Question Number: 18113

Mechanics 12/11/2007

RE: Competitive Under 13

Aubrey Waddell of Maryville, TN USA asks...

What are the definitions of, reasons for, and implications of (1) suspending a match, (2) abandoning a match, and (3) terminating a match? All of these are mentioned in LOTG and ATR, but they are never really defined or differentiated. My impressions are that suspending a match is a referee stopping a match with the full intent that it will be taken up again soon (such as for weather), abandoning a match is a referee stopping a match before completion with another authority (such as league or tournament director) determining the future or outcome of the match, and terminating a match is a referee ending a match before full time, with the intent of not restarting the match. Am I close?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Advice to referees covers thie differences between abandoning and terminating a match quite nicely. You suspend a match when you are anticipating restarting. The most likely reason is weather problems. The differences between abandoning and terminating have little to do with the outcome. In either case, it is up to the local authorities to decide what happens subsequent to the ending of play although abandoned matches are usually replayed unless local authorities say otherwise. One terminates a match due to safety reasons such as weather, any serious infringements of the Laws ( e.g. the match gets totally out of control or all the coaches get dismissed), or interference from spectators. One abadndons a match for too few players or if the field conditions are unsafe or inappropriate. For example, you would abandon a match if in a regulation game one side has fewer than 7 players.