Question Number: 25841

Law 14 - Penalty kick 12/18/2011

RE: amateur Adult

Michal of Trenton, NJ USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 25832

Ok I understand that I have to stop the play, but where in the Law of the Game I will find exactly those answers that you all have provided?

I just would like to know where each answer is written in the LOTG

thank you

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Read the Interpretations and Guidance, an appendix to the laws of the game (but not contained in the booklet that USSF publishes - -most download it from the fifa.com website) and the USSF Advice to Referees, section 14. You will only see hints of the answer in Law 14; it only addresses what happens when a player infringes the laws at a penalty kick.

'Where is is written in the LOTG' is only the first question - - but a common one in the US where we expect that the rule book will contain every word that matters. IFAB works differently. To keep it simple, they remove things that 'everyone knows' and rely on FIFA and national federations to supplement interpretations with circulars, questions and answers, memoranda, and the Interpretation and Guidance. The USSF Advice to Referees is one of the best sources to find in one place the interpretations that still apply but have been removed in the name of simplifying the law book. But, even the Advice is supplemented with position papers and directives that can be found on the ussoccer website.
.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The Interpretations and Guidance section contains the information you seek (page 62):
----------------
The coach and other officials indicated on the team list (with the exception of players or substitutes) are deemed to be team officials.
If a team official enters the field of play:
* the referee must stop play (although not immediately if the team official does not interfere with play or if the advantage can be applied)
* the referee must have him removed from the field of play and if his behaviour is irresponsible, the referee must expel him from the field of play and its immediate surroundings
* if the referee stops the match, he must restart play with a dropped ball from the position of the ball when the match was stopped, unless play was stopped inside the goal area, in which case the referee drops the ball on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was located when play was stopped
------------
One presumes that a physio would be listed on the team roster, in order to be allowed in the technical area (bench).

His behavior did interfere with play, at least with that player who he slugged, so play should not be allowed to go on.

And his behavior was terribly irresponsible, so he must be expelled from the field and his actions fully reported.

Note that some competitions require that there be medical personnel on site. If that is the case, this person's behavior could cause the game to be abandoned if another medical professional is not available.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Michal
The Laws of the Game is a very short document, some 55 numbered pages with just over 10,000 words. To supplement that FIFA provides an interpretation of the Laws of the Game and guidelines for Referees.
In the United States USSF provides its own advice to referees through its ATR and position papers which gives guidance to referees on the 17 Laws.
In this case the incident is covered under Laws 3, 12 & 14. However you will note from that these three Laws do not cover neatly the situation of technical staff committing violent conduct at a penalty kick so we then look to the interpretation of those Laws and we find an answer on page 64 which Ref Voshol has quoted. Indeed for those of us that officiate outside the US and not subject to the ATR we have to interpret what is written there to 'fit' the circumstance of a penalty kick and the timing of when the incident happened. What is clear is that a goal cannot be allowed with an extra person belong to the scoring team clearly on the field of play. What is at doubt is based on how the referee dealt with the situation and whether he managed to stop the penalty kick from being taken or if the penalty was scored before play was stopped. The Law is mute on the scored penalty with technical staff on the field of play as is the advice so the 'best' decision is in line with Law 14 which suggests a retake on a scored penalty if an attacking player infringed the Laws at a penalty kick or an outside agent touches the ball as it moves forward at the penalty kick. When the penalty is not scored the restart would be a dropped ball from where the ball was when play was stopped.
I would also point out that finding out what actually happened and when is vitally important. A member of the technical staff that puts his foot on the field of play at the half way line to strike a substitute would be entirely different from an incident that happened in the center circle or if the incident happened as the ball was crossing / had crossed the goal line at the penalty kick. Those could be viewed as to have happened off the field of play and when the ball was out of play which has a totally different restart.
In these awkward situations the advice is that prevention is always better than cure

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

From Law 5:
takes action against team officials who fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner and may, at his discretion, expel them from the field of play and its immediate surrounds

And from the Interpretations section of the LOTG:

Team officials
If a team official enters the field of play:
? the referee must stop play (although not immediately if the team official
does not interfere with play or if the advantage can be applied)
? the referee must have him removed from the field of play and if his
behaviour is irresponsible, the referee must expel him from the field of play
and its immediate surroundings

As to my original answer, it's important to note that play was never started. The whistle at a PK is only the referee's signal to proceed. The ball is not in play until it is kicked and moved forward. Your question stated the incident happened before the kick was taken. The referee stopped the kick from being taken to deal with the team official so the restart is still the PK

Now, if the referee did not stop the PK from taking place we again go to Interpretations where we find this:

Goal scored with an extra person on the field of play
If, after a goal is scored, the referee realises, before play restarts, that there was an extra person on the field of play when the goal was scored:
? the referee must disallow the goal if:
? the extra person was an outside agent and he interfered with play
? the extra person was a player, substitute, substituted player or team
official associated with the team that scored the goal

The LOTG are silent as to the restart. In the US Advice to Referees tells us:

in 3.20

If the goal is disallowed, the restart is a goal kick.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

In this case, play was already stopped, since a PK was in process and the ball was not yet in play, so all the referee really has to do is maintain the stoppage, deal with the miscreant and then restart as per the reason for the original stoppage (the PK). The referee should always hold up the penalty kick when it is clear a team official is misbehaving and trying to interfere with play or players. Even if the whistle was blown, the referee can decide, even if it cannot be announced quickly enough, that the kick must be stopped, the team official dealt with (dismissed), and then the penalty kick is allowed to proceed.

You will never find all of the answers written in black and white in the LOTG. They are scattered all through the book, the interpretations, the memos, the practice and tradition, and unfortunately, they change all the time! This is where the 'best' decision interpretations my colleagues have mentioned become very important. The more you read the LOTG and all the information that surrounds them, the more you will be able to make the 'best' decision