Question Number: 23699

Law 15 - Throw In 7/24/2010

RE: rec Adult

alex of richmond hill, ontario canada asks...

I recently did a U12 game with no ARs. A player did a throw in. The ball traveled in the air and landed just out of bound. The team officials of that player, standing very close to the touch line shouted 'retake, the ball never enters the field'. As the only referee in the match and standing 15 yards away from the touch line, I have no way of telling whether that is true or not. The team officials indeed have a much better view to see whether the ball actually enters the field or not.

My question is should I accept the words of the team officials?
My solution on that day was to assume the ball did enter the field before it goes out. I think it is going to invite dispute from the other team if I accept the words of the officials from this team.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Alex,

This is a difficult issue when we're officiating without assistant referees. While it's possible that the ball travelled along the line before swerving back out, it's also possible that it failed to do so. From your position it's often difficult to tell - so unless I'm certain of otherwise, I'd give the benefit of the doubt to the thrower.

While the other team may dispute this, the thrower's team may dispute it if you award the throw to the other team. The fact that a team official appealed for a particular decision isn't really enough reason to award the decision either for or against him.

In these situations, normally all the players on the field are expecting the throw to be retaken as they generally don't realise that the ball just being above the line is enough to render it in play. Even if they do, the ball hasn't appeared to do so.

Thus, what's the point in making a surprising decision when you've not even sure enough to call it that way? If you're not sure, give the benefit of the doubt to the thrower, say to him that it didn't go in and allow him to retake it.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If you are not sure if the ball ever entered the field of play - then it didn't. Plain and simple. Just as if you are not in a good position to see if the ball was or wasn't compleletely over the line when the keeper saved it - then it wasn't. We do our best, but we can't be everywhere and see everything.

But if you have reason to believe that the ball did come into play and then went back out (say there was a strong crosswind), you can say, 'Nope, sorry, the wind blew it out.' Or since it's U12, you can surely find some technical failing in how the player took the throw and answer, 'That may be true, but he lifted his foot. Blue throw.' And point the opposite direction. But only if you are reasonably sure that the throw should go to the other team!

There is no good reason to make a big deal of this. If you do, it will generate bad feelings which may come back to haunt you later in the game. Give the thrower the benefit of doubt.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Alex
The key here for me is the position of the thrower. The thrower has the opportunity to put the ball clearly into play and unless I have a neutral assistant I make the assumption that if he is close to or on the the line there is every chance that the ball touched the plane of the line at the throwing motion and therfore it is in play and has gone out again. I do not take the word of a team official on this.