Question Number: 15434

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 5/9/2007

RE: Competitve Under 16

Tom O'Neal of Minneapolis, MN USA asks...

At a recent tournament game, with less than a minute remaining, an attacking player ran into the keeper, who was in possession of the ball. The CR blew his whistle, reached into his pocket and started pulling his cards out. He then said 'play on'. When time ran out, he whistled the end of the game and then went to the attacker and showed him a yellow card. (Other than this, his handling of the game had been very competent.) Am I missing something or is this as strange as it seems to me?

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

The referee probably realized that by stopping the game in a tournament where time isn't allowed to be added he was taking away that teams last chance to have a crack at goal.

It's a nice enough gesture but totally wrong within the laws of the game! What the referee should have done, if he wanted to accomplish this same effect, is not blow the whistle and then say "play on" indicating advantage. Then he could wait until the ball was next out of play to issue the caution. Though, depending on the severity of the foul this might seem a risky move.

The referee in effect breaks a few points of law.
1. He stops the game and allows it to restart from the goalkeepers hands and not a direct free kick which the charging foul should have brought.
2. He issues a caution for something he observed after play had been "restarted". He cannot issue a caution after play restarts in a circumstance such as this. He must do so at that stoppage in play or he has "missed his chance".

This could be grounds to have the caution overturned, and depending upon the circumstances a competition comittee could decide to replay a portion or all of match.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

When there is a whistle by the referee, with the ball in play on the field, play stops. Once that happens there must be a restart and the restart is going to be a free kick or a dropped ball. Nothing else is correct. This referee stopped play. I'll bet when he reached on his pocket he found he forgot his cards [might even win that one]. Are you missing anything? Yup! Same as me...

Regards,