This feature was created to help coaches, referees, players, parents, and spectators get answers to questions about refereeing from the Region 13 Referee Staff.
Use the text box below to submit your question(s) about calls made, or not made, during a recent game. In addition, your questions may be about Region 13 policies, such as whether or not slide tackles are allowed (Yes, they are, provided they are done correctly), or about how many quarters a player may play in goal in a U10 game. While all questions and answers will be treated confidentially, those of general interest will be posted below for others to benefit from, without the names of those who submitted the questions.
Q: I have recently seen some players that are agressive around the goal keeper at the U12 level. The GK is on the ground trying to put the hand on the ball and the attacker is kicking at the same time. If it is considered dangerous play do you caution with a yellow and award an IFK? If contact and goalie kicked a DK? At this level would you consider a red card? At this level if a player is sent off do they play short or a substitute is brought in?. Several questions in one,Thanks
A:
If Sarah Palin were my Assistant Referee she would say I am truly a maverick when it comes to this point.
Q: Offside? A player in their defensive half of the field kicks the ball far down field in the air. Their teammate, an attacker--onside before the kick--races to receive the ball when it comes down, passing the 2nd to last defender. Foul?
A:
No. A player who was onside when the ball was last touched or played by a teammate can not be offside if he becomes involved in play.
Q: During the playoffs we have had tie games extended due to penalty kicks to decide the winner of games. This has delayed the start of the games despite doing the coin toss off the field and having players stay on the field during the"quarter breaks". Do we still need to stay on time or do we have flexibility. The losing team feels like they are being rushed and are not being given a fare chance
A:
Unfortunately, games do not always start or end on time, which delays the subsequent games unless they are shortened. If every game was played to its full length even though they were started late, then it would only be unfair to the teams playing the last game of the day, because they would run out of daylight.
Perhaps a seperate goal could be set up for Shots from the Penalty Mark so that the next game could get started. Please suggest that to your division coach.
Q: My team has received a 79 in sportmanship. No one has every approached me and said why we have gotten such a low number. If we are doing something incorrect why have we not been told?
A:
This is more a forum for the discussion of questions regarding the Laws of the Game, so I will forward your question to the Regional Referee Administrator, but I will attempt to answer your question.
I am assuming you are the coach and that you were caught unawares as to the number of sportsmanship points you are left with, as points are deducted when a team exhibits poor behavior. ? The Laws of the Game state that "a coach is authorized to convey tactical instructions and he must return to his positions after giving these instructions. Also, the coach and other occupants of the technical area must behave in a responsible manner."
If you, your players and your spectators complied with these laws during the season and never stepped out of line (not even once), never argued with the referee and always exhibited good sportsmanship, you would be awarded 3 sportsmanship points during the match as "Meeting Expectations". If the referee had to warn you or your spectators during the match you might have lost a point. If you, a spectator(s) or a player was cautioned or sent-off, you might have lost all 3 points. If this happened repeatedly, over many games, you might be all the way down to 79.
Coaches are not kept apprised regarding their sportsmanship points. Good sportsmanship is expected of all AYSO participants, without threat of punishment, such as placing lower in the standings. They and the team must exhibit good behavior and sportsmanship at all times, on their own, and a coach who doesn't will know if they are the guilty party. If a coach is constantly arguing with the referees, or the spectators and players are, and it is not controlled by the coach, then the coach should be aware of this on his or her own, without an AYSO official telling them they must behave better.
If this is not your situation, if you never argue with the referees and the spectators are always positive and encouraging, then you don't deserve this poor ranking and you have been wronged, it should be mentioned to your division coach if you feel your behavior has not been out of line over not just one game, but many. But first, look at the nearly completed season, did referees have to speak to you about your behavior, or your spectators' behavior more than once? You may find your answer there.
Q: If an own goal is scored who gets credit for the goal?
