Question Number: 25814

Law 18 - Common Sense 12/5/2011

RE: Intermediate Under 11

Phil of Tarzana, CA United States asks...

Last weekend something happened that bothered me & I'd like some advice on how I should have handled it.

This was an AYSO GU10 game that I ref'd. Just outside the goal box, Blue player takes a shot on goal that Red GK blocks, but fumbles. She scrambles on her knees to get the ball, touches it with a hand while the ball is bouncing (but doesn't trap or control it), & a Blue player kicks the ball out of bounds over the goal line.

I motion for a goal kick & the GK starts crying & yells, 'But I had possession.' I said, 'No. It's a goal kick.' (For whatever it's worth, the AR later told me that he also felt the ball was loose at the time of the kick.) I'm aware that there's no practical difference as an indirect kick is equivalent to a goal kick, but I didn't want to call a foul on a Blue player when she didn't deserve it.

Still in tears she takes the goal kick & then immediately falls to her knees weeping. I stop play (she did kick the ball out of the penalty area) & ask her if she can continue to play. Stifling her tears, she eventually says she can. I then let her retake the goal kick.

I have a technical question & a practical one.

1) Under the LOTG, did I do the right thing in stopping the game at that point? She wasn't physically injured, but she was unable to play at that point & she was on the ground.

2) Technically, having stopped the game because one of the players was down, I know the restart is a dropped ball. But as a practical matter, I 'forced' the goal kick & didn't think that the spirit of the game would be violated by her retaking the kick after she had composed herself. No one really complained. How should I have handled this?

(I have to tell you that I would much rather have had a player swear at me than watch her cry uncontrollably.)

Thanks in advance,
--
Phil

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

A. The referee may stop play for 'any reason' and making sure in this case that the 9 year old girl was ok was an excellent one.

B. You are correct that the proper restart if you stopped play was a dropped ball where the ball was located when play was stopped.

C. It is also correct that a retake IS the proper restart if you decided to hold up the restart of play to check on the keeper, but the ball was put in play before you can signal that decision.

D. In my game, I'm the only one who knows if the answer is B or C. If I order the restart retaken, it must have been C.

The spirit of the laws will guide you. In your outcome, everyone wins and no one loses. Well done.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
Referees must I believe make the 'best' decision for the game and one hopes that it can always be the correct decision. However there will be times when the on field application of the Law will dictate that a referee makes a particular decision because of the circumstances that does differ from what is correct.
In the circumstances you were perfectly within the Law to stop the game to deal with the player's sudden fall to her knees.
While the correct restart here would have been a dropped ball from where play was stopped, within the spirit of the game there wasn't anything particularly wrong in going with a retake of a goalkick. More than likely on a DB restart the opponents may not have contested it or kicked the ball back.
So in essence you handled the situation well. The important part is that you know the Law and that you can make the decision based on that knowledge.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

While the correct restart would have been a dropped ball, you evoked the Spirit of the Game and you were dealing with a 9 year old in tears. How can you be faulted for that.
Your actions were in the best interest of the game you were working. Good job