Question Number: 22834

Law 7 - Match Duration 2/17/2010

RE: AYSO Intermediate and High School Referee Under 15

William Gomez II of Montclair, CA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 22735

'The lesson here is just because a restart has been awarded doesn't mean there will be time to take it. The only exception is a penalty kick, when time will be extended for the taking of the kick.'
Question: This applies to a awarded Direct Free Kick that was called at 24:40 (2nd Half, 25 minute halves for Middle School - U14 age group)?
By the time the kick was taken we blew the whistle at 25:20.
Bad Call on our part ?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

It depends. Did full time - meaning the 25 minute half plus any allowance for time lost (only 20 seconds?) - expire before the kick was taken?

If the ball was in the air when you blew the whistle, one could argue that the wise referee always figures there were a few seconds as yet unaccounted for and allow the kick to finish. It is difficult to figure the amount of time to be allowed or added to the end of a half to the second, so we always have a few seconds of wiggle room.

On the other hand, if the team with the kick is just dithering around, trying to decide who is taking it, blah, blah, blah - well, then tough luck.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Under the laws of the game, the referee decides when time has expired after allowing additional time for unusual circumstances in the match. It is very common at U14 for there to be time to add (lots of substitutions, no ball holders, injuries, etc).

Under NFHS rules, which many middle schools adopt, time is measured differently. The clock is stopped for goals, cautions, injuries, and at the discretion of the referee, but the clock is not stopped for ordinary fouls. The half ends when time expires. Indeed, in many venues, the clock and buzzer are controlled at the scorekeeper's table.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Gomez
It should not take 40 seconds to take a free kick unless there is an injury or it is a ceremonial free kick in front of goal and the defending team has been tardy. Under the Laws of the Game the referee is entitled to add on for time lost in these situations.
My view is always to consider why this has happened and if it is done deliberately by the defending team with the sole intention of running down the clock , with the ball out of play, that IMO is unfair and it should not be allowed. Not only have they committed a foul but also prevented it from being taken through delay? In this case if the delay was by the defending team I would see the play out and then end the half/game.
If it is a fixed period then the referee has no choice or where the time keeping is controlled elsewhere.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If you are playing under NFHS rules and there is a fixed amount of time allowed for the half, you may still add time for injuries, goals, cautions and any obvious time wasting. If the rules you play under state that NO time may be added, then at 25 minutes, the half is over. If playing by LOTG you may add time as you see fit. So, bad call or good call? Depends on what set of rules you were playing under. If the half was mandated to end at 25 minutes, then bad call. If you were allowed to add time, I can't imagine there being less than 20 seconds for you to add. I would say this, if you are allowed to add time, put that number in your head and unless you decide to add yet more time, then when that number is up, the half is over. It's unfair to the defending team to extend time past all you added just so the attackers may get a shot off