Question Number: 35694

Law 7 - The Duration of the Match 9/13/2024

RE: Rec, Comp High School

Patrick Burton of WVC, Utah USA asks...

the person kicks the ball and scores but then it is called back because the half has ended -what is going on?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Pat,
referee may have unfortunately created a flawed approach to regulating time in a way the teams can be content it is fair? Perhaps the whistle/signal to end the half or match was not heard? There are reasons why but the team scoring is simply NOT going to like it!

The whistle sounds to end the half or match but in REALITY, while time is rarely to the micro second, the match ends when time has expired.. It is as wrong to let a match continue after a team has successfully defended as it is to shorten time by not ensuring all time is up!

While I suggest finding a less critical time to end the match as a ball is entering the goal, if the ball is glued to the oppositions foot and are raining death and destruction on a beleaguered keeper, you are not obligated to wait until they finally put one shot by, to stop the match, but a clear signal should be given, which the whistle sound is expected.

The double long toot or triple toot whistle is the generally accepted way a referee announces the match has ended or the half is over. So if that has not occurred the team scoring is going to be upset at a last second goal being disallowed!

In USA high school, there is often a horn sound tied into a timing system, and if in fact, the ball has not yet fully crossed the goal line when it occurs, NO goal can be awarded. Perhaps the timing/alarm system malfunctioned? Or perhaps the referee relayed info to the timer that was received incorrectly or they failed to restart the timer after a stoppage? ? The time ended with the ball in mid flight is an unfortunate aspect of a dead-end timer system where you simply can not delay the ending as it is a fixed point in time not an arbitrary one!

Yet that is not the same for recreational or professional matches where the added time is at the sole discretion of the referee. The irony is if a whistle sounds BEFORE a ball has completely crossed the goal line, under the crossbar and between the posts, it results in no goal being awarded, as the referee has CLEARLY signaled play was over, even if there were extra time to be played!

The troubling aspect is a referee could lose track of time, be it a broken watch, a dropped whistle, a match extended too long in error, or simply using a count down timer that beeps even while extending a match to account for time lost but it decides not too.

Whether you think it looks bad ir feels wrong, does not alter the FACT that the match time could have expired! A referee looking at the watch might lose focus as to where the ball is and be set to blow as the ball is on its way INTO the goal just as easily losing track of time that the match has already ended! . A famous referee wound up doing so and in effect was retired from the game with less than stellar thoughts by those who thought he cheated! When in truth it was simply poor mechanics.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Pat,
In a high school game there is a countdown timer and a signal of some kind (usually a hooter or horn) is sounded when time is up. Once that signal sounds the game is over no matter where the ball was at the time - even if there was a shot already on its way into the net.

So it seems possible to me that the scenario here is that a shot was taken, then the hooter sounded while it was in the air and so therefore the goal was ruled out.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Patrick
This is a timing matter.

In soccer when the timing clock has fully expired no further play is allowed. Some sports allow for play to be extended for a second or so once the ball is in play to see whether a score has happened or not.
Soccer is not like that. So if there was a countdown timer and it reaches zero before the ball crossed the goal line it is no goal.

Outside of High School games such as FIFA games timing is exclusively up to the referee. There are two methods of timing used. The most common one is where referees guesstimates the amount of time to be added based at the end of a half for substitutions, delays along with injuries etc. In those situations a referee can find a few seconds to see a play out. Some games do not allow added time so when the regular time has expred no further play is allowed.
In the other timing method which is more prevalent in the US a referee may stop the timer method much like a NFHS game for all stoppage such as substitutions, injuries etc and once the timer reaches zero the game ends no matter what.

I personally prefer the method where a final play is seen out to a conclusion and then the game ends. Although that causes problems the other way as a conceding team may believe that a referee has not ended the game promptly.
Clearly in your scenario it was a clock reaching zero timing method so no further play could be allowed. Your scenario does happen as we often get questions on it most notably from the US.

As I say to everyone play to the whistle. Once the whistle sounds or the horn sounds no further play is allowed. What happens after the whistle or horn is mute from a scoring perspective.