Question Number: 30062

League Specific 1/30/2016

RE: CIF SS Varsity Boys High School

Jorge Ponce of Perris, CA USA asks...

70th minute of 0-0 match. Player for Team A goes down in the area on
a collision. Ball is cleared into possession of Team B at the 35.
Referee blows the whistle to check on the player from Team A. Team B
holds the ball at the 35 and waits for the referee signal to restart.
Referee talks to player from Team A. Player says he is fit to play
and stays on. Coach for Team A was waved on but does not come to
attend to player. Referee determines that a restart is appropriate
from the 35 in possession of Team B. After about 1 minute, Referee
blows the whistle and play commences. Team B serves the ball into the
area. Ball is challenged and passed around several times for
approximately 15 seconds. Team B then strikes the ball cleanly into
the net. Referee blows whistle and signals a goal for Team B.
Referee marks the goal in his book for Team B. A/R advances up the
line and signals a goal for Team B. Both sides reset to their halves
and prepare for kickoff. Before the kickoff commences, referee
chooses to halt the kickoff and have a discussion with the A/R.
Referee then approaches Team B coaches and states that he made a
mistake and is now disallowing the goal. His reason is the player
from Team A should have been removed prior to the whistled restart,
which is correct, and he made an error by speaking to him and allowing
him to stay on. He then made another mistake by whistling the restart
and allowing play to commence. The question is he able to disallow
the goal after a pause in the match, a whistled stop and a whistled
restart, several touches, shots and a goal scored from Team B, a
confirmation of goal scored from referee and from the A/R and a reset
of teams. Or should the goal stand and the referee acknowledges that
he made an error by not sending the player off.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jorge,
hmmm an injured player from team A was the reason play was stopped and TEAM B had actual ball possession at about 35 yard line of the opposing team A when this occurred. The player was NOT seriously injured and received no treatment but under high school rules injured players must leave the FOP if play is stopped.
In my opinion the referee has dug a hole, fallen into this hole and is now trying to dig himself out by making a larger mountain of obtuse fabrication from the diggings.
I hold the goal should count and just get on with play.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jorge
NFHS rules require that the player from Team A should have been removed and replaced or play short until the next stoppage. As that was not done what happened was illegal under the Rules. Now that was no fault of Team B who simply got on with play and scored a legitimate goal. Also as Referee Manjone points out that once play restarted there was no way to correct the referee error. Anyway it would only have been a gripe if Team A had scored as it was that team that benefitted from the referee error not Team B.
I suppose it raises the issue of when is it appropriate to stop play for an apparent injury. Clearly Team A did not want play stopped which necessitated the player being removed and to be replaced or to play short and rejoin at the next stoppage which in this case was the kick off.
A principle of any set of Rules is that when a team has not infringed the rules nor benefitted from an event including an error by the referee it should not be penalised. Team B in my opinion should not have been penalised with a goal disallowed as it did not benefit in any way from the player not leaving the field. Team B was also entitled to possession so that was not an issue either. You do not mention the restart which would also point to the referees thinking at the time. So IMO Team A could have no complaint about the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

Jorge,
First of all, the referee did error when the team A player that was apparently injured did not leave the field when the referee stopped the clock. As is indicated in Rule 3-3-2b2: 'If the referee stops the clock for an apparent injury to a field player or goalkeeper, the field player or goalkeeper will have to leave the field.' As you are aware, safety of participants is one of the major concerns in high school soccer and this rule was passed with the safety of the participant in mind, that the referee in most cases is not medically trained and should not be making medical decisions, and in some instances, although hurt badly, a player will not tell the truth when asked of their condition.

However, once the game was restarted, this error could not be corrected as is indicated in Rule 5-1-2: 'The officials can only correct a decision so long as the game has not been started.' Thus, the goal should not have been disallowed. Please let me know if you have any additional questions concerning this situation.

I hope that you are having a very successful season.