Question Number: 23904

Law 7 - Match Duration 9/11/2010

RE: Rec Adult

Diana of Waterfoot, United Kingdom asks...

Here is the situation: At the end of 90 minutes, the score is 1-3. There are a minimum of 3 minutes stoppage time. The opposing team manages to score 2 points in those three minutes - making the score 3-3. We are now into 3 min 25 seconds of overtime and the opposing team has the ball when the ref blows the ending whistle. My husband says the play should have been allowed to be completed before the whistle blows. I say the ref keeps track of the over time and when that time is up, he HAS to blow the whistle no matter who has the ball or where it is in play. Who is right? And, what is the official rule?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Diana:

Law 7 leaves it entirely to the referee to decide how much time to add. But, when the referee decides that time has ended, the match is over.

The vast discretion given to referees to decide how much time to add (you correctly noted that the indication of 3 minutes was a minimum-- the referee can allow more but never less than the amount indicated) means that most referees will not decide the match has ended when there is an imminent chance that one team will score. Some referees differ.

But, the laws do not require that the referee allow a play to be completed. The most famous example was a referee in a world cup match who ended play as a corner kick was in the air - - blowing the whistle just before the ball ended up in the goal.

So, you are correct that when the referee decides the match is over, he has to blow the whistle. (The referee who lawfully ended that world cup match, however, never was assigned another international match.)

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Diana
The referee is the sole timekeeper in a game and the game ends when the allotted time is fully expired.
In the situation where it says that the referee is playing 3 minutes that means a minimum of three minutes so it could easily be 3.25. Indeed during the 3 minutes added time there could also have been other stoppages that the referee had allowed for.
As regards seeing plays completed that is a matter of discretion for the referee. If say the ball was in flight into the PA the referee could have waited the 2/3 seconds before ending the game. However he could have done that already and he believed that time had fully expired.
In the Scotland V Lichtenstein game recently the referee indicated that he was playing a minimum of 5 minutes. During that period there was a delayed caution, further time wasting. Scotland scored I believe around 6.30 which was the last kick of the game. had Lichtenstein defended the corner properly the game would have ended 1-1.
Teams should always play to the final whistle and they should not be depending on seconds in the 93 minute to win, lose or draw.