Question Number: 26293

Law 7 - Match Duration 5/5/2012

RE: Under 15

Keren Lynn of Blyth, Northumberland England asks...

We are in a cup game under 14's its been a close match gone to extra time and out team scored so now 4-3. A corner is taken in the dying seconds of the game it is a scramble the ref blows his whistle and their team score after the whistle is blown.
The team who thought they had scored went mental and harassed the ref he then awarded the goal after about 2 mins.
He explained to us that he blow the whistle only once and the goal was scored before he could blow the whistle a 2nd time.
Is this correct procedure?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

NO! Once the whistle is blown that is an indication the game is ALREADY over. The referee does not have to blow the whistle multiple times.
If events transpired as you say they did, we have here a gutless referee

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
Once the whistle was blown that was a signal that play had stopped. If the whistle was to signal the end of the game no further play is allowed and the goal should have been disallowed. If the whistle was blown inadvertently then the restart is a dropped ball from where the ball was when play was stopped.
The referee has made a serious error here in Law which is a protestable decision. It is assumed that the referee stands by his explanation of the whistle sounding before the ball entered the goal. The notion that a second whistle was required is totally incorrect or that the 1st whistle sounding did not stop play. Indeed the game ends when the referee decides so and the whistle is only the signal to convey that decision.