Question Number: 17386

Law 7 - Match Duration 10/18/2007

RE: Competitive Under 15

Paul Cassell of Salt Lake City, UT USA asks...

The game score is 3-2. Time is running down. We're behind and attacking just outside the 18 when our wing is fouled for a free kick. We then send everyone up into the box for one last try on the free kick. While the players are all moving forward to do this, the ref then says that time has now expired while we preparing to take the free kick and blows the whistle ending the game. Proper?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Many times I have ended things on a goal kick, corner kick, throw-in of a free kick where the players seem to be letting players run to get into position. If time plus added time have expired or are about to expire I see no reason to "create" more time to see if the defence can withstand another attack. I suppose that stems from me playing as a defender or goalkeeper most of my playing career.

What I'll do is move, at a walk, toward the person recovering the ball and ask for it. Once I have it in my hands I blow for time. Note: I won't blow before they recover the ball from where it is, I'm old and after I have run 90 minutes I'm tired -- why make it so I have to walk into the next country to recover the ball, besides they are younger and not as tired...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Paul,
Frustrating for the team on the wrong side of that decision but legal.

Only on a penalty kick can time be extended!
as in longer than time scheduled
LAW 7 Match Duration FIFA 2007 laws of the Game
Penalty Kick
If a penalty kick has to be taken or retaken, the duration of either half is extended until the penalty kick is completed.

Law 7 allows the referee to make up for time lost. The allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:

substitution(s);

assessment of injury to players;

removal of injured players from the field of play for treatment;

wasting time;

any other cause.

The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee. This is not classified as extended time but time not properly accounted for in the total match play. Your situation likely had what we like to call injury or added time already in progress before your attack and the referee was hoping for a less controversial way to end the match but decided that you were past the allowable time.

Now it is true that time is relative and rarely to the micro second but it is as unfair to extend time as it is to not use up all of it.

If there is an attack in progress and only desperate foul play stops the attack just outside the PA we could likely stop time and hopefully restart quickly unless the match duration is being stretched beyond fair play standards. The match is over when the referee says so! We might find the few seconds here as opposed to a corner or a free kick from mid field where the significance of the act that lead to those restarts already was an attack that failed or too far away to be a continuation of a last second opportunity . It will depend on the players hustle and the attitude but as much as one team might be happy no team wants to lose or not win on a last shot if the game was supposed to be over.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

Not all referees will do it this way, but this referee is correct to end the game IF time expires prior to the free kick. The referee noted on his watch that the match time, plus the allowance for lost time had run its course and so at that moment he was correct to end the game.

I understand that you wanted your last crack at it, but think about it from the other side of the coin, should the opposition have to defend for 1 second longer than the time requires them to defend for? If you were winning and time was up, I doubt you would want the referee to give the other team a little extra to put one away.

In closing the referee was correct - though, some referees will not end under circumstances like that. Every referee is different in how they make allowances for lost time, it's your job to adapt and overcome.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

It seems if you knew time was running down, you should have tried to get the ball into play sooner, rather than waiting for everyone to crash the penalty area. Maybe a poorer shot is better than no shot at all.

As an AR, I was behind a kid setting up for a corner kick. I knew time was winding down, I saw the center look at his watch so I knew he knew it. I murmured, "Better hurry." But no, the player took his sweet time getting the ball positioned just so, and waiting for his teammates to get into optimal position. The whistle went before he got the kick off.

When all time is up, including compensation for time lost, the game should be ended. If the ball is in the air headed toward goal you might want to delay a second or two, just to be sure you've accounted for all lost time. If there's exciting play right in front of the net you might do well to look at that rather than see the final seconds tick off your watch. But it is a myth that the ref has to wait for the ball to be in a neutral position, or that the ball must be in play, before time can expire.

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