Question Number: 17170

Law 7 - Match Duration 10/7/2007

RE: select Under 16

lev weisbach of san francisco, california San Francisco asks...

At the end of the first half of a match the referee called the opposing team for a foul on their half of the field, between the 18 yard line and midfield. While the offensive player was setting up to take the free kick, time for the half expired and the referee blew the whistle for the end of the half. Last season our girls lost the california Association Cup final game on a corner kick that was awarded to the opposing team after time had expired. The extra time was allowed by the referee based on the "customary" tradition of not stopping a game during an offensive attack. I understand that it is considered the referee's prerogative to add time for injury, etc. but I don't think allowing play to continue or not based on where the ball is on the field is codified in the rules. Please clarify how FIFA suggests termination of play is uniformly applied.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Lev,
There can be no corner kick if time HAS expired.
In law time is extended ONLY for a PK to be taken not any other free kick .
Added time or injury time is not extended time as the match duration is in fact a fixed amount. It is the discretionary time a referee adds to make up for lost time though unrelated play delaying events.

A referee could allow the corner and then whistle for time expired. If a referee had signaled the match time had expired with the whistle but said we are going to let this corner proceed he has misapplied the laws and you could protest the outcome!

Customary and tradition as it relates to accepted standards is in fact the situational awareness of a referee who understand that time is relative and rarely to the micro second but it is as UNFAIR to allow a team more time as it is to allow less time!

I am willing to bet that every referee on this panel has ended a match with a restart pending as well as allowing those restarts to be first taken and then ended their match in different circumstances.

A free kick from long range if time is about to expire is not always a reasonable opportunity to allow play to continue. If the offended team tries for a quick kick to put the ball in play should I allow the attack for several more seconds or should I have ceremonially restarted, stated time was about to expire and allowed a long
kick into the area to finish the half or match in attack mode?

If there was misconduct and a card was produced, if it was Man U versus Arsenal, a tie match or 1 goal difference and the foul was just outside the area so not a PK and by the referee's watch time was on the last tick. So when he stops play we are into the 3rd minute of added time when only 2 minutes were shown on the board.

In a 6 to zero matches the ball goes out for a corner or a 1 nil game where the opposition is running to retrieve the ball and desperate to restart as fast as humanly possible knowing time is in fact scarce!

A team where the players taking the free kick decide to have a debate on who ate what for dinner or are arguing for a card to be shown rather then get on with play.

Only one of the 10 penal fouls initiated by a defender inside the defender's own 18 yard penalty area during ongoing play qualifies as the *codified* 12 yard spot kick where time will be EXTENDED to allow the kick to play out!

If the defending team has successfully defended to full time adding a last opportunity for the opposition to snatch it away because you want to end the game as finished attack seeing it interrupted by a ball out of play must be measured in the reasonableness of what is fair in regards to the actions of both teams and the reality of just how long time has continued past 45 minutes.

In your case the opposition got a chance to attack likely after one such attack just failed and it cost you. I mean to achieve a corner the team receiving it was likely in attack mode. Perhaps there was time to be found in that the referee felt it was there thus too bad so sad for you, happy days for he opponents. Another referee might have already allowed enough time to get that attacking opportunity where your team kicked it out or keeper saved it to knock it over the goal line and not allowed the corner. It is a fact referees are a match condition much like the rain or sun. That day it rained on you and the sun shone on the opposition. You will find the weather will change in each match when it comes to the degrees of time left in a match! I also suspect the manner and type of fouls, the closeness to the penalty area, the significance or importance of the match in outcome, the actions and attitudes of the players and the character of a referee will play a part in forming the opinion that time has not yet expired we go or they defended enough we end!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Time MUST be added for time that is lost through injury,substitution, or any other reason. Once added time has expired, unless there is more time to be added, that's it. I'm with you coach. Why is it "fair" to allow an attack AFTER times has expired? Is that fair to the defending team? Of course not, but most referees allow just what you describe.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Regarding attaching loosing a match to an opponent winning a goal in the last seconds of the match ONLY applies to matches in which there were no shots on goal by either team during the match. If the only shot on goal was the only goal then you may make that statement. Usually a side looses a match because most of their shots on goal missed or were saved by the opposing goalkeeper. Don't get in the habit of saying the referee's decision lost us the match because it didn't, your side didn't score enough goals. That is the reason.

Regards,