Question Number: 18837

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 4/21/2008

RE: competive Adult

kb of virginia beach, va. virginia beach asks...

If play is suspended on a direct kick do to inclement weather, does play resume with the direct kick or a droped ball?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If a game must be suspended while the ball is already out of play, the restart has previously been defined. In your case, the restart would be the previously defined free kick. The dropped ball restart is only for those cases when no other restart is defined in Law.

I once had to suspend a game just after I called a penalty kick. Thunder suddenly crashed, and we got the field cleared. Listening to the radio in the car, we found that a second line of storms was to follow this one, and I determined that by the time that one cleared, we would be out of light. So we all went home. League rules stated that since we were already in the second half, the current results stood as an officially completed game. But if we had been able to resume, we would have started with the PK.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If play has already stopped, you restart with whatever is approriate as to the stoppage. If play is active, you would restart with a dropped ball at the spot the ball was when you stopped play subject to special circumstances found in Law 8.