Question Number: 15917

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/1/2007

RE: Competetive Adult

reg of Liverpool, Merseyide England asks...

Attacking player knocks the ball past the keeper and is a sure fire certainty to go on and score, he runs off the pitch to get round the keeper. The keeper steps of the pitch into his path and illegally impedes his progress, thus denying him a clear scoring opportunity but the contact is all off the pitch. The ball is shepharded to safety by a defender.

What action do you take?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Misconduct is committed by the goalkeeper. It is not a foul, as the action happened off the field. Therefore the restart is a dropped ball, at the location the ball was when the misconduct occurred. If that location is inside the goal area, the ball is moved to the closest point on the long edge of the goal area (the 6-yard line).

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Reg,
it is a technical point but the law requires a drop ball for events that occur off the pitch between opposing players while the ball is in play. A FOUL can not take place off the pitch such interaction between opposing players is only MISCONDUCT! It is of course against the spirit of the game but unfortunately the laws do not always totally fix injustice.

I have repeatedly stated that we could look for ways to bring that back into the pitch as a foul if so much as a toenail of either player is in contact with the boundry lines. We can also use attempt to kick, attempt to trip or attempt to strike as the initial foul creating the need to go around if it is at all possible. Then we have a pk and send off or caution at the very least.

It would be an opinion if the situation OBVIOUSLY denied a goal scoring opportunity but since we are stretching things here in the interest of the expectations of the players and the spirit of the game no doubt this would not be an argued point by the teams anyway. You can not make things up as referee but we can choose not to interpret some things as doubtful or trivial or outside our jusisdiction more as unfair or cheating or match expectations .

In your case if you see no avenue to get that foul on the pitch then as misconduct off the pitch it is in my opinion AT minimum a cautionable offence for USB show the yellow card. Now that drop ball restart is likely going to be a really hot contested affair as the UNFAIRNESS of the restart is going to grind on the opposition. Expect ugly and prepare for the worst! I seriously doubt the keeper will feel obligated to not contest that drop ball!

You see DOGSO as it is written in law is not likely as it does not quite fit the prerequisties of an event restarted with a free kick and there is no PK to take that sting away

I have long been of the opinion on the drop ball restart if it is possible to caution the keeper twice, once for leaving the field without permission and then again for USB of the misconduct towards an opponent? I could be tempted to try it just to see what the disciplinary committee would rule? I see by my colleagues' responses this enters their minds as well. I think we agree the injustice defines the need to act accordingly!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Since the offence occurs off field, you cannot send the keeper of for the fifth reason listed in Law 12 which requires that the offence results in a free kick or penalty kick for the offended player. I'm having a hard time visualizing WHY the keeper had to step off the field of play but accepting things happened as you say here's another thought. Depending on how grouchy the referee is he can still send-0ff the keeper and be grounded in Law. the Spirit of the Law has clearly been broken and the keeper has denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity. He has also left the field without the permission of the referee. One could argue that he left during normal flow of play but since he left to commit misconduct the referee may say he left without permission. Caution #1 show yellow card. While off the field of play, the keeper now committed misconduct, unsporting behavior, second caution show the yellow card agan. Now he is sent off for recieving 2 cautions in one game, show the red card. before embarking on this the referee should consider how this will affect the match and whether it's a good idea but he certainly COULD do this.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

My colleagues seem to have forgotten the wonderfulness of the Laws of the Game. They allow sufficient latitude for a referee to draw reasonable conclusions when faced with certain facts. You say he impeded the progress of an opponent. Was there physical contact? Was it more force than necessary to win the ball? Did it place the opponent in a position of considerable harm. If yes, it's violent conduct.

Granted, for violent conduct to happen there must be some kind of violence. If not, the fall back is unsporting behaviour. Leaving the park could have just been an "accident" though I tend to lean towards the opposite. It would be just as much of a stretch to take his name twice and send him to the showers as it would be to manufacture a violent conduct sending-off.

We arrive at the age old question, is the referee going to make something up to appease the nature of the infraction or just enforce the Laws of the Game? It's your match, your decision and your reputation...

Regards,