Question Number: 29206

Law 7 - Match Duration 2/26/2015

RE: Adult

bob of sawbridgeworth, herts england asks...

Tottenham were awarded a penalty in stoppage time. the penalty was taken and saved after the stoppage time allocated was over. the ball was then hit into the goal by the penalty taker although the time was already up.
Why was the goal allowable

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bob
The penalty was awarded in the last minute of a minimum of five minutes added time. We do not know if the referee was adding on 5.10, 5.30 etc. All we know is that it was a minimum of five and that he wasn't adding on 6 minutes. Having said that I watched Everton v Leicester City at the weekend where the 4th official board indicated the referee was playing 5 minutes. He ended the game at 4.45 at a time where it seemed like a natural end. Also the 4th official board is only to give an indication not the exact time.
Now the Tottenham kick was taken some 54 seconds after the award of the penalty which BBC quoted as happening at 4.45. That patently is far too long and the referee would be well entitled to add on further time for that delay.
I believe that West Ham is clutching at straws by suggesting that time had fully expired when the rebound was kicked into the goal. I suspect time had not been extended to allow the kick so a follow up was perfectly acceptable in Law We know that football is not timed to the last second like some other sports.
Perhaps the incidents again raises the way football is timed. If this say happened in rugby the referee would probably have said time off when it was clear that the penalty kick / restart was not going to be taken in a reasonable time. The clock would have been restarted when play resumed and play would have continued to the next time the ball went out of play. The reason I like the rugby system is that the referee clearly announces the incidents that he want the clock stopped for and there is no knowledge of how much added time is ever played. Once the game reaches 80 minutes the game is ended when the ball goes out of play.
I can assure you this. Had Referee Moss made an error in Law on the timing the game would have been protested by West Ham and had West Ham defended better for the last 10 minutes it would not have arisen.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Bob,
the penalty was NOT an EXTENDED PK.
Although if you buy into a spectator observation I think its a 60 /40 split it was a dive to get the PK in the first place! lol Referee Moss of course is in the 40% stone cold PK by Alex Song bracket whereas the 60 % dive conspiracy believe Harry Kane did what was necessary to draw the foul.

The additional time added onto the match is in of its self part of the second half's 45 minutes of accrued playing time. Within the 5 minutes of added time tacked on it is still possible for the referee to stop /add time being wasted within that 5 minutes.

In a match which I added 10 minutes onto due to a lengthy injury that occurred early in the second half. I too awarded a PK and had an injury stoppage in that 10 minutes of additional time! Which actually took 12 minutes to play because I added an additional 2 minutes to the time being wasted at the taking of the PK at about 3 minutes and a injury situation at about the 6 minute mark of added time.

The concept of added time is within the referee's ability to make up for time lost to non playing situations or conditions. When the pro levels hold up the time board and it displays the time in minutes , what has been stated is no ...LESS... than that time displayed , is still left to be played.

If Referee Moss had decided the match was OVER and he was permitting only the PK to be taken he would have told the players and no one including the PK kicker would have been able to play the ball. Given the rebound was scored meant the referee had ...NOT... yet ended the matchl It meant the keeper as an opponent had played the ball so no 2nd touch violation and thus a good goal!

It is not uncommon when a goal is scored very late and a kick off awarded with play being then halted at midfield shortly thereafter. It adds credence there was TIME left and the ball is easier for the referee to recover at midfield. So 30 extra seconds to allow for some follow up play after a missed PK in the final seconds of a match is not uncommon! It is to reduce the perception the referee was ...perhaps... too lenient in fudging time by allowing a last second goal.

Cheers