Question Number: 24740

Law 5 - The Referee 3/27/2011

RE: 8 Under 11

irvin of charlotte, n.c. usa asks...

In a recent game I was cr and a corner kick
was to be taken. Before the kick was taken
I felt the need to question my ar so I blew
my whistle and told the kicker to wait. After I was through with my ar I yelled across the field to the kicker to take the kick which he did. The coach for the opposing team told me that if I stop the game with a whistle then I had to re-start it with a whistle. I told him that a verbal
re-start was enough. He then said I was wrong and I needed to check my book.
What is correct?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Irvin
The referee is given a tool to assist in starting and stopping the game. A whistle is not required for a corner kick nor indeed is verbal instruction required. The whistle is required for all ceremonial restarts including every penalty kick and kick-off, plus any other restart which the referee has delayed for any reason. As you delayed the restart here a whistle is required.
It eliminates the need to be yelling/shouting at players and also eliminates any confusion among other players on the field of play that play has been signalled to restart. That can include players who may not have heard your verbal instruction, players in the other half etc.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Normally, no signal is required for a corner kick. The defending team, however, is entitled not to be confused by anything the referee says or does when the referee has delayed any restart. This means that the referee must restart with a whistle. See USSF Advice To Referees 5.4.

It is helpful for the referee to indicate orally announce 'Wait for the Whistle' and to hold up the whistle (no higher than the face) to visually indicate the same instruction.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Every so often the coach is right. This time he was. FIFA has given us guidelines recently as to when the whistle is required. Any time you delay a restart that normally does not require a whistle ( like a free kick or corner kick) you have made it a ceremonial restart for which a whistle IS required. You should hold your whistle at eye level and point to it so everyone will understand and it's a good idea to tell everyone also. Here's what the latest Advice has to say:

The whistle is required for all ceremonial restarts (every penalty kick and kick-off, plus any other restart which the referee has delayed for any reason). The whistle is needed to: ? start play (1st, 2nd half), after a goal ? stop play for a free kick or penalty kick, if match is suspended or abandoned, or when a period of play has ended due to the expiration of time ? restart play at free kicks when the wall is ordered back the appropriate distance or for penalty kicks ? restart play after it has been stopped due to the issue of a yellow or red card for misconduct, injury, or substitution The whistle is NOT needed ? to stop play for a goal kick, corner kick or throw-in, a goal ? to restart play from a free kick, goal kick, corner kick, throw-in No whistle is needed when play is restarted with a dropped ball. Except where required, whistling at other times should be held to a minimum so that, when it is truly needed to gain the attention of players, the whistle is more likely to have the desired impact.