Question Number: 29135

Law 5 - The Referee 1/26/2015

RE: Competitive Club Under 14

Brian Holson of Katy, TX USA asks...

Championship game of tournament yesterday for U-13 Girls. Player from our team has a throw-in, while throwing in she has a bad throw, side line assistant raises flag. The referee does not see the flag and play continues for 20-30 seconds, side assistant then puts flag down assuming play was allowed to continue and our team scores a goal. After goal, players from other team complain to referee that the flag was raised. Referee talks to side assistant and she confirmed the bad throw, referee then says 'bring it back, no goal'.
So obviously my question is: How is this allowed to happen? Is there a time limit or result that a referee is allowed to stop play after a flag is raised? If the side assistant lowers her flag does that nullify the foul?
Fortunately, we won in PK, but we are very curious to find out the answer. Thank You!

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brian
The decision was correct in law under the Laws of the Game. Lowering the flag does not nullify the offence although an experienced AR will know that it is unlikely to be an issue should he do so otherwise he will keep it up. Now the AR could have had the flag raised for an offence by the conceding team in which case the flag is ignored. The law makes no time limit on the making of a decision except that had play restarted again after the TI the referee could not go back beyond that restart.
The issue here was poor communication between the referee and assistant. The CR clearly missed the flag and the AR should have shouted to attract the CRs attention once he became aware that it was going to be an issue. It is why buzzer flags are used at the highest level.
Now sometimes if the ball went back over halfway or the opponents gained control of the ball or play continued for a very long time the AR would be instructed to drop the flag as the offence is now no longer relevant and seen as trifling. Unfortunately it was relevant here as a goal came from the throw in albeit 20 seconds later and it was highlighted by the conceding team.
If the CR felt that the TI was correctly taken then the flag could be ignored. Obviously the officials here felt that it was not correctly taken and the restart is a throw in to the opponents.

Answer provided by Referee James Sowa

Brian,

This scenario may not have been pretty to watch, but it is technically correct. The AR indicated that the ball was incorrectly put back into play. This means that the ball was never actually in play between the time of the throw-in and the goal. The AR should have kept the flag up. Once the referee was aware of the information, the only thing that could be done was to bring the ball back for another throw-in. That said, this should all have been covered in the referee's pregame!

Now, had play been restarted after the goal, the goal would have stood.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Brian,
congratulations to your team for the victory. Victory generally puts one in a better frame of mind than a defeat. I sense your question might have a sharper tone if you were denied victory based on this incident.

Short answer is YES a referee can do as he did for the reasons you mentioned!

While the mechanics here are poor it is not likely a foul but a procedural mishap that was being questioned with the raised flag. Once the referee and AR finally communicated, thanks in part to the other team pointing and insisting. the CR must weigh the evidence of just what the AR was trying to communicate with calling off the goal and going back to the initial throw in violation. The correct restart would be the throw -in is awarded to the opposing team.
Yet in my experience often newer ARs are overly eager to punish throw -in violations of non existent or trifling reasons. I had one fellow insisting a foot on the line was worthy of raising the flag even AFTER I explained as CR, that I will be looking at the mechanics, just be sure the ball is in or not in play.


Youth matches has officials that are in various stages of experience and knowledge on the learning curve of becoming efficient referees. Communication between ARs and the CR where eye contact is made before and after each restart . Where the opposite AR will mirror image the flag raised of the other AR to get the referees attention. These are not yet hardwired into standard protocol.

A pregame discussion that is often not too elaborate often fails to mention that throw -ins are a SIMPLE method to get play restarted and a correctly taken one has some leeway as to trifling or doubtful if it is not. A referee usually controls the mechanics of the throw -in, while the AR watches the line once the ball is released for in or out. (In my OPINION the AR should not be worrying about throw -in mechanics as the referee is viewing the incident, but that is a matter best discussed in the pre game responsibilities.)

IF an AR raises the flag (for a true LOTG violation ..ball had gone out of play.. and it's not a mistake the AR immediately corrects) then the AR should hold the flag up forever -- until the CR blows the whistle, or waves you off. As you noted the OPPOSITION team will be SURE the REFEREE is .. ahem.. advised

If the incident was not something of magnitude like a possible offside or a foot violation, ONCE IT IS CLEAR the opposition defence has managed to get controlled possession then the AR could lower the flag as the need to do something has passed. But if there is an attack in progress then never, never pull the flag down simply because the CR did not see it

Law 5 allows a referee to consult with ARs on incidents he may have missed.
Law 5 also allows a referee to go back to an incident he may have missed. as long as he has NOT restarted play.

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

From Law 5: 'The referee may only change a decision on realising that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee or the fourth official, provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match.'

So yes, the ref was allowed to call back the goal.

It's another question altogether whether it was wise to do so. I've found that many of the 'bad throws' that are called are technically bad, but really don't provide much of an advantage for the throwing team. Was it bad enough to call back the goal? Only the officials at your game can make that call - and they evidently decided it was bad enough.