Question Number: 17220

League Specific 10/9/2007

RE: Competive High School

Steve Cerretani of Howell, NJ usa asks...

I saw a ref stop play for an injury. He then re-started play by blowing his whistle and then rolling the ball to the keeper who picked up the ball and punted it. Is this the same as dropping the ball (to the keeper)? I can't remember if the keeper had possession of the ball when the play was stopped.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Dropping the ball back to a keeper who had possession when the whistle was blown is often done in the spirit of the game. One has to remember the referee will do this for either team. However, rolling it back to the GK doesn't meet the test of "dropped" so I have no idea what this referee was doing. Right in the spirit, wrong in the mechanic? One assumes the GK did in fact have possession, otherwise, dropping to the GK only is problematic, as a stoppage for an injury requires a dropped ball restart. There is no requirement that any players be present for a dropped ball, and a one-sided drop as we discussed earlier is usually meant to return the game to where it was when the whistle sounded (i.e. back into the GK's possession). That's not always possible, logical or within the spirit or the Law.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

In US high school this isn't correct. There must be dropped between two opposing players. If the keeper was in possession of the ball when play stopped everyone knows the referee should restart with an indirect free kick. [USA high school and college ONLY].

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

The referee should restart with a dropball after an injury stoppage. The procedure for conducting a dropball was not properly taken; however by the referee.