Question Number: 18430

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 2/25/2008

RE: Recreational Adult

Damien McConville of Belfast, Antrim Northern Ireland asks...

Hello Ref,

We played a match yesterday and there was an incident where the referee decided to give a hop ball between 2 opposing players. Before the hop ball actually took place another incident arose where 2 players got into an argument and 1 was sent off. The referee then changed the hop ball to a free kick. Surely the second incident had nothing to do with the first one and the red card should have sufficed. Can you change a hop ball to a free kick with 2 seperate incidents?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Damien,
I hop(E) you mean a DROP BALL???

A DROP ball restart is a way of restarting a match when NOTHING else suffices in the way of a free kick or throw in event. If a referee STOPPED play in response to a NON free kick event such as a spectator coming on to the field to grab the ball. There is no possible way for THAT restart to be changed!

If the referee stopped play because he blew the whistle by mistake or in this case perhaps an incident between two players was of enough concern that to allow the match to continue could result in a brawl or fight or something was said that he could not identify who started it or which player said what only that it was sufficient warning that something bad was going down. The referee may of thought if I warn these guys perhaps I can call this an inadvertent whistle stoppage and only restart with a drop ball.
Now this approach is not one that I can recommend but understandable especially at the grassroots level where referees are trying to do what?s best for that match at that time.

I agree that if a separate incident occurred during the course of THIS first stoppage it is only additional MISCONDUCT and if a red card was shown and a send off occurred the restart should NOT change for WHY play was initially stopped!

It is vaguely possible that if there were ARS who supplied additional info or the referee was now aware of more details of the FIRST incident as play was NOT yet restarted he could use the new information on the FIRST incident only to restart accordingly.

When players act like gits often inexperienced referees lose focus and can become flustered or feel pressured to react rather than calmly think it through and get on with the match according to the spirit and laws of the game.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

By hop ball, I assume you mean drop ball. If the referee stopped play for a foul - then the restart must be a free kick of some sort. If the referee stopped play to caution or sendoff a player, the restart is also a free kick. Once the referee stops play for a restart, that restart must must occurr.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

In the referee stops play for something that Law 8 demands a dropped ball for that restart is cast in concrete. If the world comes to an end between the stoppage and play restarting that was we're still going to drop the ball to restart things.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Would you please tell us where you heard the term "hop ball"? Never heard that before. If play was stopped for a reason that results in a dropped ball as the restart, then the ball must be dropped regardless of whatever occurs before the dropped ball.