Question Number: 27524

Law 7 - Match Duration 6/14/2013

RE: 2 Adult

Garikai Kondanani of Harare, Harare Zimbabwe asks...

During the match a referee added 5 of injury time,but In 4minutes of injury time a team scored a goal pass through nets and the ball never comes back all balls were not meeting the required Law 2 requirement except the one which was scored and however it takes up to more than 6 minutes or more again without replaced it,what does the referee do?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If time is wasted during added time, that time should be added on. So if it took 2 minutes to get a ball, an additional 2 minutes should be added.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Garikai
The referee could stop his watch in the 4th minute and then waits to get a ball that meets the requirement of Law 2. When the game restarts the game the remaining time is played out.
So let's say that the referee was playing 5 minutes and 20 seconds of added time. Problem arises at 4 minutes 10 seconds which necessitates the referee stopping his watch. It then takes say 6/7 minutes to restart the game. When the game restarts the referee plays 1 minute 10 seconds that is 5.20 minus 4.10. to finish the game out.
At the lower levels of the game the referee rarely indicates the amount of added time being played. If after celebrations etc the time had expired the referee could end the game or as Referee Wickham states play with one of the balls that is available even if it is not 'perfect'.
Personally at lower levels I would rarely wait around 6/7 minutes for the 'correct' ball.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

When real life meets the laws of the game, the referee still must do something:
The referee has several options:

(1) wait (perhaps forever) for an acceptable ball and add whatever time it takes; (2) decide that one of the balls remaining is acceptable and play for another minute; (3) abandon the match because there is no acceptable ball; or (4) decide that time has expired and end the match.

1 and 3 are the options by the book. 2 and 4 are (IMO) the test of a wise referee.