A:
I usually give credit to the attacking player who touched it before it deflected off of the defender. If there was no touch, say the defender just kicked it directly into the goal, in tennis these are called unforced errors, it's your call who to credit to, maybe just credit to the attacker standing closest to the hapless defender, just don't make a big deal out of it. The defender feels bad enough already.
Q: What are the region rules regarding goalkeeper play? How many quarters can one goalie play? Is it different for the ydp program?
A:
There is nothing in the Laws of the Game that refers to the amount of time a GK plays in goal in AYSO, but my understanding is that a GK in U10, U12 or U14 should play no more than half the game at GK, but this is a guideline and not a rule. This is best answered by the Division Coach in your division (age level). Craig Ward can handle this question as it pertains to YDP.
Q: If the scheduled game before the game you officiate ends late with players still on the field. Once the field clears and play is started do you have leeway in going over your scheduled time? I have had coaches argue that they should not have play shortened because of issues beyond their control. I know we are encouraged to atart and finish on time but what if this does not happen?
A:
The referee on the previous game should have ended the match on time.
It is important that games are started on time, but it is critcal games end on time.
Coaches in the last game of the day complain that they should not have their games shortened because daylight is running out. Coaches playing earlier in the day that complain they do not want their games shortened are the same ones that take 3-4 minutes to get their players back on the field after substitution opportunities.
Here are some steps you can take:
Inform the coaches that you will stop the game 5 minutes before the beginning of the next game (10 minutes is better). Inform the coaches that you will give them exactly 60 seconds to bring their subs onto the field at sub time and remove the players that will not be playing in the second or 4th quarters, and that you will start the clock to begin the second half precisely 5-minutes after you blow the whistle to end the first half. If it is not an overly hot day you may even convince the coaches to keep their players on the field at sub time and have only the players leaving run off of the field. This will be a tough one because players are used to running to the touch lines at sub opportunity to drink water and you might get some grief from the moms, but it's worth a try.
You will find that after taking these steps teams will have almost as much playing time as if the match had started on time.
Q: If a player is injured falls down and cannot get up. The coach comes on the field and no success. What is the procedure?
A:
If a coach comes onto the field, with the permission of the referee, to tend to an injured player, the player must come off of the field and can not re-enter until given permission by the referee. It could be at the next stoppage or simply once play has passed by the player. The player can then be waved onto the field by the referee, assuming the injured player was not already replaced by a substitute.
An exception is made if the injured player is a Goal Keeper. Then the GK need not come off if the coach enters the field to tend to the injured GK, again with the permission of the referee. Any field player who is injured at the same time as the GK who is tended to, need not exit even if tended to by the coach
Q: For boys U10, if my team has a penalty kick, can the coach for the other team delay the game and switch goalies with another player on the field?
A:
Yes, as long as it is a player already on the field or, a substitute from the touchline but only then at one of the sub opportunities. mid-way first half, mid-way 2nd half, injury, and it is with the referee's permission. In other words, the ref has called for a PK but before the PK is taken, he allows time for the teams to sub their players, a substitute can then be put in at GK. Otherwise, only a field player can change with the GK.
Q: 2 questions: what happens when the crossbar of the net breaks in the middle of the game? and, what happens when you socre on your own net during an indirect freekick, but there is only one touch? Obviously, whoever would do this is ridiculous, but these are questions that are on our soccer exam.
A:
FIFA has adopted these Laws because at some point these incidents actually occured.
According to the Laws of the Game, if the crossbar breaks during the game, the match is abandoned and the referee reports the results to the competition authority. The referee does not declare a winner.
A team can not score against themselves during a Direct Free Kick or Indirect Free Kick. If the ball from either one of these restarts enters their own goal a Corner Kick is awarded to the opponents. The exception to this is if the DFK or IFK being taken by the defenders in their own Penalty Area goes directly into the goal before exiting the Penalty Area, the kick is retaken just as a Goal Kick would.
