Question Number: 30259

League Specific 4/6/2016

RE: social Other

Pierre of jhb, rsa asks...

There are no markings on the field. Travelling team refuses to play. Who gets the walk over.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Pierre
Proper field markings are a requirement to play the game. How a team would expect a game to be played with no marking is beyond me.
So the referee will insist that the markings are in place and visible and if not then the game cannot go ahead. It is not a decision for the teams just the referee. If the referee deems the marking are satisfactory then a League would not accept a team refusing to play as acceptable and they would be held accountable for their actions. I a recent game a team complained to me about the poor state of the playing surface. It was poor yet not unplayable or a safety issue so the game had to proceed. The game did proceed without issue.
If the markings are unsatisfactory necessitating the game not going ahead the referee will report the matter and the League will decide what action to take which can range from a rescheduling of the game to a reversal of the fixture to a walkover in favour of the travelling team. Factor such as the unavailability of lining equipment as it is a public park might be a factor, extremely poor weather preventing the lining, etc might be taken into account.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Pierre,
No field markings at all? Even poorly marked from before ? IF the referee feels the FOP is unplayable due to non existent lines, he abandons the match, reports it condition in the match report and they (the league)would take whatever action their bylaws demand. It is true that often the home team is responsible for the fields but it is the referee who decides to go ahead or not. If a visiting team just walks off they stand to be the losers no matter if they have a legitimate beef or not. It might be advisable to inform a referee who states, we are going ahead, that you are playing under protest. We are all held accountable for the decisions we take!
Cheers