Question Number: 16509

Law 3 - Number of Players 8/31/2007

RE: Competitive Under 10

Dave of Portland, OR USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 16472

Thank you for all the replies. Fleischer has a great point about the sub being ready at the centerline. As I think about it more, there are several reasons why this was a difficult call. Ref Dawson asked, was it really a ploy or simply a request to sub? The tournament rules were actually quite poorly written: "if the ref considers it.... an attempt to run off an excessive amount of time" This requires the ref to judge the *motivation* of the coach which I did not know at the time. I did feel that an excessive amount of time WAS being used (as there had just been a sub a couple minutes ago). In *retrospect*, I think he was very focused on winning and was not *intending* to run off time, but was so focused on perfecting his lineup at each instant that he had lost sight of the kids learning and having fun.
I was thinking in the *spirit* of the game that the kids are here to play soccer. Why spend the last minute of the game subbing when they could be playing? So I guess in this situation I feel that the spirit of the game might have been at odds with the law of the game. It seems that when the spirit conflicts with the law there might not be any clear answer?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Dave. You, Sir, have made the connection! When the Spirit of the Game comes in conflict with the Laws of the Game happens to be a huge question and is why we referees are out there in the first place. We are there to make that judgement and we usually end up with the Game as more important.

We can only come to this determination when we absolutely KNOW the Law and why it was necessary to establish that particular point of Law. Substitutes came into The Game because it was a crime against the Spirit of the Game for a side to disable a player enough so he couldn't be effective. Before substitutes came to Football a better side could be defeated by "killing off" their better players. This gave unfair advantage to the foul playing opponent. I believe there were limits placed on the number of substitutions and the size of a squad because of things like time wasting and squads with more depth being able to out last better skilled opponents.

This Game began as competition between cities in which all citizens took part. On occasion The Game has been outlawed because more people practiced their Football skills than their archery skills. Someone once said Football is a matter of life or death. He was wrong, Football is much more important than that.

The referee must know that when he walks out onto the park because he is the Judge that day. He decides what the players want and establishes what The Game needs, what the match needs and what is fair or foul at each instant during that match. He has many ways of sensing what's needed and everything he does on every match he does is based on his life's experience of knowing what's "good". The referee takes clues from all the players on the park. He learns what each player considers acceptable to them at that instant and calls his match accordingly. He knows instinctively what's fair [trivial] at one time is horrendous the next and acts accordingly. He knows this might seem inconsistent to the unwashed masses BUT he also knows the player who just got the sierra kicked out of him will appreciate the respite.

You, Sir appear to have that ability. You think things through and come to a conclusion. You think things through to a point where you can think no more and have the courage to ask a question. Not only that but you put your name and reputation out for the world to see. You have placed a certain trust in AskTheRef and expect we will answer your question. I recognize this and appreciate your trust. I only hope the answers we give you and other referees are up to that trust.

Bottom line, Football is a game and games are supposed to be fun. Players who can't play because someone chooses to waste time are not going to have fun. Using time is not wasting time, let skill maintain possession and use time -- don't become skilled at wasting time for the sole purpose of winning.

Regards,