Q: a goalkeeper claims the ball in his area, he throws it up in the air preparing to kick it, a member of the opposing team kicks it first, is this a foul
A:
I believe what you are saying is that the opponent is interfering with the goal keeper releasing the ball. This is prohibited by the Laws of the Game and is a foul. The referee should stop play and award an Indirect Free Kick to the goal keeper's team from the spot of the foul.
The reasoning behind this is that the GK has only 6 seconds to release the ball so must be given an unencumbered opportunity to do so.
Don't forget, since the foul occured inside the Penalty Area and that's where the IFK will take place, the ball when kicked must exit the Penalty Area into the field of play before it is in play, just like a Goal Kick. If it is touched a second time by anyone before it exits the Penalty Area, the IFK is retaken.
Q: I called an offside offence on an attacker in an offside position who received the ball near the goal on a direct kick awarded to the attacking team (from outside the penalty box and fairly close to the center line, actually). One of the ARs thought I may have made the wrong call, stating that there's no offside on direct kicks. I know there is no offside for TI, GK & CK, but did not see anything about the DK. Did I make the right call? Thanks, Chip Heller BU10 Team 6 Marquez
A:
Hi Chip. Good job. A player can not be guilty of offside even if they are in offside position, i.e. 1. in the opponent's half of the field, 2. closer to the goal line than any 2 defenders or the ball, if the ball is received DIRECTLY from a Throw-in, a Goal Kick or a Corner Kick. There is no immunity idol however if a player in offside position receives the ball from a Direct or Indirect Kick. Proper call if this happens, as you already know Chip, is to blow the whistle, raise the arm overhead and let the defenders take the IFK because that attacker is guilty of offside. Good Reffin'!
Q: If a team is fielding just the minimum number of players and tries to play a full squad--an eight on five game-- and is getting whupped by the full squad (8-0), can they throw in the towel and forfeit? How do the refs score the game?
A:
There are situations where the referee may have to terminate or abandon the match such as safety considerations or lightening etc., but whether to give up or not is the coach's decision.
The referee will report the score at the time of the giving up and the reasons for the premature ending and submit this report to the competition authority but the referee NEVER scores the match. Just the facts, don't determine the winner or the loser. The determination of who wins or loses is up to the region.
Q: When is a player offside ? When the ball is kicked from a team mate to the offside player or when the ball passes the last defender to the offside player Thank s for your help Stewart
A:
Offside is judged at the moment the ball is last touched or played by a teammate. Let's dissect offside as it is described in law 11:
1. An attacker can be guilty of offside only if they are in offside position at the moment the ball is last touched or played by a teammate. They are in offside position if they are:
a) past the half-way line and in the attacking half of the field,
b) closer to the goal line than 2 of the defenders or,
c) closer to the goal line than the ball.
If the attacker is in offside position at the moment ball is last touched or played by a teammate and they interfere with play or an opponent or gain an advantage while in offside position then pop that flag or blow that whistle because ya' got an offside violation.
However, hold off on raisng the flag until you see without a shadow of a doubt participation by the offside positioned player. What is participation? Refer back to the previous paragraph.
Remember, there is no requirement that an offside player touch the ball to be deemed offside. If they make break for the ball while in offside position and have a half-way decent chance of getting to the ball, pop the flag.
One last thing, a good Assistant Referee will hesitate a second or 2 in order to make sure their call is correct.
One last, last thing, a player, even if in offside position, can not be guilty of offside if they recieve the ball directly, directly, DIRECTLY! from a Goal Kick, Corner Kick or Throw-in.
Q: The ball hits the referee who is standing just outside the corner of the goal area and is deflected into the goal. The ball, in the opinion of the referee, was going wide.What does Does the referee award??
A:
If the referee is standing on the field of play when hit by the ball and the whole of the ball crosses the goal line while passing between the goal posts and underneath the cross bar, and no Laws of the Game have been violated, a goal is awarded.