Question Number: 32623

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 8/3/2018

RE: Under 17

bob of los angeles, ca usa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 32618

'The restart in your example should have been a DFK from the location of the foul that merited the yellow card. In many ways it is a rewind of the game back to the incident which without the advantage would have been an immediate free kick and a caution from the location of the offence.'

Wait, I am confused. Would it be an IDFK or a DFK? Referee called advantage and allowed play to continue for a shot on goal, but went back before the restart and gave the offending player a YC for unsporting behavior (tactical foul). He did not call the foul for what it was (a pull) because of the advantage application, so he can't give a DFK, because that nullifies his own advantage decision, right? And that is what I was told by you folks in my original question, that I should not have tried to stop the referee and have him award a DFK for that situation. Or is this just a case of giving a YC with no IDFK or DFK?

Sorry, I think I have confused myself with this whole situation.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bob
In the answer we tried to cover all situations.
In the situation you outlined the restart was a direct free kick restart for the foul.
If play was stopped for a caution for an offence not mentioned in the Laws or an IDFK offence such as dissent then that is the restart.
In this case the referee decided to stop the game for the only reason of issuing a caution for a foul so the only possible restart was a DFK at the location of the foul.
If he felt that advantage had accrued then the caution should have waited until the next stoppage whatever that may be.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Bob,
if you apply advantage and you decide there was no advantage even IF there might have been you award the DFK or INDFK as per the TYPE of the initial foul at the spot of that foul. But this should occur within 4 or 5 seconds. You show the yellow card before this restart.

If there is advantage allowed and recognized as such then the restart is GONE. The next natural stoppage is when you would show the card but not does not change the restart. This would occur after the advantage was realized .

The LOTG do not permit an about to be sent off player or about to be carded player to participate in active play so if you had to STOP play solely to show the card it is an INDFK from where he participates.

The Laws cannot deal with every possible situation, so where there is no direct
provision in the Laws, The IFAB expects the referee to make a decision within
the 'spirit' of the game – this often involves asking the question, "what would
football want/expect?"

The 131st AGM of The IFAB held in London on 3rd March 2017 approved the use of temporary dismissals (sin bins) for all or some cautions/yellow cards (YCs) in youth, veterans, disability and grassroots football, subject to the approval of the competition's national FA, confederation or FIFA, whichever is appropriate.

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Bob,
It is up to the referee to decide whether to call the advantage back and penalise the original offence. The law says that the referee:

''allows play to continue when an offence occurs and the non-offending team will benefit from the advantage and penalises the offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue at that time or within a few seconds''

So if in this case, the referee had decided that the anticipated advantage had not ensued, he would have been entitled to go back and penalise the original offence - a pull, leading to a direct free kick. As I understand it, that was what you were arguing should have been the case anyway. I don't think anyone was necessarily disagreeing with your viewpoint that the referee should have gone back to the original offence, we were just pointing out the problem with the way you went about communicating your view to the referee.

I would say that if the referee was not going to go back to penalise the original offence, he should not have stopped play but should have waited until the next stoppage in play to caution the player.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 32628