Question Number: 12651

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 4/26/2006

Jesse of Hamilton, NZ asks...

At a recent game I was playing my team have just scored and we were congratulating and running back our keeper was on the outside of the box asking a defender who scored, it was near the end of the game 1-0 to us. The other team took a quick start as soon as the very last player from my team crossed the line, shot at goal and scored from halfway and the keeper didn't even see it.

My question is are they allowed to restart after a goal without the refs permission and does the ref have to blow his whistle to give permission or can he just say ok start.

I found this poor sportsmanship as our attackers hadn't even turned around from returning from half way and they were jogging back at a good pace as not to hold up the game.

The end result was the ref made them restart as even he didn't see the kickoff he just looked up and the ball was sailing at the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Some referees don't signal with a whistle, I'm one of those who after a goal who verifies my assistants are ready, check both goalkeepers are ready for the restart, make sure everyone is in their own half and at least 9.15 metres from the ball and then just say "play". If there is a prolonged celebration and everyone is not where the coach would like or is not paying all that much attention, next time they will.

I do not specifically wait for a keeper to be unprepared, nor do I call out "Keeper, you ready?" I just tell them to play. If some one perceives this is unsporting, well I'm sorry.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

If the legal requirements for the restart of play were met in that all players were in their own half and the opponents 10 yards from the ball outside the centre circle. A goal CAN be scored from a kick off. Assuming the referee gave permission to resume play this is a good goal. In your senario the referee was unprepared to restart and in my mind may have taken away a scoring opportunity by not recognizing the team wished to restart quickly. If their are no substitutions going on after the goal I tend to follow my colleague's way of doing things. Once I confirm the goal is valid a quick check with my ARs, no subs, no injuries I look to restart as soon as the team scored upon wishes to begin simply because time is a factor. I rarely use a whistle and indicate by simple gesture, nod or word go ahead and restart

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

I too, do not always use my whistle signal for the restart of play. The only time I do is when I have held up the restart....whether due to a substitution, confusion about something, or some other event. Just as we do not always use our whistle to restart for goal kicks, corner kicks, throw-ins or free kicks, there is no mandate which requires the referee to use the whistle to restart play. I wait to see that there the required distance is met, and that in the case of a kick off, the teams are each in their own half of the field. Then I make eye contact with the player ready to kick the ball and say simply, "go ahead and play." If the opposing team is not ready, then perhaps the coach should insist that their team have better discipline while on the field. The goal keeper did not absolutely have to know at that instant who scored. Nor, under the LOTG, is he entitled to know and have everybody wait until his curiosity is satisfied. This is not "poor sportsmanship" on the part of the other team, but on the part of the goal keeper and the team that scored. If the play was restarted without the "go ahead" or "signal" from the referee, then there is a problem.
The following is an exerpt taken from Law 8 of the LOTG:
"Kick-off -
A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting
play:
? at the start of the match
? after a goal has been scored
? at the start of the second half of the match
? at the start of each period of extra time,
where applicable
A goal may be scored directly from the
kick-off.
Procedure
? all players are in their own half of the field
? the opponents of the team taking the kick-off
are at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until
it is in play
? the ball is stationary on the center mark
? the referee gives a signal
? the ball is in play when it is kicked and
moves forward." The question which really needs to be answered is, "Did the referee signal [in some way] to restart the game?" If yes, then the rest is inconsequential. If no, then there is a problem. The fact that the referee brought the ball back would indicate to me that they had not given their signal to restart play.