Question Number: 22104

Law 5 - The Referee 9/28/2009

RE: Competitive Under 16

Kevin of Philly, PA USA asks...

Does the referee have the authority to instruct a player to play a ball into touch in order to stop play so he can check on an injured player? I have always been told the only way for a referee to stop play for an injury is to blow play dead and restart play with a drop ball.

The following situation occurred in a game recently. I reported the referee's actions to the league referee liaison. The response I received was that the referee was well within his authority to stop play by instructing a player to play the ball into touch.

Red player goes down in his PA. Player is slow to get back to his feet but does get up. Red team is in possession of the ball. Referee instructs Red to play the ball into touch. Red complies. Referee instructs White to return the ball to Red on the throw in. White player throws ball into Red PA towards Red keeper. White attacker runs in gets the ball unchallenged as Red thinks based on the referee's instructions that White is returning the ball to Red keeper. White player turns towards goal and gets off a shot. Luckily the ball did not end up in the back of the net.

Thank you for your time in answering this question.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Why do referees carry a whistle? To stop play. Whenever there is a serious injury, the referee should stop play - - by blowing the whistle.

Can a referee ask a player to kick the ball out? Sure. The referee has the power to persuade a player to do the right thing, but cannot require it. Still, I think it is a dumb idea.

At one time, players and coaches used to tell each other 'kick the ball out' as a way of communicating that someone is injured and 'fair play' requires stopping play. But, some coaches don't seem to teach their players the sporting tradition of kicking the ball out of play or the need to return the ball to the team in possession. It is dangerous to assume that the players know what the tradition requires. When one team doesn't act as the other team expects, ill temper can result.

So, IMO, the better option for the referee is to stop play if there is serious injury. (What is serious 'enough' depends on the skill and age of the players, the temperature of the match, and the location of the ball.) Restart with a dropped ball. Players that understand the sporting tradition will permit a simple drop to one player to kick the ball back to the other team.

But, the referee can't direct a sporting restart. If the players don't seem to understand the tradition, it can be better to do a contested dropped ball. Really bad tempers result when the striker doesn't get the word that her teammate is kicking the ball back to the opposing keeper.

The IFAB (the folk that write the laws) recently rejected an amendment to write 'fair play' into the laws, on the grounds that everyone already knows them. My question for coaches, particularly in youth matches: Why don't players understand the traditions of fair play involving injury? Is it cynicism because they see too many players stay down when they aren't injuried. Because they don't see sporting conduct in professional matches? Is it because coaches assume they know the tradition and don't teach it? Is the tradition a relic from another era no longer part of the game?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
The powers of the referee are stated in Law 5 . The referee has the power to stop the game for a serious injury so as Ref Wickham states he should use that power. I would not advise any referee to 'instruct' players to kick the ball out of play on an injury situation. To do so is fraught with problems such as the situation described here and indeed the referee can't compel a player to abide by that instruction.
Simple solution here would have been to stop play and restart with a dropped ball from where play was stopped. Indeed on the dropped ball restart the referee should also not instruct a team on what to do such as kicking the ball back. I simply state to the teams ' I am restarting with a dropped ball and the teams can decide what to do' Usually one teams says the they will give it back, kick it out of play, which is none of the ref's concern.
The League referee liaison was incorrect to state that the referee had the authority to ask a player to kick the ball into touch.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Short answer is NO they do not have the authority!
Now the long version! ;o)
Referees often tend to take the position of their role as defender of justice and Fair Play a bit too far at times.
This is EXACTLY why the referee CAN NOT interfere! A Referee must be completely NEUTRAL as the Match Official!.
The team's themselves can CHOOSE to abide by historical convention and voluntarily choose to stop play if the referee was not yet aware a player was down or deems the injury as not serious enough to stop play, even though this in effect is contrary to the referee's authority as the sole arbitrator to do so. The team which chooses to knock a ball out can expect the opposition to return the ball but the opposition is under NO Legal precedent to do so other than following a historical social convention to honor the unspoken agreement!
The referee cannot ORDER a player to do anything tactical!
The referee can only ensure the player abides by the laws of the game.
The referee can not alter the laws to suit his idea of fair play even if the referee can bend those same laws to suit justice on the field
Law 5 THE REFEREE allows wide latitude of discretionary powers to a referee with vague principles as to what is unsporting behavior. The LOTG offer suggestions of the different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behavior, e.g. if a player:
? Commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a promising attack
? Holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
? Handles the ball to prevent an opponent gaining possession or developing an attack (other than the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
? Attempts to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation)
? Acts in a manner which shows a lack of respect for the game
? Verbally distracts an opponent during play or at a restart

These last two points seem to embolden some officials' think they arbitrarily can decide what is or what is not fair and can tell the player how and what to do! When in fact they are themselves acting irresponsibly and distracting the players.
While I hold the opinion a referee CAN NOT dictate tactical information there is nothing wrong in asking the intentions when there appears to be confusion? It is after all the referee's job to restart and get the match moving again. For example if a team at the drop ball or at the throw?in restart says to the opposition yes we are going to return the ball then the last point about verbal distracting an opponent during play or a restart is quite valid should they deceive and not do so. However once the ball is returned into play nothing prevents the opposition from reengaging for actively challenging. Nor is a team who does what the other teams ask or encourages as in, kick the ball out our player is hurt. Then the opposition tries to score against then on the restart is in my opinion an act that does show a lack of respect for the game.

I recall a match where the keeper with ball possession had an attacker go down writhing about. I thought the theatrics were more than what was required and went over to find out what the blue blazes was going on. The keeper after being encouraged by the opposition to throw the ball out as my whistle was not blowing chucked the ball towards the touchline but it swung over the goal line for what in law was a corner kick. The attacking player writhing about quickly got up and seemed fine just turned his ankle slightly! On the incoming corner kick I blew for a minor push in the area on the attackers awarding the ball to the keeper as a free kick out. As I slid by the keeper I said that was for you! I got thumbs up and not a single peep from anybody. There are ways WITHIN the laws of the game to ensure justice but telling them tactically how to play is not one of them!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

'Instruct' is perhaps much too strong a word. 'Ask' or 'suggest' would be better choices, although if play needs to be stopped, USSF has asked referees to be proactive here and deal with the injury, rather than leaving the teams to make such choices. The referee has no power to make the teams play fairly, only to call the game according to the LOTG.

Doing what the referee did in your game just invites controversy, risks game control and is not what a wise referee would do.