Question Number: 12986

Law 7 - Match Duration 6/7/2006

RE: Rec. Adult

Dave Hoenie of Cincinnati, OH USA asks...

Law VII clearly states that the duration of a half can be extended by injury time, substitution time, PK, or at the discretion of the referee. Doesn't FIFA have an addendum or guideline somewhere that "encourages" play to continue if the offense has generated an attack that enters the penalty area and/or a corner kick?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

I know of no regulations or official literature that advocates playing longer than the allotted time. THE ONLY exception is the PK. On a penalty kick the match continues UNTIL the PK has been completed. The discrestionary power a referee has must be used to ensure a fair result. The law states two equal halves. That is what we strive for.
Sometimes it is to allow an attacking chance to follow sometimes it is to blow the whistle as the team defending has done so successfully.

You hear LAW 18 common sense as a catch all for the myths that spring up. Time is relative and rarely to the micro second you try not to make a rod for your back but at times the ball is glued to the attackers foot and every bounce seems to go their way. You pick your spot as you know it is required. MOST times it is not so contencious at times it could be. Thems the breaks happy times one team sad the other!

Let me ask you this speaking as a coach the ball is at one end of the field and time is ticking the final seconds. The ball is recovered by the defending team and a great long ball frees up a striker near the midline and he is on a breakaway. Now do we watch the final few ticks and blow just before he ventures into the penalty area? What if he holds the ball waits for support? What if he shoots and the keeper deflects the ball over the goalline for a corner? We gave the break now we give a corner attack ?

If I was just about to put the whistle to the mouth at one end how much time MORE than what I had decided was my discrestionary time? Do I find enough wasted moments to allow the break, a shot, a corner after the shot? If the player was speedy he MIGHT be able to get a shot off before I end the match?

What if he was fouled at centre? How much time do we now permit before this restart? Are we justified if it is a long ball into the area? What if the kick goes short and they try to dribble in?
Should I simply ignore the final few seconds as the long ball heads out of the penalty of one team for a last second recovery at the opposing end of the field?
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

I have never seen anything in print from FIFA or any other governing body with specific guidelines. Ref Dawson rightly cites Law 18 and as long as the referee allows for added time on attacks going both ways, it usually ends up ok. Yet, your assertion that time is up when the referee says it is is correct and there have been and will be contests ended with the ball in flight towards the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The time added is at the referee's discretion. Time is up when its up. There are times to blow and times to let things run. Yeah, all those things. Bottom line is when time expires tell everyone. Many folks try to explain this using some nonexistent law that encompasses a thing called common sense. I say either you have common sense or you don't. If you don't a certain store has it available on roll back after 10 PM on Thursdays, get some. Then put it to use.

I once gave a free kick just outside the penalty arc when an attacker was fouled well into time I had added. I told the gent getting ready to take the kick to hurry as time was near the end. He told me I couldn't end the half when he was getting ready to take a free kick. Funny thing, time expired just then. I'll walk over to the point of a free kick, corner kick, goal kick or whatever and wait for the players to get a ball and bring it back to the restart location. When VERY close to the end if they walk it ends when the ball gets to me. If they run back they get their whatever.

Time ends when time is up, time is up when the time added by the referee and the time allotted for the period of play add up to full time. The time added is at the referee's discretion.

Regards,