Question Number: 24105

Law 5 - The Referee 10/8/2010

RE: Under 17

Dave of Des Moines, IA U.S. asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24093

I had a question about this answer:

'Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino
3 or 4 minutes is way too long but if play had not stopped and restarted you COULD within Law award the goal'

I was thinking the answer should say you 'MUST' award the goal.
After all, in this situation, the Center looked over to the AR for the call, so he was relying on his observation, and it also appears that the AR was in proper position.
I would think no matter how young, inexperienced, or incompetent the AR was, you would, in this situation, have to honor the answer to the question that you, the Center, asked. (unless you yourself witnessed something to over ride it, or felt that he was not in position, but does not seem to be the case here).
I got the sense from the answers to this question that the Center had some discretion as to weather he could allow the goal or not.
Your thoughts? My apologies in advance if I have misinterpreted your answer.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

If play had not restarted, no matter the length of time between the ball crossing the line and the information getting to the referee that a goal has been scored, the goal will be given. The only time when it might not is if the referee doubts the credibility of the AR's tardily conveyed information. Ref Contarino is correct that 3 or 4 minutes is an excessive amount of time, and in some situations, that 3 or 4 minutes would mean we don't go back. An example is the ball has left the field over one of the boundary lines and returned. The AR puts up his flag - perhaps belatedly, but the referee doesn't see it, and play continues for a long time (more than 2-3 minutes) before the referee realizes the AR still has the flag up, and play has restarted during this period. USSF has told us that in such circumstances, the AR should put the flag down and the game goes on. He can inform the referee at halftime or after the game. A referee who fails to see the flag in that period of time would be quite remiss absent some peculiar game circumstances.

In the original scenario, the AR had never signaled. This means both the referee and the AR were at fault, but this does not change the circumstances, it can only hopefully inform future performance. In that case, goal was scored but ball returned to the field, AR didn't know what to do, so did nothing, and referee instead of checking, kept going until the next stoppage, at which point the AR informed him of what had happened. Only choice then is award the goal, and eat some crow.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Dave
The referee has to make the 'best' decision for the game in the circumstances. In my opinion 3/4 minutes of play after a 'hairline' goal is far too long for the referee to make a credible decision. I would be harangued for allowing this to happen and I would have a serious match control issue to deal with. Say it happened in the 88 minute with the 'conceding' team winning 1-0 and they play 3/4 minutes on the understanding that they are still leading and then the referee tells them it is 1-1? Or indeed the next stoppage is a goal or a penalty! I also find it difficult to believe that play has continued for that length of time without a restart.
In the ATR it states that if the assistant referee signals a ball out of play but the referee does not see the signal for an extended period, during which play is stopped and restarted several times, the assistant referee should lower the flag. The FIFA Referee Committee has declared that it is impossible for the referee to act on the assistant referee's signal after so much play.
So there is precedent on the referee not acting on an AR signal after so much play.
Also I find it difficult to understand how a player involved in play can 'engage' with an AR on a key moment in the game that happened 3/4 minutes previously and it takes that length of time for it to come to the referee's attention? To me it is a very unusual situation and probably requires a Law 18 decision based on the circumstances. I can live with 15/20 seconds but not 3/4 minutes yet I fully understand what the Laws of the Game says.