Question Number: 31513

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/7/2017

RE: Travel Under 17

Andy Weinstein of Jackson, Nj Usa asks...

The ball travels out of bounds for a throw in for white team. After the ball is completely out, White team player is called for a push and a direct kick is awarded to blue team. It was my understanding the ref should have awarded the throw in to white and issued a caution to white team player. AR said the direct kick was correct because of a recent rule change. Please advise if the AR is correct.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Andy
I am afraid the AR was incorrect. A foul cannot be committed when the ball is out of play period. The restart here was a throw in.
What has changed is that if the foul happened off the field of play while the ball is in play on the FOP the restart is a direct free kick on the sideline.
I believe that the error here is the consequence of the significant amount of law changes that took place in 2016. I have seen two significant errors in law in recent times by experienced referees. Law change overload was the cause.
Now that is not to say that the push here happened before the bell went out of play in which case it is a penal foul and a DFK restart.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Andy,
by using only your version & description of the event can we draw a reasonable assumption that you are probably correct, the push if it was AFTER the ball exited for the throw in the player could be cautioned for USB misconduct NOT a foul and the restart remains a throw in for white

That said it is not plausible this push occurred before the ball had completely left the FOP and it was only after the ball was out was the information made available to the CR who would then choose the DFK over the throw-in as having occurred first? I often see players running along the lines receive shoves from behind by the following player often creating the throw in by them losing ball possession.

The PUSH must occur when the BALL is IN play . The push COULD occur just OUTSIDE the touchlines or the goal lines through naturel momentum of players being there during actual play. The resulting FREE kick is on the line at the point of where it can be brought back into the FOP!

Much like the INDFK special circumstances within the goal area where the ball is brought straight back to the 6 yard goal area line for an indfk infraction inside the goal area inside the PA .

Because it was over the touchline the push as a penal foul is a DFK restart if it was outside the PA goal line in the 18 yard PA it would be upgraded to a PK .
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Andy,
The two main points of Law here (IMHO) are as follows:

''Direct and indirect free kicks and penalty kicks can only be awarded for offences and infringements committed when the ball is in play.
[...]
If the ball is out of play, play is restarted according to the previous decision''

So there are two possibilities I can see for this scenario. If, as you say, the push occurred after the ball was fully out of play, then the restart should have been a throw-in and the AR's explanation of it is wrong.

On the other hand, if the push occurred just before the ball ball left the field then the referee has made the correct decision - even though the whistle may not have gone until after the ball was out.

There is no law change that allows for a free kick to be given after the ball is out of play although as Ref Dawson suggests, it might be possible the AR in this case was referring to the change allowing for a free kick when an offence takes place outside the field (but again, only so long as the ball was still in play).