Question Number: 17291

Law 7 - Match Duration 10/13/2007

RE: Grade School 7th & 8th Grade Under 13

Scott Pezzano of Sicklerville, NJ Camden asks...

We were in the last minute of our game tie 1-1. There was one referee. Within the last second of the game one of our players kicked the ball into the net. The referee saw the ball go in net and blew his whistle. He then looked at his clock and said time expired. Does the goal count.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Time expires when the referee decides time has expired. If that happened a few seconds before the ball went into the goal, even though the ref didn't announce the decision, the goal would not count.

I see this is a Middle School game and somehow you were aware of the exact second the game should end. Was it played under a form of NFHS rules with a scoreboard clock counting as official time? If so, the game ends when the clock ticks to 0:00, regardless of what may be happening on the field at the time.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

In middle school games played under NFHS rules, the referee does not have any say in when the time ends. The time ends exactly when the clock strikes 0:00. So its exact and if the time hits 0 when the ball is still in the field, then its no goal. Time stops immediately after a goal, so time could not technically expire if a goal is legally scored.

In FIFA - the time ends when the referee decides it does, and in that case the game ends the moment the referee thinks its over. If the ball was in the goal before he thought it was over, it should count, if not then it doesn't.

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