Question Number: 21585

Law 15 - Throw In 6/24/2009

RE: Select Under 15

Dan of Eastampton, NJ USA asks...

In the USA v Egypt match, at about the 68th minute, a ball went out over the near touch line right at the corner arc and the throw-in was awarded to the US. The initial player had moved back about even with the six and then tossed it to a back coming over to take the throw. The second player ended up making the throw-in almost at the eighteen.

I generally look at it as trifling when a player making the throw-in moves more than a yard away from the opponents goal, but in this case, I believe it was a tactical advantage to 'get out' of the corner and make more space and options available.

My questions are: What is your take on such a tactic? and, Why does it seem as if throw-in location is never corrected at the highest levels, when those levels are probably most aware of where the correct location should be?

Thanks for a great resource and ongoing sanity check!

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

I can only guess but I believe at the highest level of play virtually all deviations from Law 15 are considered to be trifling. What you describe is a player taking a throw-in 18 yards from where the ball went out of play which is definitely an infraction and at the level of games I referee, I would have told the player to go back to the the place where the ball exited the field before he took the throw. If it were taken quickly before I could intervene and was that far away from where the ball went out, I'd award a throw-in to the opponents. But I think you are correct as I do not remember ever seeing a foul throw called at a high level match no matter how far away from the proper spot it was taken. Perhaps the referee on our panel that works professional games, Steve Montanino, will weigh in on this