Question Number: 27803

Law 7 - Match Duration 9/23/2013

RE: select Under 14

Thomas of Dayton, ohio greene asks...

U13 Boys tournament game. A direct kick was awarded to the right of goal 2 yards beyond the 18 yard box, the ball was placed. The Referee then stepped off the distance for the opposing team's wall. He then walked back to take his position for the free kick. He then blew his whistle for the halftime and picked up the ball without allowing the free kick to be taken. Is this the correct procedure for a free kick or penalty near the end of time?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Thomas
If time has fully expired then no further play is allowed. However most referees do not use an exact timing method so that a few second could not be found to see out a free kick. Indeed even setting up the defensive wall and pacing it out could be seen as a delay that required a few seconds of added time to allow the kick to be taken.
If the time had expired then IMO the better mechanic would have been to end the game at the foul rather than going through the setting up of a ceremonial free kick.
In the case of a penalty kick play must be extended to allow the kick to be taken. No further play is allowed after the penalty kick.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

You mention this was a tournament game. Many tournaments have games scheduled so closely together that the rules of the competition state that no time may be added. If that was the case, then the ref was right in calling time when time was up. Unfortunately that means the team that committed the foul managed to stall long enough with their antics of 'not knowing where 10 was' that the kick couldn't be taken.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Good question. The LOTG say if all time has expired before the restart takes place, the referee should end the half, or game. There is only one exception: the penalty kick.
If time expires before a penalty kick has been taken, this is the one exception where time is added after all time has been used