Question Number: 34487

Other 1/26/2022

Crebs Crem of Zagreb, Croatia asks...

Hello,
Are there any situations, other than not sending off a player after second caution, which will invalidate a match? If yes, can you please give some examples?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Crebs
That s a rules of competition decision taken by the organisers rather than a law decision.
There are not so many and the main reason is a misapplication of the Law

In recent times I can recall a match being invalidated because the referee awarded an indirect free kick for an infringement by the attacking team on a scored penalty kick. The restart should have been a retake of the penalty kick which when appealed resulted in a replay.

The other most notable occasion of the invalidation of a match was due to match fixing where it was proven that a referee deliberately made erroneous decisions in a game. The referee in question has been suspended for life. Thankfully that is extremely rare.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Crebs,
This is not really a Laws of the Game question, because the Laws don't have anything specific about when matches are invalidated (although they do mention when games are not invalidated, such as in relation to VAR systems failures or decisions).

So it then comes down to the Rules of Competition (ROC) and the decisions of the competition organizers.

As I'm sure you're aware, ROC vary from competition to competition but as ref McHugh points out, it's generally only when a referee has made a technically impossible call (i.e. making a decision that is simply not possible in law) that games can potentially be replayed.

Please note however, that even when a misapplication of the law occurs the match is not necessarily invalidated and it's still up to the organizers to decide whether to replay the match or not. For instance, in the (in)famous incident in the 2006 World Cup game when Croation player Josip Simunic was not sent off by referee Graham Poll after receiving a second yellow card (but was after a third caution) the result of the match was allowed to stand.

The competition organizers apparently decided that the mistake had not sufficiently adversely affected the overall outcome of matters (Australia qualified for the knockout stages regardless) and there was no replay. Had Croatia won the game and eliminated the Australians I think the organizers' decision might have been different.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Crebs,
a referee does not have an authority to replay a match or lay claim its invalid only to ensure that the match adheres to the LOTG and ROC. A referee COULD by improper actions set up the conditions in which a committee on appeal could order the match replayed , in its entirety or just partially from where something went wrong. A team might create conditions by playing an illegal player but often that results in forfiet loss if points more thana replay

Let's say for example a referee plays the first half but ends it 5 minutes early?
Secondly let's say he plays 5 minutes too long
Teams go for the break now the referee is AWARE of the oops

Match duration is altered for youth play , so it does happen, especially in tournaments where an age bracket might to 30 to 35 minutes of playing time or 40 to 45

At the start of the 2nd half in the 1st instance the teams COULD be informed that there was a time error and that 5 more minutes of the first half needed to be played BEFORE the start of the 2nd half could commence.

Play MUST be restarted as to how & why play ended by the ahem too early whistle.

If the ball was in play, a drop ball would restart it. In today's LOTG the team that had ball possession or the keeper if within the penalty area!

If the referee ended the match with the ball out of play, the attack had missed their last shot sailing high above the crossbar with no defending touch, a goal kick that the referee decided did not need to occur, then that is how play should restart .

The teams then play the unused time and THEN switch sides and start the 2nd half Convoluted by legal in every way!

Now there is a more difficult issue in the 2nd bit, playing too long! A referee CAN not play the second half at 30 minutes to make up for the 40 that should have been 35 in the first. The referee can only finish the match with a normal 2nd half. Yet if he went ahead and tried to even it out by playing short or the same extra time then the grounds for a protest are there as well as the ROC just ordering a replay on principle of two equal halves!

Now the ROC on an appeal might claim the game was unaffected or in a tournament there was no way to correct this. I suspect though if one team was scored upon in the extra time in the first half and lost by that margine it is plausible a replay of the match would occur.

As my colleague Ref McHugh noted, misapplication of the law other than blatant match fixing is rare but can occur. For example as a coach of a 15 team, the opposing keeper comes out of the PA and picks up a ball just ahead of our striker . Technically DOGSO red card with a DFK from the hand to ball location. Instead the referee awards a PK with a caution. As my eyes bulged and my head nearly exploded I tried to calmly ask the AR to intervene only to be screamed at by the referee So I am faced with a situation as a misapplication of law, score or not, now an appeal exists . The fact this team protested our 1st encounter because tied at regulation the referee reflipped a coin after the first 5 shots were tied going into sudden death and as a result the ROC had us playing this match. We won this 2nd 2 to 1 (we deliberately missed the pk and I wonder if we had lost would I have protested?

I recall watching matches where the referee incorrectly spotted an INDFK INSIDE the goal area only 2 feet from the goal line instead of dragging the ball straight back to 6 yds away. Now these types of errors may not automatically get a match replayed but they are certainly grounds for protest especially when ten yards is not there and they surround the kicker so he can not drop a pass to a teammate in behind. not only standing on the goal line a between the posts under the crossbar.

I also recall a match where in sudden death KFTPM one team scored on their 7th kick and the referee called it over unaware or not knowing the other team had not yet taken their 7th shot. The ROC decision was to retake the KFTPMs rather than replay the match.
You can probably grasp it generally in the adaptive leagues where issues like this crop up
Cheers