Question Number: 30047

Law 5 - The Referee 1/25/2016

RE: Rec Adult

Russell of Sydney, Australia asks...

Another popular site that poses rule questions had the following question (and answer).

Q. A goal keeper accidentally collides with a defender and and an opposition striker. While medical staff attend to them, the strikers captain insists that all three players should leave the field before play restarts. What action do you take?

A. First things first " the captain should not be "insisting" you do anything: have a word with him. Second, give him a lesson in the laws. The guidance on players leaving the pitch after treatment includes some commonsense written exceptions. One is that keepers are exempt; another states that if a keeper and an attacker collide and both need attention, both are exempt, to avoid unfairly disadvantaging the attacking side. Likewise, if a keeper and one of his team-mates collide and both need treatment, both stay on, to avoid unfairly disadvantaging the defending side. So in this case, all three players stay on as play restarts.

MY QUESTION IS, what document provides the 'guidance' that they refer too?
I have never read this in the LOTG 2015/2016 that is the current version.
I read a lot about an 'Advice to Referee's' document - on this site and other sites "where do I find this document.

The LOTG 2015/2016 document includes a section titled 'Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees', however, it does not include the above nor many other elements I have read (on this site and others) about 'Advise to referee's'.

I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction - even if it may be particular country created document (i.e. not a FIBA doc).

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Russell
Thanks for the question.
The site is 100% correct and the information can be found on page 75 of the current FIFA law book under Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees. Last paragraph on Law 5- the Injured Players section.
This is the relevant quote
*Exceptions to this ruling are to be made only when:
# a goalkeeper is injured
#a goalkeeper and an outfield player have collided and need immediate attention
# players from the same team have collided and need immediate attention
# a severe injury has occurred, e.g. swallowed tongue, concussion, broken leg.
What it does show is the need to stay current on all annual changes that happen after each IFAB AGM. These are talking points annually with the changes debated and disseminated.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Russell,
perhaps you are referring to the old USSF ATR was American document to train and educate USA referees into a uniform group of officials The ATR is no longer in active use as the newer FIFA LOTG and Additional instructions have been and are currently being rewritten to do much of what the USA ATR had set out to do, explain the LOTG in a easily understood format to promote consistency within the LOTG. The excerpt above by my referee colleague Ref McHugh points out the information you require as to the adaptability of why common sense law 18 is the unwritten portion of the LOTG.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

This section (quoted by my colleague) has been in the I&G of the Laws for several years. Unfortunately it's another one of those things that aren't written very clearly. It doesn't clarify what is exempted for an injury - that the player doesn't need to go out? that play doesn't need to be stopped? Obviously the exemption applies differently to the bullet points.