Question Number: 24656

Law 5 - The Referee 3/6/2011

RE: Under 16

Jim of , United Kingdom asks...

I refereed an under 12's game today. A player was injured on the floor so i stopped the game so he could receive attention. I then gave the other team the ball the kick back to the keeper on the team that had the ball before play was stopped. He hit the ball pretty hard from about the half-way line and the keeper parried it up into his own goal. Was i right to give the goal?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Yes. You had no option once the ball was in play and in the back of the net.

The other team, of course, had the option of allowing the other team to score unimpeded during the resulting kickoff to make up for the unlucky/unsporting goal.

One of the problems with the referee trying to direct a 'sporting restart' in youth play is when no one has instructed in the young players what is expected of them. They don't know what to do. In addition to asking young players whether they want to kick the ball back because the other team had been in possession of the ball, the referee needs ask them if they know what it means to do it.

Some coaches in my area have begun instructing their youth teams to kick the ball out for a throw in (to return posssesion to the other team), rather than kicking it to the opposing keeper.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi David
In Law you made the correct decision. Now was it the 'best' decision for the game. The lawmakers when they introduced the dropped ball restart many years ago expected that team would not have an uninterupted kick at goal so historically dropped ball restarts were always contested.
With the introduction of these 'fair play' restarts unfortunately the law takes no account of those type of restarts. I haverecently seen three 'fair play' restarts at the highest level result in mass brawls which then bring into question the whole point of those. I have also seen a PL Cup game being replayed because of a 'fair play' throw in that was uncontested and it resulted in a goal. Could all those have been avoided. IMO yes and perhaps where there has been a mistake the opposing team has allowed an uncontested goal to even it up or indeed if the referee simply stopped play for a 'reason'. The uncontested goal to even up the goal can cause problems as in the case of the brawls and in some situations have not been agreed to.
This has happened to me in a game and I simply did not allow the goal. I went with a dropped ball again on the basis that it was not taken from the correct place. Perhaps not quite correct in Law but the 'best' decision for the game. No one questioned that decision.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You had to give the goal but what were you thinking telling one team to kick the ball to the other? Invariably, when referees do this trouble happens. The ONLY restart after you've stopped play is a dropped ball. If in the interest of fair play you wish to drop the ball to one team quickly you can but when referees decide to play with the Laws bad things usually happen like did here.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 24679