Question Number: 32465

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/22/2018

RE: div 3 Under 13

iain mackenzie of Brisbane, qld Australia asks...

We recently played a game and the ball was bouncing around near our goal
The referee blew the whistle and gave a drop ball from which the opponents scored directly.
I asked at half time and referee said both players has high feet so it was either a drop ball or give both players yellow cards.
I was pretty confused by the explanation
1/ Why a drop ball ?
2/ why would you give 12 yo yellow cards ?
3/ the goal being allowed
4/ I would have thought just play on as nobody was injured and it didn't look particularly dangerous to me

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Iain,
hmmm, it is always difficult to analyze the mindset of a referee on events we do not witness or have no access to?

There was a clause in the LOTG which in the event of a truly simultaneous foul/event, a drop ball restart could be used. .Apparently they do not want this they prefer
Disciplinary action
• punishes the more serious offence, in terms of sanction, restart, physical
severity and tactical impact, when more than one offence occurs at the same
time.

That said the referee's explanation makes ZERO sense as an either or option?

If their actions were actually cautionable then a drop ball restart would still be required if he STOPPED play to card BOTH for a simultaneous event?

He could mean he was going to allow play to continue and then caution them both at the next natural stoppage but again that makes Zero sense either???

The concept of PIADM (playing in a dangerous manner) is any action undertaken without contact that endangers others or places themselves at risk of injury. These actions can include a raised boot into the thigh chest or face area, a lowered head into the feet of other players or fighting for the ball along the ground by illegally covering it up. The thing is, none of these items are a FOUL, they ONLY are considered as infringements if the referee deems they fit the PIADM criteria where the opposition is UNFAIRLY affected by the actions.

If BOTH players are sailing in with boots to the face a referee at the youth level might be prompted to whistle down a stoppage believing the safety factor risks are just too great. We do not give cards, we show them to players to help remind them to stop illegal or unsafe actions. A yellow card caution for reckless play is always a possibility but it is NOT mandatory. Usually one player is more at fault as PIADM is an INDFK restart. There is no reason to assume a caution or card is required. A simple warning to be careful. Cards are generally reserved for NEEDED moments to drive home a fundamental concept where the LOTG demand their inclusion .. I agree 12 year olds can generally be managed without the use of cards per say but if they are 11 aside regulation football, cards can be shown if required. Certain things cannot be ignored if there are serious competitive parameter's as opposed to recreational fun play.

The thing is ONCE a referee STOPS play he must restart as to WHY he did so . In this case the referee claims it was a safety factor where his concern was to halt an impending collision. Save the two players from their own reckless actions. A noble sentiment if THAT is the reason. If it was just because their feet were raised up in the air playing a funny bouncing ball in an awkward manner that is not a reason if neither was affected by the other nor anyone else was in danger. Foul recognition and of course as a fact of play the referee's opinion takes precedence be it right or slightly skewered lol

The drop ball restart is now a legal remedy to restart play based on WHY play was stopped, even if we now see it as an inadvertent or unnecessary whistle. If this drop ball was within the goal area it must be brought back towards centre to the outer edge of the 6 yard goal area line parallel to the actual goal line under the crossbar as no restart can occur closer than 6 yards into the goal frame itself

As long as the ball was dropped in the correct spot and hit the ground BEFORE it was played. However you CAN NOT score directly on a drop ball it must be played/touched by at least by two different players. AS a goal was awarded I must assume this occurred?

While your point 4 has validity but for the phrase ITOOTR ( in the opinion of the referee) facts of play are governed by the opinion of the referee. His match His decision His reputation.. Remember we are all at differencing stages on the learning curve try to be understanding when things get weird!
Cheers

FIFA LOTG The start and restart of play

2. Dropped ball

Procedure

The referee drops the ball at the position where it was when play was stopped,
unless play was stopped inside the goal area in which case the ball is dropped
on the goal area line which is parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to
where the ball was when play was stopped.

The ball is in play when it touches the ground.
Any number of players may contest a dropped ball (including the goalkeepers); the referee cannot decide who may contest a dropped ball or its outcome.

Infringements and sanctions
The ball is dropped again if it:
• touches a player before it touches the ground
• leaves the field of play after it touches the ground, without touching a player

If a dropped ball enters the goal without touching at least two players play is restarted with:
• a goal kick if it enters the opponents' goal
• a corner kick if it enters the team's goal
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Iain
Thanks for your question.
This type of situation does happen on hard ground and players can be guilty of playing in a dangerous manner. So if both players were guilty of PIADM simultaneously with both equally guilty then a dropped ball is a potential restart once the game has been stopped.
IFAB the lawmakers are of the view that fouls are rarely simultaneous with one foul occurring first and also that simultaneous offences should be punished on the basis of sanction, restart, physical severity and tactical impact. As a result the old simultaneous foul clause has been removed from the Laws and referees asked to make a call.
So to answer your question
1. The referee did not want to make a call on the IDFK for one team or the other. The DB is then a viable restart although it is expected that a call should be made based on the four criteria. I suspect that IFAB did not consider PIADM as occurring simultaneously by two separate players.
2. Without being reckless there is no need to caution for what you describe. If a player say challenged with a kung fu type high boot then a caution would be required. Two U 12 with high feet for a bouncing ball does not require cautions
3. When you say directly what is meant. A goal cannot be scored directly from a dropped ball restart so unless the ball was played to a team mate / opponent of the player to play the DB first then the restart is a goal kick.
4. It is a judgement call and if both players have high boot with no ones safety really being challenged then the best decision can be to play on. As both players threatened each other's safety and neither were prevented from challenging then I would let play continue.
As to the explanation given by the referee my experience is that some referees are not good at explaining what they decided. If one thinks about giving two yellow cards to the players did not change the restart? If he had cautioned one player then it is an IDFK restart to the opponents.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Iain,
Thanks for the question(s). I'll take your points in order.

1. According to the information I have received from the IFAB, a dropped ball is no longer a permissible restart for simultaneous offences. The referee must always make a decision as to which is the more serious offence. If the offences have the same sanction and restart (as in this case) the deciding factors would be the physical severity and tactical impact. Even if two players play in a dangerous manner at the same time, I would say the chances are that the referee could decide that the actions of one would be more physically severe than the other.

2. If two players commit PIADM it is not necessarily the case that they would need to be cautioned (though they could be) no matter what their age.

3. If the ball was kicked directly into the goal by an attacker from the dropped ball, the outcome should have been a goal kick.

4. The fact that no-one was injured is not necessarily a decisive factor but if your description is accurate and neither player's actions were actually dangerous, then playing on could become a distinct possibility.