Question Number: 34399

High School 10/30/2021

RE: competitive High School

David Reiss of Gibbsboro, NJ United States asks...

Where in NFHS book does it indicate placement of ball when a player on the field is cautioned. I am trying to show another referee, but can't find it inwriting. (should be spot where offense took place no matter where the ball was.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi David,
There is no definitive location for 'a restart when a caution is given.' In fact for me, looking at this in terms of the caution is slightly misleading. I think that what you should be looking to see, is when a free kick is being taken, where is that kick to be taken from? The fact that the free kick comes after a caution is not the determining factor in the location of the restart, rather it is the nature of the offence.

In general, and as stated in NFHS Rule 13:

"Free kicks are taken from the spot of the foul ..."

Now, there are a few exceptions to this, such as:

"restarts following certain temporary suspensions of play, e.g., misconduct committed by bench personnel during a live ball and fouls committed in the goal area by either team."

The rule then goes on to say that the following indirect free kicks are taken from where the ball was when the referee stopped play: if a player, coach or bench personnel enters or leaves the field of play without permission of an official and does not interfere with play or an official or if the game is stopped because of misconduct by a person in the team and coaching area.

In any event, the full information about where free kicks are taken from, can be found in the NFHS rulebook as specified by ref Manjone.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi David
There is a principle in soccer that free kicks are taken from the location of the infraction / offence There are a number of exceptions in NFHS games where an indirect free kicks are taken from where the ball was when the referee stopped play. See Rule 13
So the reason for the yellow card will determine the location of the restart.
Direct free kicks are awarded and taken from the point of the infraction (with very few exceptions):
Indirect free kicks are awarded and taken from the point of the infraction (with a few exceptions):

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

David,
Because the caution can result in a variety of restarts, there is no simple answer to your question. As is indicated by referees McHugh and Grove above, the answer to your question lies in NFHS Rule 13, pages 64-68 in the NFHS 2021-2022 rules book.

The restarts are listed for the various types of misconducts. Hopefully, this information will provide what you are seeking.

Have a successful remainder of your fall high school season and the upcoming playoffs and championships at Kean University.