Question Number: 23391

Law 7 - Match Duration 5/29/2010

RE: High School

A.J. of Nashville, TN USA asks...

Last night I was attending a District Tournament Championship game for a girls high school team in Virginia that I was an assistant for last year.

In VA, the ref keeps time on the field. There is a scoreboard clock that runs until 2:00 is on the clock, at which point it stops.

In this game, after the clock had stopped for 2:00 there was an injury to the opposing team which was leading 2-1 (ironically, they had scored their second goal late, late in stoppage time in the first half). The ref did no doubt add some amount of time for the injury, though honestly I have no idea how much time had passed since the clock had stopped.

So there is a handball around midfield, our team realizing that time was almost up sent everyone forward. No dilly-dallying, just hurried up and took the kick. The ball drops in behind the defense and is headed into the goal, but while the ball was in the air the ref blew the whistle.

I understand that he CAN blow the whistle there, but should he? I mean, I know the whole 'don't end the game with a team in the attacking end' deal is incorrect.

But isn't it kind of arrogant to say that my timing is so perfect that you should accept that '1 second was left on the clock' when they scored at the end of the first half, but that there weren't 3 seconds for the ball in the air on our kick.

If time was up, shouldn't he just have blown the whistle without letting us put the ball in play at all?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Absolutely correct in the Law to end it when time is up, and only the referee can know when that is - not always the prudent thing to do, however. Perhaps the referee had no idea the ball was heading to goal, he simply meant for the ball to be put into play and then to whistle for time and I'll wager he was looking at his watch, not the play.

I've known some very good referees who admitted to doing that very thing, once! Unfortunately, when the referee does this, it can't be undone. Condolences on the loss.

There are no specific instructions on when to end a game other than to make sure to allow for all time lost. If the referee decides all time lost has been added back, then the game is over. Is there leeway? Sure. But again, the referee needs to be paying attention at that critical moment.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi AJ
These last second goals/no goals always cause great furore for the very reason that you mention. The recording of time in LotG soccer is not an exact exercise and finding a few seconds in any game is always possible. This is not the case in NFHS games I understand. Either way the referee was correct in Law in that he is the sole timekeeper in this game. Many referees now use vibrating digital watches and they stop the watch for every stoppage. When the watch gets to zero the whistle is blown no matter what the circumstances.
I personally don't subscribe to that method in FIFA/LotG games. In these situations I would either allow the kick to proceed with play coming to a conclusion if there were seconds left or if time had indeed expired I would not allow the kick to be taken.
In NFHS games the referee stops the game when the watch gets to zero.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Since this is a HS game, the referee may have been using HS time-keeping rules, even though not using the stadium clock to do so. If he stopped his watch every time he would have stopped the stadium clock, then his timekeeping would have been accurate to the rules of the competition. When his watch's beeper/buzzer went off, the game was over.

The problem is that when using a stadium clock, everyone knows the remaining time. When it is just the ref on the field, only he knows. Is that important in Virginia HS soccer? If so, then schools have to pony up and pay for an official scorekeeper to operate the scoreboard clock.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The approach to time is different under high school rules than under the law of the game.
The referee acted properly.

Under NFHS rules, the referee must stop the clock for some events (cautions, goals, injuries) and has discretion to stop the clock for other reasons. The referee has no power or discretion to add time. The rule makers intend that when the clock runs down to zero, the match is over.

My local area also has modified the rule regarding stadium clocks, and official time is kept by the referee. This provides cover to ignore the high school rules about time and use the approach under LOTG. Some referees do. IMO, however, the referee who accepts a high school match should follow the high school rules about time. This means always stopping the clock for goals, cards, penalty kicks, and for other delays (always signaling when the referee does so). It also means, however, the referee must end the match when the clock reaches zero.

(Of course, nothing prevents the referee from telling the players exactly how much time is left. If the referee had said at the moment of the foul '30 seconds left,' the attacking team would have adjusted. Moreover, if the defense delays the restart, the referee can caution the defender (which stops the clock).

In a match under TLOG, I would never blow the whistle with the ball in the air. It is lawful to do so, but IMO an unwise use of the referee's discretion. In a high school match, I would. The referee has no discretion to add time.