Question Number: 28916

Mechanics 10/27/2014

RE: rec

Ramon Janeiro of wilmington, delaware usa asks...

To start a game, you call the captains to the middle, you are going to do the coin toss, which team goes first, home or away? And does the winner get to choose, or does he get ball first and the looser gets to choose fields? How does it work?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

The Laws of the Game state that the winner of the toss chooses which goal they want to attack and the opposing team kicks off. While it's not in the laws, the away team gets to call it.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Ramon
It is a personal preference for the referee to decide what way the coin toss should be conducted. In cricket the home team captain tosses the coin while the visiting captain makes the call. That method was adopted by early soccer and it is retained by some referees in the modern game while the more common scenario is for the referee to toss the coin and for the visiting captain to call.
I have a coin which reads HOME and AWAY on either side. I conduct the toss in presence of the two captains and there is no need for a call to be made. I also have used HEAD - HOME and TAILS -AWAY which again requires no call from either captain just to witness the outcome.
It generally is not a big issue yet I read in a referees report in an acrimonious game between Manchester United and Liverpool that a spat developed at the coin toss because a FIFA coin was used and there was lack of clarity of what was called and who won the toss.
The important part is that a coin is tossed and the winner of the coin toss gets to chose ends. It's never a big deal who calls unless it is done incorrectly