Question Number: 27606

Law 5 - The Referee 7/16/2013

RE: Competitive Under 12

Paul Plested of Beaconsfield, QC Canada asks...

Situation

My team was in possession (just inside our own half), and I noticed an opposition player who was injured (not head)inside our penalty box. I was telling my players to kick the ball out, but the referee stopped play before they did so.
He called on their coach.
I called my players to the side line, to spray them with water (it was around 90F). The opposition coach picked up his player and left the field. The referee then, stood with the ball (near to the point where we had it when he blew) just dropped the ball at an opposition players feet, who kicked it forward for a team mate to score in an empty net. My questions are:
1) was the referee right to re-started the game as he did with my team on the side?
2) was the player who scored off-side?
3) shouldn't we have regained the ball (ie the referee tells the opposition to kick the ball back to the team who had possession)?
4) isn't the referee (especially at a young age) supposed to uphold the virtues of respect?

Thanks for your time

Paul

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Paul,

While technically the referee did nothing wrong (assuming all your players remained on the field and the subs off), it sounds like it was poorly managed - possibly due to inexperience at this young age.

I'll answer your questions in order:

1)The referee is not required to wait for your team to be in position at any restart (except a kickoff where the players need to be in their own half). From my perspective, given the reason why you called the players over (and also given the age of the players) I would have made some effort to allow your players to return to position. If, on the other hand, it was a men's team and they were all on the sideline having a team chat? Well, maybe I'll wait a few moments but not go out of my way to call them into position, given there's no reason for the players to be out of position and they're just delaying play. Each situation is different, but referees should take particularly warm days into consideration

2)I don't have enough information. That teammate would need to be in the opposition half, in front of the teammate who touched the ball and the ball itself, and have no more than 1 defender between himself and your team's goal line. Offside is possible

3/4)The referee has no role to play in enforcing a sporting restart. The most he can do is make a suggestion - but if the opposing team chooses to compete at that drop ball he cannot force them to leave it to your team. The only time a player would be obligated to return the ball to that team is if he's said he's going to do so, in order for the opponent to stand back at the drop ball. The referee doesn't have to wait for any particular player to attend the drop ball - but again, he should take the age/grade and situation into consideration.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Paul
Interesting scenario and one that I believe would be pretty rare. To answer your specific questions
1. There is no requirement except at a kickoff for players to be in a certain position at a restart. Once the ball is dropped it is in play. Clearly no provision was made for players to take a 'break' and to make a decision unilaterally to pull the team off to the sideline was not a good course of action when it was not done so with the permission of the referee. Having said that it was a poor match management by the referee and there were other ways to handle the situation.
2. Offside applies at all times the ball is in play. A player cannot be offside from a throw in, corner kick or goal kick. If the scorer was in the opponent's half and he did not have two players between himself and the goal line and he was ahead of the ball then he is an offside position
If the ball was played to a player in an offside position from a dropped ball by a team mate then that should be called as offside as soon as the PIOP interferes with play.
3. There is no onus on the referee to insist that a ball is returned to the opponents on any restart. That is a matter for the opponents to decide on and obviously they chose not to.
4. I believe this could have been handled in line with the 'spirit of the game'. While the referee did nothing technically wrong apart perhaps from the offside call which I don't have enough information on, scoring an uncontested goal does little for the game and no doubt it caused ill feeling from there on.
Most referees would handle this situation differently. One only has to look at the courtesy extended to goalkeepers at a kick off by ensuring that they are ready to play. While it is not in the Laws most referees do this. At a recent game a goalkeeper was rather tardy in taking his position at the start of the 2nd half. Had I restarted the game though it would have caused ill feelling in what was a good spirited game. As soon as he turned around I allowed play to restart.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Restarting the match when one team is getting water off the field was very poor decision for the referee. There are better ways to indicate that an injury is not a water break - summoning the players usually will suffice. If they ignore the warning, a player can be cautioned. If all ignore the caution, the match can be abandoned.

There is no offside on the initial play for a dropped ball (although the player who scored the goal must be even with or behind the ball when it was touched by the teammate after the ball hit the ground). Nor is there a requirement that the ball be dropped between two players. Indeed, in the situation you describe, I usually will drop the ball near a spot where the keeper can pick it up.

The goal was legal, but in my view, the referee's actions did not serve the players or the Game.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Young players, very hot day, and probably an inexperienced referee.
1. No, he was not given the circumstances. He should have called to your team to get into position.
2. From your description, probably offside unless your team was strung out down near the goal line and 2 of your players kept the scorer onside
3.Yes and no. The referee should not tell the opposing team how they may play the ball as they are free to ignore him. The drop is supposed to take place where the ball was when the referee stopped play but most of us would try to drop it to one of your players since your team had possession. If that could not be easily done, we would at least wait for one of your players to contest the drop.
4.All referees and players and coaches should uphold the virtue of respect