Question Number: 25247

Mechanics 7/22/2011

RE: Intermediate Under 12

Phil of Tarzana, CA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 25234

Could you elaborate on why the USSF has advised not to say 'advantage' or 'play on' inside the penalty area?

I would think that it would be easier to sell your decision if both players & spectators were aware that you saw the foul.

Also, in the scenario given: suppose you decide to wait & see & the ball drops at an attacker's feet. He kicks it toward the goal, but it goes too slowly and the GK is now able to block it. Would you (the ref) then have to decide whether the attacker had a chance but blew it (by kicking too easy, & therefore blew the advantage)? i.e. it may be unclear whether the 2-3 second delay enabled the GK to get back in position or whether the attacker messed up the advantge.

Thanks again for all the great information.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The advantage inside the penalty area must occur quickly or the foul is called. What USSF wants to avoid is pulling the ball out of the net because the referee called the foul too quickly. They want the referee to concentrate on what is happening not worry about showing the advantage sign or yelling Play On. When the penalty kick is awarded there doesn't have to be any worry about selling your call.

You raise this question concerning an interesting age group. I was taught to never give advantage inside the penalty area at this low level as a penalty kick is almost always the greatest advantage. I disagreed then and still do. U12 players miss a lot more penalty kicks than they make so even early on in my referee career I often gave advantage inside the penalty area but did not signal. I would wait more than 2-3 second at this age group to see if advantage materialized. If the ball dropped at a U12 players feet and he kicked the ball that slowly I would say no advantage and award the penalty kick

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
Penalty decisions can be game changing. In penalty situation the referee can be called on to make quicker decisions. In addition there is every likelihood that a goal may be scored from the resultant penalty which is what the team wants to achieve anyway. So while the concept of advantage remains the same I suspect that USSF believe that if the referee does not signal advantage that it is easier to call the penalty and it is not seen then as bringing play back in such a competitive position after signalling advantage that does not materialise . Within the penalty area 3 seconds can be a very long period and a lot can happen during that time. So the advice is to delay slightly, give some wait and see time and then depending on the circumstances make the call.