing a team from taking advantage of a quick restart (if the kick is taken, it must be called back and not taken until
the delayed card is shown). No alteration of this procedure is permitted. end Quote Verbatem from USSF proceedures policy and position papers.

There is a standard by which discipline is administered and an EXPECTED protocall WHEN the referee HAS decided TO caution!

A caution requires a stoppage (it could be immediately or at the next natural stoppage) , a booking, then a display of a yellow card then a restart for the reason of the stoppage .
The referee must decide whether a team's right to restart quickly is a better match control idea than dealing with misconduct. Why?
Because a card for misconduct (caution or send-off) must be shown at the next stoppage of play or the opportunity is lost. If a referee allows play to restart quickly WITHOUT showing the card he should still include the misconduct in his match report.

In your situation the referee has obviously decided to go ahead and caution BEFORE the restart.
The restart can now occur ONLY by the express signal of the referee.

The referee has a responsibility to to make it clear to both teams that the free kick must be delayed until a signal is given.

My question is DID the referee inform all players that the restart may not occur except by a SIGNAL from the referee?

The referee requires his attention to be diverted from the free kick to identifying the correct player to recieve a booking and showing a card for the misconduct .
What we call a ceremonial restart! This is ALWAYS a whistled restart and is part of the standard mechanic taught as USSFp olicy.

That said if the referee claims to have signalled play to restart even without the whistle bad mechanics, good goal! A reminder to defenders always be prepared for a restart until the referee TELLS you specifically it will be a whistled restart!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

This is a very interesting question.

The actual laws of the game are fairly silent on this point as it is highly specific. Still, as my colleagues have pointed out once the referee has intervened he will need to give some kind of signal to restart play. Yet, I do not wish to comment on your particular scenario and I do not want say what SHOULD have happened.

I would like to look at this from a pragmatic standpoint, within a referee's point of view. After the referee has issued a caution, the laws of the game require that he restart play. While a defending team has no rights at the taking of a free kick, they do have a reasonable expectation to not be unduly burdened by the referee's actions. To simplify matters the referee should do his best to CLEARLY communicate when the ball may be put back into play so that both teams are aware of it. This will help eliminate controversy and will assist in man-management and game control. One of the finer points of refereeing is to try and make the game as simple as possible for the participants and yourself!