Question Number: 16923

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/26/2007

RE: Rec Adult

Gary of Long Beach, CA US asks...

I play goal on my team. I made a save, picked up the ball and went to the edge of the area, where I dropped it to kick it away. When I dropped it, it left the area, but it was not touched by my hands except while in the area. The ref blew it and said I could not touch it (kick it) outside the area once dropped. Then proceeded to allow the other team to score on a direct kick (just outside the area). I got a yellow card, because we did not agree on this issue, and in this case I did not have my whistle. There are no specific laws on this issue in any of the handbooks I have ever seen.

Should I have protested as vehemently as I did, or was I wrong on both counts, ie:
1. I can drop, roll or play the ball to my feet outside the area, as long as I do not return to the area and handle the ball again.
2. If it was illegal, it should have been an indirect kick.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Gary, you were absolutely wrong for protesting as you did, regardless of whether you were correct or not. What did it gain you? A caution and a yellow and if you are like most hot headed keepers you were probably close to being sent off. Just simply don't argue with the referee. He apparantly decided you DID handle the ball outside the penalty area which, by Law 12, means you deliberately handled the ball and a direct free kick for the opponents was the proper call. Did you really release the ball before it went over the line? I don't know? Was this a trifling offense that should have never been called? Again, I don't know? I do know this, if the referee told you you could not kick a ball outside of your penalty area, he's as wrong as wrong can be. But... even in the face of ignorance, it can only do you harm to persistently argue a call with any referee.

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

To add to Ref Contarino's admonition, I ask you to think about a parallel scenario: It's about 3:00 in the morning and you are driving on a road where only the hoot owl and the occasional possum are with you in the general vicinity. You come to a controlled intersection and don't completely stop, look both ways, then begin again. But instead mostly stop then carry on. Your quiet drive home is now interrupted by the sound of the local law enforcement's siren and the red of his lights in your rear view mirror. You pull over and await this officer of the law's arrival to your driver's side window. After some brief discussion, he sites you for failing to stop at a stop sign. You get out of your car and get in his face "vehemently protesting" that you did stop, etc., etc. How much of that do you think the officer would take before you found yourself with handcuffs slapped on your wrists and your butt flat in the plastic back seat of his patrol car? Was the officer wrong? Maybe, maybe not. But it was HIS OPINION that you didn't stop at that intersection. And it's his opinion that counts. The authority of the soccer referee, in the context of the game, has the same principle. The referee's "people skills" might stink, and maybe the referee could have positioned themselves better to see something. But ultimately, it is THE OPINION OF THE REFEREE that counts and no manner of protest, "vehement" or otherwise is appropriate.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Gary, what did you get from what you did, besides a booking and a goal against? Uh? That would be nothing, would it not? I'll bet your tirade had something to do with your concentration at the free kick. Might have been able to stop it if you were "all there".

When we come all unpuckered and let our alligator mouth override our humming bird brain bad things always come of it. When the referee blows the whistle and awards the free kick it matters little if he gets it right or not, there's still going to be a free kick so get ready for it. Yelling at a referee, especially one who makes those mistakes IS a mistake, as you found out. If his assistant calls him over and tells him what he did and he corrects it, good. Otherwise right or wrong the referee is always right. AND he has a whistle and little colored plastic things.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Gary,
When a referee makes a decision do you expect if you say he was wrong he should change it? So when a goal is scored against me I say ref he was offside and he disallows the goal?

It is always a possibility when a referee has made a decision that we will disagree with it. Sometimes even with a degree of righteous indignation but alas it seves no usefull purpose to argue something already decided! You object to a no win situation then the only realistic outcome is one of additional misconduct on your part!

If the referee has erred in law it could be a protestable decision!
If the law is correctly determined and restarted properly then as a difference of opinion between you and the referee's decision as a fact of play it is uncontestable.

If the referee saw you carry the ball completely outside your penalty area while holding it then a DFK restart is the only correct restart as the infringment is handles the ball deliberately. As my colleagues correctly point out whether this was a trivial matter blown up into a gotcha call or a mistake in that the referee felt you could not kick the ball is something we cannot determine!

There is no law preventing you from holding onto the ball for 6 seconds inside your area then tossing it out of your hands before you carry it past the boundary lines and then dribbling the ball back into your area. You are only restricted at that point from a second use of hands! You can in fact dribble the ball in and out of your area as often as the opposition will let you get away with it!

It COULD only be an indfk for say a second touch of a ball if that restriction was in place say after a goal kick restart. However in active play if there was a release of the ball after 6 seconds any use of hands on the ball again WITHIN the penalty area is again an INDFK but if the contact occurs outside it is upgraded to the more severe foul of handles the ball deliberately.
I can tell you this there is never ever an INDFK for handles the ball deliberately OUTSIDE the penalty area.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

If you didn't agree with his call then you should not have argued, all you did was forget to save the goal that they went on to score.

If he TOLD you specifically and litterally that he was giving a direct free kick because you dropped the ball inside the area, allowed it to travel out of the area, and then kicking the ball, then he is totally wrong in the law and you may protest the game if the result is unfavorable.

However, I don't think they would over turn your caution for dissent, you did disagree with the referee's decision after all, and right or wrong that is still a cautionable offense.

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

See Question: 16958