Question Number: 23717

Law 7 - Match Duration 7/28/2010

RE: Adult

Tony of Sydney, NSW Australia asks...

Panel,

If for the first half you only play 40 minutes when it should be 45 minutes. How long do you make the 2nd half?

The laws of the game say that the game is to be played in 2 equal halves. However each half should be 45 minutes as per the laws of the game (and local competition rules).

Of course if the ref realises his mistake in time he can get the players to come back on and slug it out for another 5 minutes. Or he can always fudge it by saying to the complaining coach 'that I played 45 on my watch mate' and says 'whoops' quietly to himself.

I think officially the ref has to play the 2nd half to the regulation 45 minutes and write a report that he played the first half 5 minutes short. A ref of such integrity, surely would not be demoted!

Your opinions on this embarrissing situation required please.

Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Tony
The competition rule will state the length of the game. If it is a 90 minute game and if the referee has made an error by only playing 40 minutes and he has realised his mistake then he should play the remaining five minutes if he can. Law 18 has to come into effect here and if both teams are in the changing rooms engaged in a half time discussion, taking refreshment etc I see no point in bringing the teams out again for the 5 minutes. I would simply start the second half as normal and the referee should certainly play the full 45 minutes in the second half.
Your suggestion that the matter should be reported in the match report is correct although I suspect that many times when the error is made and it is not noticed that it is ignored by the referee.
I recall an underage game where the referee played 30 minutes in both halves with 2 minutes added time in the first instead of 35 minutes a half. The timing only became an issue when he blew up at 31 minutes at the 2nd half much to the disgust of the losing coach. While it was an issue at the end of the game the matter was simply ignored and no protest was ever made, nor was it reported.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

The laws of the game require that two equal halves be played - so you can't play one half 40min and the other 45min.

If you realise your error moments after stopping for halftime and the players are still on the field, then you can correct your mistake then and there.

If you realise later during the halftime break, then I would play out the remaining 5 minutes at the end of the halftime break. Keep the teams in the same half, and continue play from where it was when play was stopped (not a kickoff, unless that was the restart anyway). don't forget to ask if any substitutions have occurred. I f you blew the whistle when the ball was in play, then it's a drop ball. At the end of these 5 minutes, allow the players a quick (30 seconds or so) drinks break, turn around and start the second half.

That way, the original halftime break can essentially be considered a length and inexplicable break in play and not the actual halftime break. However, a break is required under the laws of the game, hence the drinks break at the end of the 5 minutes (that, and playing for 50 minutes is going to be tiring!).

This way the laws of the game have not been broken - merely bent slightly.

As soon as you realise your mistake I would contact the team officials/captains to let them know what's happening.

Following from that, depending on the level of play you may wish to discuss the problem with the teams, lay out the options and see if you can all come to a consensus - both teams may be happy to lose 5 minutes off the 2nd half, particularly if it's a hungover bunch of grumpy old men at 9 on a Sunday morning! Of course you need to be prepared for the possibility that the teams will disagree.

In any case I would report the issue to the authorities.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If you realize your mistake anytime before you start the second half, you must play the remaining 5 minutes.

But if you don't you still play the required 45 minutes in the second half. This is found not only in Advice but in the Interpretations section in current LOTG:

The referee must not compensate for a timekeeping error during the first half
by increasing or reducing the length of the second half.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The Advice to Referees, in 7.3, tells us:

7.3 MISTAKEN ENDING
If the referee ends play early, then the teams must be called back onto the field and the remaining time must be played as soon as the error is detected. The halftime interval is not considered to have begun until the first period of play is properly ended. If the ball was out of play when the period was ended incorrectly, then play should be resumed with the appropriate restart (throw-in, goal kick, etc.). If the ball was in play, then the correct restart is a dropped ball where the ball was when the referee incorrectly ended play*.

If a period of play (first half or first overtime period) was ended prematurely and this fact was not discovered until the next period of play had been started, the referee will complete the match using the correct length of time for the period of play as prescribed by the competition authority and then include full details of the error in the match report.
******
So, if the first half ended prematurely, and the second half began before the mistake was noted, the second half should be 45 minutes, and the full details included in the referee report. This is a major error, needless to say, but not all that uncommon, either.

The equal halves in the LOTG mean what is supposed to be played, or what is agreed to PRIOR to the game beginning. If for any reason the ref team doesn't get the first half correct, there is no way they should cheat the team twice by also shortening the second half.