Question Number: 19946

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/14/2008

RE: Rec Adult

Biff of Palatine, IL USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 19879

I can see this developing very quickly. If you see the hocker fly and can blow the whistle quickly enough you can point to the spot and then step in front of the spitter and talk to him/her and explain the situation, getting his/her understanding as to what spitting at an opponent constitutes. Then show the red.

You have established the foul, stopped play, and sent off the offender in a matter of a minute, hopefully with the offender walking off the pitch with head hung low (it can happen, and does more often than some refs would believe).

But if play developes as fast as we have all experienced and the target of the hocker passed the ball to an onside teammate who one touches the ball (but hurries and misses the goal), all while whistle was approaching mouth, then the whistle finally comes and the spitting foul is then rewarded with a red card send off but the restart is goal kick. Is this right?

It was actually a foul requiring a PK but if your whistle just could not get into your mouth in time to stop play, or you wanted to eat the whistle long enough to see the outcome of the play ('play on-- I am coming back to you number 12 white', I think the outcome can be different in these two subsets.

If play moves so fast that you say nothing and the subsequent shot is missed you show red send off the spitter and live with the goal kick restart.

If you thought fast enough to show play on and say something you could call it all back for PK and red card the spitter. Is this right?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Play is stopped when the referee decides it is stopped. The whistle is just a signal that the referee made that decision.

The referee could have deliberately delayed the whistle to check if there was an advantage for the attack. When that advantage did not materialize in a short time (about 2-3 seconds) the ref can call play back to the site of the original foul.

Either way, deliberate slow whistle or accidental slow whistle, the decision was made in the referee's mind before the ball went out of play. Send off the spitter, restart with a PK.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

First of all, anytime there is spitting at an opponent, there will be heck to pay if the referee doesn't deal with it IMMEDIATELY and severely. There is a reason why that one particular act has its own sending off classification. Flinging body fluids creates a trigger point, a flash point of anger and retaliation which is most often very intense.

Advantage should only be considered if there is an IMMEDIATE chance of a goal being scored, even if the advantage results because of the second or two it takes the referee to get into the PA and between the spitter and spittee.

Under no circumstances should the referee consider anything other than a PK restart in your situation should an immediate shot have gone wide.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

In a SPITTING DFK penal foul While I could await the outcome momentarily of a ball crossing the goal line we are a DFK /PK if inside the area and a send off NO EXCEPTIONS. Even if the shot missed I AM AT THE SPOT OF THE INFRACTION signalling a free kick or a goal. The spitter is gone shown the red card and the team plays a man down.
Cheers