Question Number: 28736

Law 15 - Throw In 9/15/2014

RE: Highschool Under 17

Juan Dominguez of Lansing, Mi USA asks...

A player gets ready to throw the ball in a and slips out of his hands and the ball falls behind him never going into play what is the call what team get the ball

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Juan,
I would ask the throw in be completed, in my opinion it was not incorrectly taken, it was an oopsy, last I checked the oopsy was not an infraction nor a reason to award the throw-in to the opposition.

IF and its a big IF the thrower was dawdling or wasting time by horsing around THEN maybe I see it as a reason not to allow it to continue and do what the high school laws says we can which is award the throw in to the opposition. Under the auspices of FIFA it would be retaken and if it was a deliberate act likely a caution for USB with an admonishment to quit farting around!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Juan
NFHS Rule 15 differs from FIFA Law 15 in that on the throw-in in a high school game, where the ball fails to enter the field of play before it touches the ground, the ball is awarded to the opponent at the spot of the infraction. In a FIFA game the throw in is retaken by the throwing team when this happens.
Now the referee will have to consider whether the throw in was taken or not and if it was simply an error in dropping the ball. My sense is that rules always allow for errors such as the ball slipping out of the grasp and falls behind the player in which case the wise referee will ask for the TI to be taken correctly.