Question Number: 28613

Law 15 - Throw In 7/20/2014

RE: Adult

Alex of Oslo, Outside US Norway asks...

Hello. I refereed a game yesterday when I awarded a throw-in. The player from the team that won the throw ended up sitting on the ground with both feet on the ground and outside the pitch.

The player picked up the ball and threw it otherwise legally from his sitting position onto the pitch, to a teammate on the run, who got into a crossing position, crossed and the team scored from a header.

I awarded the goal, was this a correct decision?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alex
A player is not allowed to take a throw in from a sitting position. The correct decision was to stop play and award the throw in to the opponents.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Sometimes we need to use our understanding of what's expected and reasonable play in determining how to interpret the laws. The lawmakers haven't envisioned every possible scenario; rather they rely on referees using common sense.

A play sitting to take a throw completely changes the trajectory of the throw in a manner that can give the team a clear advantage. Those are sufficient reasons to assume that the laws intended a throw-in to be taken standing up.

Technically the argument could be make that the throw fell within the specifications of Law 15 - that's why, if our gut tells us something is wrong, we need to use our understanding of the game to complement our understanding of the laws.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

From old advice The 2006 edition of the IFAB/FIFA Q&A, Law 15, Q&A 7, tells us: 7. Is a player allowed to take a throw-in kneeling or sitting down?
No. A throw-in is only permitted if the correct procedures in the Laws of the Game are followed
Law 15 The throw in has a simple delivery procedure:
At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower:
* faces the field of play
* has part of each foot either on the touch line or on the ground outside the touch line

We of course allow some version of a standing squat
which often occurs on the flip throw as a matter of physics or a drop throw where the ball falls at the throwers feet, We make some exceptions for one handed throws by those, who only have 1 arm We do not usually allow the spike throw even if we make some tolerance for youthful indiscretions. A quick restart on a throw in is not necessarily wrong but then this is not a free kick after a foul simply a ball out of play. It looks rather odd and certainly not the best way to get distance but is odd, actual incorrect?
So if while sitting we consider the heel as part of the foot or if we kneel and consider the toe as part of the foot it might conform to the actual wording of the law. But the part about the foot talks about the sole of the foot and as such is loss of possession with the other team getting a chance to throw-in.

This is an oddity in the sense since play is not restarted we usually go back to the original restart

For any other infringement of this Law:

• the throw-in is taken by a player of the opposing team

If the ball touches the ground before entering the field of play, the throw-in is retaken by the same team from the same position provided that it was taken in line with the correct procedure. If the throw-in is not taken in line with the correct procedure, it is retaken by the opposing team

Cheers

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

See Question: 28618