Question Number: 27114

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 1/18/2013

RE: Select Under 15

Scott Halquist of Grand Rapids, Mi United States asks...

Player appeared injured. 2nd ref blows whistle, opponent continues play and scores. Ref allows goal. Defense had stopped due to whistle. I read the USA soccer rules of the game. Talks about ref stopping if feels player is seriously hurt or wait for a game stoppage and then attend. Ref said goal counts even though he blew the whistle because the shooter was not near the injured player. Injured player continued to play after stoppage. Seems the correct call would have been no whistle and take care of player at normal stoppage . If there is a whistle is play dead after that moment??
Thanks for clarification. Good thing is that it did not change the outcome of the game. Players, coaches and parents confused about the call.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Well since you seem to not be following the Laws of the Game in that there is more than one ref with a whistle, you can't complain that other things get mucked up.

In a game following FIFA Laws, play stops when the referee signals it to stop with his whistle. He can't say 'never mind'. Nor once having stopped play for an injury can the ref allow the player to stay on the field - he has to go off at least until after play resumes. The player could be waved back in soon thereafter.

If a player is only slightly injured, and not in danger of being trampled by ongoing play, the correct thing would be for the ref to allow play to continue. He would monitor the player and would allow treatment when the ball went out of play.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Scott
Under FIFA Laws of the Game there is only one referee and only one whistle.
If a spectator blows a whistle and the referee considers the whistle interfered with play (e.g. a player picks up the ball with his hands, assuming that play has been stopped), the referee must stop the match and restart the play with a dropped ball from the position of the ball when play was stopped. If the whistle does not interfere then play continues. A whistle by the referee always stops play.
In your scenario I assume the referees were using a dual system which is illegal under the LotG. Having said that the system being used on the day was the dual system and even in that system both referees have equal responsibility and authority. So a whistle by a referee, lead or trail, head referee or his colleague during play stops the game even if it is inadvertant or incorrect. It makes no difference where the ball is or where the players are positioned.
I suspect what happened here is that the referee was incorrect to stop play as the player was not seriously injured and play should have been allowed to continue until the next stoppage before dealing with it. As the defense had stopped due to the whistle then in any system and in equity play should have been stopped.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

If play is stopped by a referee blowing the whistle, a goal cannot be scored even if the referee's whistle was in error. The ball is not in play !

Note: when someone other than the referee blows the whistle, the referee needs to make an immediate judgment call whether the whistle has affected play. If not, the referee allows play to continue. If so, the referee should stop play.

The two whistle system suggests that this was a high school or middle school match. But, that should not change the result. When any referee blows the whistle, even inadvertently, play is stopped and a goal cannot be validly scored.

It sounds like the referee erred twice. First, in blowing the whistle too quickly when a player was not seriously injured (although referees should be quicker to stop player with younger and more inexperienced players). Second, in allowing a goal to count after the referee had stopped play.