Question Number: 20418

Character, Attitude and Control 10/31/2008

RE: rec Under 13

Mike Barnett of Manteca, Califronia San Jaquine asks...

My question is, when a team has a scoring advantage while regulation time has run out. In this case a Corner Kick. Is it cheating if they (the ref)let the kick happen? Please read the original question and response from this official. I must admit his wording was offensive, but email can be much different than original intent.

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Response

A referee keeps the official time, No where in the Laws of the Game does it address that situation as an advantage. It isn't. If a player strolls over to pick the ball up and takes his time and the clock runs out, too bad. There are people who feel that time should be extended but that is cheating. What about the other team? Do they deserve to lose because the referee made up a rule to make it okay? Never extend time for a corner kick, free kick, or anything else if time was not lost for injury or substitution of players. Then time is added but the referee still makes that decision. if you extend the game just to see if someone will score, you are picking sides and a referee has to be neutral.

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Original Question

Good day,

During a U12G recreation leauge game U12G on 10/18 between the Storm and Panthers the center refree called half time when the Storm was setting up for a corner kick. It is my understanding when a team has an advantage to score the game or half is not called until that advantage has been taken away by the opponent. A corner kick is a clear advantage for the attacking team.

Can you clarify if his discision was correct and if it wasn't can you let him know the proper call? I am not upset being this is only a recreation game, but I do feel it is important that our refrees need to know the correct calls.

Thank you,
Michael Barnett

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

You are in the dying seconds and at 20 yards directly in front of goal out Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho brutally tackles the striker Wayne Rooney of MAN U at old Trafford to stop the attack and the shot is flubbed as Rooney is dragged down.

You are in the dying seconds and at 20 yards directly in front of goal out Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho tries to tackle Wayne Rooney but fails and Rooney unleashes a powerful shot at the Chelsea keeper Petr Cech who makes a fantastic save tipping the ball over the crossbar for a corner.

For all intents of purpose lets take these two incidents and say the referee was about to end the match in both cases as a tie. FAIR PLAY and the spirit of the laws not withstanding which one do you think the referee is going to stop time and restart at his discretion?

We look at the match in its entirety and if one team is hustling to get to the ball as the other is constantly dragging its feet we are inclined to allow the hustle to find that extra bit of time more so than the one trying to drag it out. Is it FAIR? We react to what the players are telling us. It is as unfair to play longer as it is to play shorter but we have DISCRETION to see if the players are treating the game with respect and honoring the concept of fair play throughout the match. Time is relative and rarely to the micro second but it is DISCRETIONARY and it is the referee who ultimately decides the end of it

I recall a team that I had to caution their keeper for delaying the restart and they would fiddle over every restart as they were leading by a goal and seeking to use time up as best they could. They had players down on the ground holding on to the ankles as if they were broken and substitutions were walking not running and they used up time by going into the corner and generally dilly dallied about as much as they could get away with . Throw ins were long run ups and hand off to the next guy, set plays were carefully crafted to maximize their time over the ball. In other words they showed me that time was of NO importance thus when the other team tied the match and then went ahead by a goal all of a sudden they were keen on time being important suddenly the hustle element is part of their repertoire in the last 5 minutes of the match. Do we add that time THEY wasted in the previous 85 minutes so they can now try to tie? Do you think we would hesitate to ensure every last millisecond is played if the other team was behind?

EXTENDED TIME is for a PK awarded in the last micro second of normal time but understand, you can STOP time and then continue it (IF there is some left) AFTER ANY restart just as you can let time run in the normal course of setting up for a restart. A Pk, even near the match end you can allow the PK and a bit of a follow up time on the rebound because you STOPPED Time at the moment the foul occurred and let the few seconds remaining play out after.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Your assumptions in your original question are incorrect. Advantage has nothing to do with when time hs expired. I think the wording used by the referee in answer to your question could have been better. Cheating should never be used. The fact is that once all the time that the referee has added to the half is up, the half is over. I think what the referee was trying to get across is that both teams are affected by when the half ends. There is a myth that if a team is in scoring position then play should be allowed to continue to give them their chance. This is blatantly unfair to the other team. Time is up when the referee says it is. If the referee has decided that all time has expired yet then adds additional time for the taking of a corner kick, he has made a mistake and been unfair to the opposing team. The only instance where time is added after all additional time has expired is for the taking of a penalty kick. This has nothing to do with advantage, rather, it is simply what FIFA says