Question Number: 16689

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/14/2007

RE: rec Adult

gus of Toronto, ontario canada asks...

Hi

I am a GK and i had the ball in my hands and i was walking up to my 18 yard box and i bounced the ball a few times just like i've seen it in the pro's and the ref threaten to book me if i bounced the ball again , i myself never heard of this before can you please explained to me what i did wrong he never mentioned anything about a 6 sec warning to get rid of the ball i had more then enough time i just walked it up and he said if u bounce the ball again i will book u

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Sounds to me as if the referee has given you fair warning he is setting a field condition that has no meaning in the Laws of the Game. If I were you, on any match that referee showed up for, I wouldn't bounce the ball. A word to your club secretary might arrive in the assignor's ear and get this referee set on the correct path for he has truly gone astray.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Sometimes MYTHS abound in referee land, as well as in the general Soccer Land, and are both taught and followed by equally uninformed referees. Such misinformed refereeing is rarely deliberate, and all of us still have something to learn. Yet, it always makes me sad to read posts like yours. Reading that a referee says you can't bounce the ball tells me somewhere the referee education program has failed. One can't simply take the entry level course and expect to be any good. One must do much reading and interacting with highly competent referees and assessors to get better, and should always check out information that doesn't seem to conform to what the Laws say (like you can't bounce the ball). Sigh. As Ref Fleischer correctly notes, you had best report this behavior by the referee to his assignor, where hopefully it will be corrected, and in the meantime, try not to bounce the ball in the games he referees to save yourself some grief. All the best,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

This referee is confused with the Law. You CAN INDEED bounce the ball, but have only 6 seconds to release the ball. This includes the time the ball is bounced.