Question Number: 32370

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/14/2018

RE: Select Under 18

Keith T of Las Vegas, NV USA asks...

I recently didnt notice Id issued a 2d YC to a player so didnt immediately remove him with a RC. Other team had a DFK and launched it over the goal, at which point iI realized my mistake. I sent off the player but just allowed a GK since play after the missed RC had already restarted, though the kicking team protested.
(1) Was this legal and the best I could do after my original mistake?
(2) What if the RC-deserving player affected play before I sent him off"I still cant go back beyond any restarts right?
(3) worst case what if the team with the RC player scores (this was ultimately with an extra man on the field, albeit my mistake), and play has not restarted, can/should I disallow the goal?
Huge mess I should have avoided in the first place I know so hope I learned my lesson this time, when ch was relatively quick and harmless thankfully.
Thanks.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Keith,
you are in good company, one of the worlds' best referees Graham Poll issued the three yellow cards to a Serbian player in a World Cup game against Australia.

Once you create the situation where this player is NOT supposed to be there a lot of things could happen to incur a grievous headache.

Luckily for you aside from a restart and a bit of time, nothing consequential occurred!

All you can do as referee is record the incident in your match report and pray that that there was no match altering set of circumstance in the general scheme of things. The league or association would determine if anything was to be done other than go with the outcome you arrived at!


The goal kick restart is fine. You show the red card explaining the dual yellow cards as the reasoning. Thus his team is reduced by one.

You are so lucky the red carded player did not score but yes you COULD deny the goal if you did not restart with the kick off upon realizing he was an illegal extra player .
Learning lessons be they our own mistake or others all good referee share the pain!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Keith,
Yes it's unfortunate that you didn't realise the player should have been dismissed immediately after his second yellow but once you realised the mistake, your subsequent actions were OK. You are correct that you cannot go back and alter any other decisions after play has restarted.

As regards a goal being scored with an extra player on the pitch, the law says it can be ruled out but only if play has not restarted. It goes on to say:

''If, after a goal is scored and play has restarted, the referee realises an extra person was on the field of play when the goal was scored, the goal can not be disallowed.
[...]
The referee must report the incident to the appropriate authority.''

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Keith
No worries. It does happen and all the referee can do is correct his error.
As play has already restarted with the free kick a referee could not go back to the retake so the kick was over and the consequences have to be accepted with the only provisio that a goal cannot be scored by a team with a extra player. So had a goal been scored by the team with the *extra* player then that sent off player is removed and the restart is an IDFK in the goal area. If the player is on the conceding team the goal stands and the player is then removed.
As to protests by the opponents I do not like the situation where the team protests after the kick. If the team is aware of the 2nd caution which they must have been then why berate the referee when they should be also switched on? Had they scored they would not have *protested*. Teams many times keep referees *right* on card count as referee hear players say *he has to go* *2nd yellow ref*.
For me you got the decision correct after the game restarted and dealt with it swiftly as it could have caused more serious problems later.