Question Number: 27270

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/26/2013

RE: comp Adult

Mark of collierville, tn USA asks...

What is a 'sandwich' foul? This was called on the team (not an individual player) in the U11 boys final. No contact, no offsides, no one hit the ground ... per the 'referee' (term used loosely) 'there were three blue shirts around a single red shirt' This occured in the blue defensive area. I would expect blue to be on the ball trying to clear it. Wouldn't you? Since when is double-/triple-teaming a player illegal?

It's sad when the referee has to make his presence known and affect the outcome of the game. Of course, the refs in every game I saw were absolutely pathetic. John Talley @ Mike Rose really scraped the bottom of the barrel to find these losers and put yellow shirts on them. I expect better in a tournament. The players deserve better.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
I take offence to the officials in this tournament being referred to in a disparaging manner. The officials gave up their time and effort to officiate for the benefit of the players and at the very least they deserve is common courtesy and respect.
As regards your question it shows how little some know about the Laws of the Game.Yes there is nothing wrong with 'double-/triple-teaming' yet when an opponent who is not challenging for the ball impedes the progress of an opponent that is an offence punishable by an indirect free kick. To quote the relevant section of the Laws
"" Impeding the progress of an opponent means moving into the path of the opponent to obstruct, block, slow down or force a change of direction by an opponent when the ball is not within playing distance of either player."" Any mention of contact or hitting the ground here?
When two opponents close the path of a player towards the ball which is not within playing distance that is referred to as a 'sandwich' and if there is contact it gets elevated to a holding foul. Without contact it is still a foul

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

My my. Aren't we full of ourselves today. How rewarding it is to hear from those so enlightened. I trust you made your feelings known about the 'losers' in yellow shirts. The ones that without, you would have no game to play. I hope you yelled and screamed and questioned every call. That sets a wonderful example for your children and makes the game so much more fun for the referee crew.

I feel certain your knowledge of the Laws is vast. The Mike Rose Soccer Complex is a beautiful facility and you are fortunate to be able to play there. The referee Assignors for the prestigious John Talley Tournament were Mike Mears and Doug Irby. They are easy to find and easy to contact. Why don't you contact them and tell them what a terrible job their referees did at this tournament.


I checked the scores at the Tournament for U11 Boys. Looks like your team did very well. You scored 11 points and ended up First in your bracket. You lost in the Finals 5-4. From the tone of your question, I'm sure the loss is somehow due to the referee. Your team gave up 5 goals. Surely the referee wasn't responsible for all 5? You scored 4 goals which are also a lot. Did any of your players miss an open shot? Were any of your players ever caught for being offside and thus ruining a scoring opportunity? Did at any time any of your midfield defenders fail to mark their man and leave an opponent one on one with your keeper?

To aid you let me point you to one to the fouls listed in Law 12 in The Laws Of The Game. It's called Impeding The Progress Of An Opponent. Here it is from the Law Book:

An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if, in the opinion of
the referee, a player:
? plays in a dangerous manner
? impedes the progress of an opponent

Ref McHugh details what this means. If 3 of your players surround an opponent and will not allow him to move, they are sandwiching him and impeding his progress. Doesn't have to be any contact. In fact, there is usually no contact and no one needs to fall to the ground to have this called. Don't know why you mention offside (which you spell wrong. There is no "s" on the end of offside).

Referees work hard. Without them there can be no games. It is hard work. Youth referees have the added burden of having to tolerate parents. At your age group, you probably had a referee not much older than the players. I'm sure you were as courteous to him on the field as you are here in your question. We lose 44% of our referees every year and the number 1 reason given by referees for quitting is parents bad behavior.

Have a nice day

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 27279