Question Number: 15062

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/29/2007

RE: CLASS TWO Adult

GARIKAI KONDANANI of HARARE, HARARE ZIMBABWE asks...

*HOW DO DEAL WITH SITUATION WHEN SIX PLAYERS REMOVE THEIR JERSEY WHEN CELEBRATING,DO I CAUTION THEM ALL?WHAT ABOUT ON THE PLAYER CELEBRATINIG FIVE PLAYERS HAVE YELLOW CARDS
**DURING THE TAKING OF FREEKICK WITH SIX PLAYERS ON WALL,FIVE PLAYER JUMP AND MOVE BEFORE THE KICK IS TAKEN,DO I CAUTION ALL ,WHAT ABOUT IF ON THOSE PLAYERS THEY HAVE FIVE WITH YELLOW CARD
***A SUBSTITUTE ENTERS THE FIELD OF PLAY TO CELEBRATE A GOAL

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Yes, you caution them all this is a MANDATORY CAUTION. On a free kick, it is your choice what to do. By the letter of the law, you are entitled to caution them all. Or if there is 1 main instigator, you can caution that individual. If the sub enters field, he has comitted a cautionable offense. If he takes off his shirt, then he has earned his second yellow = send off.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The Law is specific on shirts, over the head is a caution. FOR EACH footballer doing so.

At a free kick the Law states this: If, when a free kick is taken, an opponent is closer to the ball than the required distance: the kick is retaken. So if you elect to retake the kick the reason for doing so is someone was not at the required distance, a cautionable offence. The other reason for a retake is you had not released the ball for play. So you have a choice in the matter. Usually the referee will think along these lines -- did their jumping affect the taking of the free kick. If so intervention is necessary otherwise play continues. I believe what the referee should do is this: do not tolerate encroachment at any free kick, caution guilty players until the behaviour ceases because defenders have no rights once they have been pulled up for foul play they only have an obligation to retire the required distance.

Substitutes entering to celebrate a goal, did they seek permission first, yes or no? Entering the field of play without permission is a cautionable offence, correct? The referees first duty is to enforce the Laws of the Game. What did you see, referee?? Team mates celebrating a goal or someone entering without permission?

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

I will disagree slightly with my colleagues. Subs often jump up off the bench to celebrate a goal. They may slap hands with each other, or try to congratulate their teammate who scored. Some of them may step somewhat over the boundary, or the scorer may veer outside the field to greet the subs. For me, neither one of those conditions would constitute a caution in and of itself. If the celebration is excessive or is delaying the restart, we can deal with that. If the shirts come off, we deal with that. We don't have to make our job harder by looking for a second offense (crossing the touchline) to compound their misconduct.

On the too-close wall, I agree with Ref Mueller. Pick and choose wisely who you will caution. The guy directing the wall placement is a good choice; so is the guy who doesn't already have a caution.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

You are not incorrect in cautioning those that remove shirts, FIFA has stated publically and often such displays are not to be tolerated

LAW 12 Fouls and MIsconduct Decision 6

Removing a jersey

A player who removes his jersey when celebrating a goal must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour.

Removing a jersey after a goal has been scored is unnecessary and players must avoid such excessive displays of celebration.

Removing a jersey is defined as removing the jersey over the head or covering the head with the jersey.

Now if you look up this in the laws it even provides pictures !

However, make no mistake, I despise this law. Punishing a player for celebrating a goal by the removal of a shirt is for the most part bloody ridiculous.

It is NOT in my personal opinion an affront to the game, the spirit of the laws or a poke to taunt the opposing team but a moral imposition by a group of self righteous do gooders.

Excessive celebration extended to delay or waste time or objectionable misconduct to taunt certainly requires referee intervention but why this MUST be cautioned is not in my opinion, in the best interest of the game!

A goal should be celebrated as they are damn hard to come by and the emotion and excitement after the work and struggle to achieve something to put a player on a caution or out for a second caution is totally against the spirit of the game or the need for such drastic action!

Sure fans get excited and often the silly twits do their level best to get stadiums closed by their fanatic antics. Hooligans are the bottom feeders of world soccer and a chance to create mayhem is certainly not the result of a shirt being whipped around, it is a deep flaw in the mental capacity of a few boneheads.

I guess I made it plain I do not like this part of law 12 but I am honor bound to enforce it. If I could intervene quickly enough to put a stop to it I might try to warn them that is a BAD BAD idea fellows! Mind you a referee can only call what he sees so as REF Fleischer points out what is it we CHOOSE to look at? The instigator gets more of a look than others and do we see a flaunting of law or a true expression of what fun the game is?

I tend to mirror Ref Voshal idea and not to get passionately upset at subs and or coaches when they join the goal celebration even if they leave their technical areas to do so but there are limits to the where, why, what, how and when it can continue!

On the free kicks as referee you have several options at your disposal.
you can retake because you as referee were not ready to restart play
you can retake and caution because of the opponents misconduct
you could allow advantage and caution at the next stoppage

While we encourage teams to continue play it is ONLY at our discretion we release the ball back into play when we are ready!
We try to allow teams wanting to restart quickly that option whenever possible as the spirit of the laws and game make this a priority but we are not under any obligation to do so every time!

A defending team that fouls their opponents must withdraw to 10 yards and have no other participation that must be considered in the restart. Failure to comply with the 10 yards , delaying the restart, unsporting action designed to intimidate or distract are cautionable misconduct and certainly we could show a yellow card to those so inclined to act in such an obtuse manner!

What we COULD do and what we NEED to do reflect both in character of the official and in the tolerance and acceptance of fair play principles each team is willing to abide by! The laws can bend to accommodate many things during a match but we are NOT permitted to break the laws just because we do not like them and if we ignore them we do so at our peril!

I like the approach of Ref Mueller and Ref Volshal to consider who you will caution when many are at fault.
The guy directing the wall placement is a good choice, so too the end player on the wall or the guy who doesn't already have a caution as it sets the example and manages the players and game without changing how the game is too be played! If we are into send offs and short handed situations that are not worthy of the situation and effect both enjoyment and outcome how good is that?
Cheers