Question Number: 23826

Law 5 - The Referee 8/24/2010

RE: Under 16

Dave of Des Moines, IA US asks...

Was reading another ask-the-ref website,
(sorry, I feel so ashamed) where there was a question about an incorrect restart.
It said that the ref awarded a direct FK inside the PA and the subsequent kick went over the net. THEN, he noticed the AR's flag raised, who informed him of the mistake. The ref then awarded a PK which scored a goal.
The answer on that website indicated that this was fine because because the 'restart was incorrect'.
I know that if the ref realizes that he awarded a wrong restart an instant before the restart is taken that he can then go back and change it. But this wasn't the case since the AR corrected him AFTER the FK (restart) was taken. Your thoughts?
Question 2:
The answer said this was justified because the 'restart was incorrect'. I am not familiar with this. What if the FK shot was saved by the GK and play resumed for some 2 minutes, during which time the ref realized he gave a wrong restart. He couldn't go back and award a PK soley on the basis that it was an incorrect restart could he?
I am going to take a shower now because I feel so dirty for straying to another ask-the-ref website.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Dave
Poor mechanics has got the referee into this pickle and it should not happen. The AR has to intervene to inform the referee that if the penal offence is inside the PA it must be a penalty. It can only be an IDFK inside the PA for a technical offence such as PIADM etc. Now does the AR know that it is not indirect? These matters should all be dicussed in the pre match discussion between the referee crew and clear instructions given by the referee. If the referee has given the FK, the defending team has set up a defensive wall and play has restarted without the raised arm signal nor the intervention of the AR then for me play has restarted and the restart is a goal kick.
As regards Q2 for the same reasons as A1 I would simply allow play to continue.
This should not be confused with a quick restart where the referee is not ready or indeed where the ball has been put into play say by the wrong team or an incorrect restart such as a TI instead of a FK and the referee wants to correct that immediately. In those cases play has not restarted and the game is halted for the correct restart to take place.
As regards other sites I read them all the time and I contribute on about 5 others. I don't agree with some and it challenges my understanding which is good.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Q1. If the referee awards the wrong restart and realizes the mistake before the restart is taken, the restart may be corrected even though the decision was announced after the restart took place. See USSF Advice To Referees 5.14.

In this case, however, the referee did not realize the mistake, it was the assistant referee who did so. The AR raised the flag before the kick and maintained the raised flag until the referee stopped play. USSF, based on IFAB interpretations, permits a AR's continuous flag to supersede the normal rule that misconduct cannot be punished after the referee permits play to restart. (ATR 6.4.) But, that interpretation involves misconduct, not a restart error.

IMO, the referee committed a grave error in awarding a DFK to the offense inside their opponent's penalty area. As much as the referee would like, she cannot repair the damage after the kick has been taken. The referee must include all the circumstances in the match report.

Q2. Same answer.

Now, assume for a minute that you are a member of the protest committee. Same facts, but assume that in each case the referee ordered the penalty kick taken and the kick results in a goal. Both teams protest. Protest committees, in my experience, try to find the just result:

I suspect that the protest committee would disallow the protest in Q1 and let the result stand. The team should have been awarded a PK and would have had a successful protest if they had not been given the PK. Since the PK was the correct restart, there is no harm to the defending team.

I also suspect that the protest committee would allow the protest in Q1. After so much time, it seems unfair to try to go back and fix the PK. Both teams have been harmed. The match must be replayed.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Other sites are fine but I dislike the anonymous ones immensely. But I digress.

So many mistakes here. No referee should ever award a DFK in this situation. Let me rephrase, even the most inexperienced referee should know better. That's the first mistake. Assuming the AR actually knew this was a DFK and not an IDFK, he should have done whatever necessary to make certain the kick didn't take place. I don't care if he had to run onto the field and stand in front of the ball. He had to stop the kick from proceeding. Mistake #2.

Once the restart took place and no misconduct was involved, the AR should put his flag down as all it's going to do is cause problems and he should know the restart is not going to be changed. Mistake #3.

The kick was taken and went over the crossbar. Restart should be a goal kick, not a penalty kick. Mistake #4

The AR should also know that a PK can't now be awarded so should have also said the same to the referee. Mistake 5.

Even though the restart was incorrect, once it happened, that's it.

I don't even want to think what protest committees would do. The referee clearly misapplied the LOTG so I can't imagine them allowing the goal to stand