Question Number: 30038

1/22/2016

RE: Rec Adult

Steve Quinn of Perth, WA Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 30037

Just a couple of follow ups to questions on the upcoming rewrite:

Ref McHugh asks the question as to why a referee does not now have the authority to send off players for fighting in the tunnel, since the Laws do mention players being sent off before kick-off. This is true, but as Law 12 states:

'The referee has the authority to take disciplinary sanctions from the moment
he enters the field of play until he leaves the field of play after the final whistle.'

This is fine for those of us who all enter the field of play more or less as we arrive, but in the EPL can a ref in the tunnel be said to have formally entered the field of play? The rewrite will clarify this and make the ref's authority start at the pitch inspection.

And secondly, on offside. The Laws will be rewritten to give the IFK for offside where the PIOP enters active play (most often where he touches the ball). This will be consistent with the instructions that free kicks are taken where the OFFENCE occurs. So if an OP player runs back into his own half to collect the ball...that's where the IFK will be given.

I think the changes sound very sensible, but thank God I live in Australia and we won't have to implement them until our players have seen the rest of the world use them for six months!

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Steve
The Laws also say * The referee provides the appropriate authorities with a match report, which includes information on any disciplinary action taken against players and/or team officials and any other incidents that occurred before, during or after the match. It also includes a player who commits a cautionable or sending-off offence, either on or off the field of play, whether directed towards an opponent, a team-mate, the referee, an assistant referee or any other person, is disciplined according to the nature of the offence committed.* That tells me that if the nature of the the offence is VC that the player HAS to be dismissed.
We also know that it says * The referee has the power to show yellow or red cards during the half-time interval and after the match has finished as well as during extra time and kicks from the penalty mark, since the match remains under his jurisdiction at these times.* Is it not under his jurisdiction before kick off as well?
I'm at a loss to figure out that the referee could not take action against a player who violently punches an opponent as they walk out?? I certainly always understood that players could and should be sent off before and after kick off and provision was made for that with the substitute replacement before kick off so what is suggested here?
There may be a quirk about the display of cards as we know that cards are not shown off the FOP yet that still does not stop a referee taking disciplinary action off the FOP at any time. I can understand that Keane and Vieira could not have been shown cards yet they could certainly have been sent off had it escalated into a fight.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Steve,
the offside offence is currently based on where the PIOP was at the moment the ball is played but punished only if he becomes involved LATER.
I was reluctant to discuss the changes until they are chiselled in to the LOTG.


Offside was easy to restart for me because the offside position is what we FIRST ascertain but
When NO physical touch of the ball occurs where will the restart be then? Plus on a player going BACK into his own half an indfk from inside the same half runs counter to offside principles that you can not be quilty and offers a much better scoring opportunity!
damn I was not going to comment lol
rd

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

See Question: 30044