Question Number: 33674

High School 9/25/2019

RE: College

Larry of Danville, CA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 33673

Thank you for your responses. Richard, to answer you question; it was indeed a dropped ball. A player went down away from the ball and the ref stopped play while one team had uncontested possession. After the player was attended to there was a brief discussion, which I assume was about a sporting restart, then the ref dropped the ball from waist high. I think he just had a brain slip. What made it a potentially serious error was that the team that had allowed a sporting uncontested dropped ball, now decided to turn the IDFK into a scoring opportunity. They set up and placed their free kick into the penalty area resulting in a follow up shot on goal. I know the ref can not dictate fair play, but IMHO their free kick was bush league.

Just wondering; had they scored could the other team file a legitimate complaint for an improper restart?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Larry,
I think it is oblivious from our responses that we are as confused as you are as to how the referee went from a drop ball to one team and then into an INDFK for the other? I am still unclear as to WHY the referee dropped the ball to ONE team only and which team that was?

Not that it matters given there is NO RULE that permits a drop-ball to transmute into an INDFK based on the LOTG. Whether or not a protest would be upheld might depend on the story the referee has to justify what occurred? A referee can make an error in what he thought if the reason to restart matches but he can not change the rules or make new ones. I think because of the recent changes to drop ball etiquette in both high school and FIFA ,where they follow along in certain cases, but are still a year behind, created some confusion. The switch from indfk in possession to contested drop to match up, then the switch in FIFA to an uncontested drop, which is not yet matched up in the rules. We cannot dictate fair play or impose what we might think is an appropriate action, but, sometimes we can nudge it using our powers as arbitrator to simply say, my bad, lets restart correctly. It is easy to get rattled in times of confusion. I have seen some real howlers by fairly competent officials who, for whatever reason just go brain dead.

Keeper picks the ball up OUTSIDE the PA at the outer edge of the 4 yard penalty arc , opposing team gets a PK instead of the correct DFK no card issued to the keeper. Coach tells his PK taker to NOT score as the restart is illegal and would be grounds for protest. Referee threatens coach with dismissal as coach pleaded with AR to intervene.

Penalty shoot out referee flips coin twice once to start and again after the first 5 shots.

INDFK awarded in the 6 yard goal area taken 3 yards from goal line, restart location is incorrect as no attacking INDFK can occur closer than 6 yards.

Team scores with extra player 12 men on the FOP , goal allowed because referee felt the extra player was not involved in the scoring.

Ball goes out of play into touch ever so slightly , clearly deflected off a defender. Referee misses the flag as the attacking player is running along the touchline crosses ball and a goal results. After consulting, referee allows goal claiming it was advantageous rather than a throw in. Now the referee COULD have said I did NOT think the ball was out and the GOAL would stand even if his view was a mistake it is NOT illegal. But to acknowledge the ball WAS out he can not in law allow the goal & restart with a kick off he MUST restart with the throw in.

Protests usually have procedures to follow, time limits, and often a fee to be paid.

Whether the player receiving this gift on a non contested ball was BECAUSE his team HAD ball possession and the opposition backed off?
OR
The opposition had ball possession at the time of the stoppage & ONLY backed off because the player had indicated he would kick it out or to return the ball back to the opposing team 's keeper ?

I kind of thought this second one was it based on the circumstances of why the direct dribbling in possession created such a stir if the opposition were expecting to regain ball control. Then feeling the other team tried to take advantage used the incorrect INDFK restart to punish them as karma.

To justify the restart swatch is like the old adage of Where is restart town? Hmmm well you see there is no way you can get there from here!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Larry
It all depends on whether the rules allow for a protest and the referees reasoning and explanation of what happened. If he *owns up* that he made an error which is a misapplication of the rules then perhaps there would be grounds for an appeal.
I suppose what it does point to is that *Fair Play* restarts can be fraught with difficulties. This started out as Fair Play and could have ended up as being totally unfair.
Many years ago I had a Fair Play restart that went pear shaped and I decided to restart again citing that I had made an error in where I dropped the ball! I think the referee here could have gone with the original restart again and cited confusion as to the reasoning. To get from a DB to an attacking IDFK makes no sense particularly when there does not appear to be a legitimate offence to justify same.