Question Number: 22591

Law 15 - Throw In 11/26/2009

RE: Under 19

MRH of Manhattan Beach, Ca USA asks...

Can a player who is taking a throw in facing toward the attacking goal quickly turn his body at the waist and throw the ball in toward the defending goal as long as he or she is not violating any of LAW 15. Some of the referees in my area have been stopping play and declaring the throw in illegal stating that the player taking the throw in is attempting to gain an advantage and deceiving the opponent and and could be guilty of USB if he or she continues this action. They say the player has to be looking where he or she is throwing the ball. When asked what part of law 15 is not being meet they could not find one but they then claimed it is one of the law 12 'commits any other offenses, not previously mentioned in Law 12...' and they awared the throw in to the other team.


I think this is part of the game and the player throwing the ball in is just making a good play.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

'commits any other offense ... ' is in Law 12 to define a restart when there is misconduct, but none of the fouls listed in Law 12. For example, if the referee stops play to deal with dissent, which is a caution but not a foul, the restart is an indirect free kick.

This has nothing to do with a throw-in. Even if the thrower did something that amounted to misconduct before the throw, the restart is still a throw-in. Only if the mechanics are incorrect would the throw-in change to the opponents.

Law 15 says for a proper throw-in:
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At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower:
? faces the field of play
? has part of each foot either on the touch line or on the ground outside the touch line
? holds the ball with both hands
? delivers the ball from behind and over his head
? delivers the ball from the point where it left the field of play
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As long as after the twist at the waist the thrower is still facing the field, nothing has been done wrong. It seems you have run across the breed of referee who, when seeing something different, immediately thinks 'illegal'.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

It is a myth that a player cannot twist the body during a throw-in. The laws require only that the player face the field. Unfortunately, some referees remember the myth rather than what they were taught in class.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Spot on you are 100% correct! Being flexible is not a crime!
This is myth and since law 15 gets minimal pooh pooh treatment as a not terribly import bit of law in introductory referees classes, often referees walk away from class with misguided perceptions. Mind you how they use a law 12 precepts to find fault with law 15 is even a bigger mystery! Nothing beats a PRACTICAL on field display to watch and participate in the law and its basic precepts! Send them back to th e classroom looks like someone needs recertification
Cheers