Question Number: 20358

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/24/2008

RE: Varsity High School

Bill Porter of Queensbury, Ny USA asks...

Our high school team has control of the ball going toward the other teams goal. A player from the other team falls to the ground and is supossedly hurt, (not near the ball). The referee stops the game and goes to see the guy on the ground, no coaches came out and no player penalized. After about 30 seconds the guy gets up and the referee lets him stay in the game and restarts play with a dropped ball. #1 should the player have left the field? #2 should we have gotten the ball back as we were in control when he stopped play? Thank you, Bill

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

NFHS rule 9-2-2: The game is restarted with a drop ball, (c) following a temporary suspension of play for an injury or unusal situation in which no team has clear possession of the ball.

The correct restart when one team has clear possession of the ball is an indirect free kick awarded to the team who had the ball...

The referee must be the one to determine what is 'clear possession' and what is not... it is possible that your opinion on this particular play differed from the referee's, in which case the referee would be correct and you would not be correct. If the team with the ball did indeed as you say have 'clear possession' then the referee was wrong and you are correct.

I am more concerned about the fake injury. In a situation like the one described above and a player falls down hurt, away from play for no apparent cause... I would probably stop play and assume that the player had suffered a serious injury, for why else would he fall down without provocation, unless he just tripped. But most people who trip quickly right themselves. So, I would have stopped the clock and immediately called for the coach/trainer. The player would have gone off the field. If the player was clearly faking to waste time, he would get a YC his efforts. Note in HS only, if the trainer is called on for the keeper, the keeper is also required to go off the field

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Injury that requires attention (EXCEPT the keepers under FIFA LAWS only)) the player should be made to leave the field if treatment is to be administered. If the actions are USB, diving or deception to stop the attack, if that is the opinion the referee holds, then a caution show a yellow card is certainly plausible. The drop ball restart was altered for situations to allow the referee be the judge of fair and unfair rather than FIFA's way of putting the onus on the players. Hence in high school the referee choose to restart with an INDFK from the point of who had ball possession when play was stopped. Only if the referee was uncertain there was a neutral situation does he do a drop ball.
Cheers