Question Number: 17265

League Specific 10/12/2007

RE: Competitive Adult

Ricardo of Richmond, BC Canada asks...

Our cup game ended 1-1 on regulation time. We proceded to play extra time. Four minutes into the second 15 minutes half the white team scored. With 3 minutes left (+injury time)a team was about to take a corner kick when the lights went off.
How should the game restart, whenever it is finished?

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

Your league's board will have to decide how to proceed. One of several things could happen: 1) the board decides that the game should continue where it left off. If that is the case, then the referee crew (not necessarily the same crew as on the originally schedule game) will be told, based on the previous referee's report, to restart play with the corner kick, since the ball was restart prior to the outside interference. 2) the board decides that all of the extra time should be replayed. Then that portion of the match will begin with a kick off. Essentially, if the decision is made to pick up where you left off, then the restart is dependent on what the restart would have been at the time of the outside interference, or a dropped ball if the referee had to stop play because of the outside interference. If the decision is made to replay a portion or all of the match, the it is started with a coin toss, picking of attacking ends, and kick off. At NO TIME does the referee decide who has won this match. They will simply record the score at the time the game had to be abandoned and why the game was abandoned; and give a complete and full report to the league board so they can make an informed decision.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The referee will write a complete report explaining what happened and send it to the proper authorities. They will decided what to do. The logical thing would be to restart play with a corner and 3+ minutes to play. But that's just my opinion.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

If the referee stopped the game after the ball was kicked, then it would be a drop ball where the ball was when play stopped. If it happend before the ball was struck, then the restart would be a corner.