Question Number: 17107

Law 3 - Number of Players 10/5/2007

RE: Number of players Other

LVASL of las vegas, NV USA asks...

In a game the referee at the start of the match counted 11 players for each team. Within 10 minutes one team scored. Restarted with a kick off and a minute or so later the team that took the goal against claimed that the other team had 12 players on the field. Sure enough after a count a 12 player was found, cautioned and game continued. The losing team claimed that the goal shouldn't be allowed.
What do you do in situation like this?
Allow The Goal, take it back or?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Since the game was restarted after the goal, you can't take it back. This is why a LOT of referees, myself included, count the number of players on the scoring team after every goal. besides, in your example, no one KNOWS that there were 12 players on the field when the goal was scored. The 12th player could have come on after the goal at a substitution

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

You can only decide upon an event you witnessed or your ARs or 4th tells you as a neutral official. The 12th body must be identified as being on the field at the time of the goal and action taken before the kick off to disqualify the attempt. Once play has restarted and only later is the misconduct found out, it is too late to change the score. AS stated the 12th is identified and removed once cautioned and shown the yellow card. No one can confirm just where when and at what point in the match this extra body actually showed up on the field.
The correct restart is an INDFK from where the ball was if play was stopped to expressly remove the 12th. If play was already stopped then the 12th made his presence known the restart remains why the stoppage occured in the first place. Cheers