Question Number: 24368

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 11/22/2010

RE: rec Adult

alex of richmond hill, ontario canada asks...

Should the ref caution a player for dissent if the player argues about the ref's judgment on distance such as the 10 yards encroachment distance is free kicks and 12 yards penalty mark on fields without the marking?

Is it necessary for the ref to march the required distance every time such dispute occurs, or before showing the yellow card?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alex
There is no black and white answer here and these situation can be managed IMO with resorting to cautioning. If the referee is comfortable in his 'estimation' of 10 yards then he should ask the players to retreat until he is happy. If there is any debate by the players on either side I would suggest that the referee paces the 10 yards and he is then certain of the distance. I had this sitaution recently where the kicker questioned whether my 'guess' of 10 yards was correct. I could have told the player to take the free kick and if he did not or questioned this further I could have cautioned him. I simply walked across, paced out the 10 yards and my original guess was correct. |There was no debate and indeed there was a bit of a laugh by the defending team that was 'guess' was in fact correct. BTW the attacking team was behind in the game and this exercise used up time that they could not afford as it was late in the game. Perhaps if it was ploy to 'waste' time I would have adopted a different approach.
As regards no penalty mark this should be picked up in the field of play inspection and rectified before kick off. If it was missed I would pace out the 12 yards, make a mark with my foot and instruct the player that the kick should be taken from that mark.
Just as an aside making a mark is part of rugby football and the player or the referee uses the foot to make the mark on the ground at the location of the kick.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Having to march off the 10 or 12 yards basically says the ref doesn't know where it is. The penalty mark is easy to figure out - it's halfway between the top of the goal area line and the top of the penalty area line (not including the penalty arc).

Knowing exactly where 10 yards is takes practice, and it is good to remember that the Law says 'at least 10 yards', so if you're not sure, make it further. When players complain or argue, smile and say 'This is where it is today.' and get play restarted ASAP. If the same player is foolish enough to make the argument more than once, then warn him the behavior is unwelcome and unnecessary, where the other players can hear you. If there is a next time, and you show the caution, everyone will know why, and you should not have more trouble.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

IMO it's a HUGE mistake for the referee to march off 10 or 12 yards. That tells everybody you don't know what 10 yards is so how can you penalize someone that persistently sets up 7-8 yards from the ball? I agree with Ref Maloney but even if you DO know what 10 yards is if you have to move the defenders back, make it 12 or 13 and let them know it may get longer if they keep complaining.