Question Number: 16049

Law 7 - Match Duration 7/16/2007

RE: Competitive Adult

Enrique Fernandez of San Jose, CA US asks...

If the ball has been shot on goal and is in the air when the whistle blows to end the game, but the ball is still in the air and has not crossed the goal line , does it count?

Answer provided by Referee Jon Sommer

no, but more fool the referee for causing himself a problem.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

No. When time is up...its up.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Nope, no goal. It's not like basketball if the shot was taken before the buzzer, or pointy-ball where the play in progress is allowed to finish.

But what kind of a referee is looking at his watch to see if time is up at such an exciting part of the game? There's much more important stuff to see right then.

Answer provided by Referee Nathan Lacy

Unfortunately, no goal. However, the ref has probably bought themselves a world of trouble. Back around 1989 I was doing a match in what was then call the APSL - pretty much the equivalent of the A-League now known as USL Division 1. We were coming up on half-time and I had awarded a corner kick for the home team. They were messing with me taking their good time about putting the ball in play - their actions in delaying the taking of the kick were meant as nothing more than disdain for the ref figuring that they would be able to get the kick off once it had been awarded. I figured, what the hell - you mess with me then I'll mess with you. So, during the flight of the ball I whistled the half dead - time expired - just as the right forward blasted the ball into the back of the net. I can still remember to this day backpedalling to midfield being pursued by a group of angry players - and rightfully so. The comment by one of my fellow refs, there as a spectator, who was in the locker room at half-time was - "more guts than brains" - and in retrospect, I agree. All the best,

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

When a referee denies a goal in this manner, and he does deny the goal, he must plan for what will happen next.

I suggest the following:

Car keys on the whistle lanyard

Referee kit bag in the car

Car reversed into parking and very close by

A fresh battery fitted that morning...

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

No goal can be awarded.

The referee should have waited a little bit longer before blowing the whistle become because now he probably has to run away from the impending doom which will be following him shortly.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 16069