Question Number: 33461

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/20/2019

RE: Grade1 Adult

William of Cork, Munster Ireland asks...

Attacking team Centre half uses the shoulders of his CF to raise him into the air and head the ball into the net from a corner scoring a goal

What action should referee take

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI William, interesting wording? Am I correct in assuming he is using his hands on the shoulders of his teammate to lift himself above the heads of the surrounding players? Not that he is lifting him on his shoulders under the legs? If this was an opponent it would be holding. Technically it is USB with an INDFK restart but it can be concealed as a jump up and over in heading a ball in traffic. The idea of using another player to gain height by stepping on him or trying to lift oneself or help lift a teammate is not truly kosher in soccer. It would depend on the referee view and interpretation of the situation to see if it was unfair
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi William,
From your description of a player purposefully using a team mate's shoulders to gain height and score a goal, I would say this is an example of unsporting behaviour. This offence actually used to be included in the Laws of the Game up until 1997, with the wording as follows:

''If a player leans on the shoulders of another player of his own team in order to head the ball, the referee shall stop the game, caution the player for ungentlemanly conduct and award an indirect free−kick to the opposing side.''

I'm not aware of anything that has changed, that would make this not so. The wording was removed from the laws not because it was incorrect but simply because the IFAB wanted to shorten and simplify the laws document. As part of the great re-write of that year, a number of valid provisions were removed on the basis that they were considered self-evident. For instance, the statement that a player who had been shown a red card, was not allowed to return to the field, was also removed, apparently on the basis that it was such common knowledge that it did not need to be included.

The clause about it being unsporting behaviour (ungentlemanly conduct in 1997 parlance) to lean on a team mate's shoulders to head the ball is as far as I am aware, another example of something the IFAB felt that while true, didn't need to be stated explicitly.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi William
A player cannot use a team mate to gain height while playing the ball. In the past it was explicitly stated in the LotG that it was an unsporting behaviour. While it is no longer explicitly stated nothing has changed to make it legal.
The correct technical, answer is that it is unsporting behaviour for which the player is cautioned so the goal is disallowed and the restart is an IDFK.
In a game it might be difficult to pick up as the attacker might use one arm to leverage himself up off the shoulder of his team mate which at speed might be difficult to pick up.
A referee could also opine that the attacker player on the ground may have impeded an opponent from getting to the ball in which case that is also an offence. Rarely does these situations not require movement by both players. While a player is entitled to his position on the field of play he must also not move in a way that creates an obstruction for an opponent getting to the ball through impeding with or without contact. We see this quite a bit at corners where two to three attackers are together yet only one is designated as the header with the other two attempting to block the designated header's marker from staying close to him as he makes his run. That *blocking* which includes movement is an offence. Again it can be difficult to pick up as the referee does not know who the designated header is yet he has to watch closely the movement to detect if there is deliberate blocking with movement going on.
So there can be a number of ways to deal with this.
USB and an IDFK
Or there is possible impeding IDFK by the player on the ground or impeding with contact which is a direct feee kick restart.
Either way the goal should not be allowed and it is up to the referee to decide what he wants to do based on the actual circumstances.
Finally going back to the fact that it is no longer explicitly stated in the Law book IFAB states in the Laws that ** 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 fact is that you have asked the question clearly suggests that it was 'unfair' to allow the goal. The referee then based on the circumstances has to opine what offence happened based on the actual circumstances at that very time. Myself I am leaning towards the actions of the player on the ground as deliberately impeding defenders from getting to the ball which usually in an attacking sense involves no card just a Law 12 offence. In the total absence of opponents then it is USB and an IDFK.