Question Number: 26067

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/14/2012

RE: Comp Adult

Phil Wearmouth of Umina Beach, NSW Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 26046

Thanks for your answer guys, however, I would argue till I was blue in the face that a throw in and subsequent header back to the keeper in no way constitutes a 'deliberate trick'. I would be truly gobsmacked if I ever saw that picked up and penalised.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Me too.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The answers to the original questions noted that a caution for a deliberate trick was possible but unlikely. Generally whenever the opponents would have had opportunity to intercept a ball (if they had been in position), there is no trickery. It's truly rare. It was added to the Laws when players started taking advantage of a loophole to get the ball back to the goalkeeper, and soon after the addition the behavior stopped almost entirely.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Phil,

To be honest, I kind of agree with you, but I think this is a bit of a grey area in the laws. My response to this is a little lengthy as I've tried to address why this may be a cautionable offence.

The 'passback' law is designed to prevent teams wasting too much time by sending it to their keeper's hands. At some point, one clever player must have decided to get around this by flicking the ball up to himself and heading it back to the keeper, so FIFA have stated that as this is a deliberate trick to circumvent the laws of the game, the player should be cautioned and an indirect free kick awarded. I don't know of anybody who's actually seen this happen, but there you go.

So what about other scenarios? FIFA aren't clear on whether this 'circumvention' applies to other events or not. In the throw-in scenario, the player would seem to be using a bit of manipulation to get around the law that prevents the keeper handling the ball from a teammate's throw in, so perhaps the same concept should apply? Or perhaps that would be overly-technical refereeing, and issuing a card that nobody understands? I'd go with that, myself.

If it happens repeatedly and is a clear tactic, then I'd want a referee to warn the players first then consider a card - if he chooses to make an issue out of it at all. As I said, a believe a card can be given here, but not necessarily should. And other referees will disagree entirely. The laws are a little grey on this.

But what's important is how your referee interprets the laws. At a referees meeting last year we discussed a similar scenario, but from a free kick instead, and we were told that it is an offence and the player should be cautioned. At that point we couldn't agree if it was the kicking player or the heading player to be booked, or both - but the point is that after that meeting a bunch of referees would, if they see this, hand out a card or two. And some may take, what I would argue, is a 'common sense' approach.

I only mention that because I don't know if your throw-in scenario has been discussed by the Referee's Branch of CCF or not (though even if it had, the referee on the day may not have attended that meeting), so despite what we believe there may be local instructions which disagree with us - and as I'm sure you know, the only thing you can really do is accept the decision and get on with the game.

If this is a particular concern, then you could contact CCF, but by doing that you risk bringing it to unwanted attention.

I wouldn't recommend coaching it as a team tactic because if you do it often enough, it will probably result in a booking from somebody - and it may well draw enough attention to incite discussion and a local directive at the next CCF Referee's meeting.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
As I mentioned in my previous answer context is important.
Say in the last minutes of a game every throw in by the defending team involved the team positioning players so that the ball can be headed back to the goalkeeper, who then dribbles off with the ball to use up some time, would the referee continue to allow that to happen? Long throws can now reach up to 40/50 yards so it could easily be a deliberate time wasting ploy
The spirit of Law 12 is IMO being circumvented by the action so the referee would be entitled to caution the header of the ball for USB and restart with the IDFK.
In addition say at a free kick a player chips the ball up to a waiting team mate who heads the ball back back to the goalkeeper in a similar situation. As the Laws state that when a player uses a deliberate trick to pass the ball to his own goalkeeper to circumvent the Law while he is taking a free kick the player is cautioned and the free kick is retaken.