Question Number: 21445

Law 7 - Match Duration 5/31/2009

RE: Rec, Select Under 13

Christopher Bowes of Salisbury, NC USA asks...

When a direct kick is given as play is expiring, when do you blow the whistle? The direct kick was awarded as time expired. The offensive player kicked the ball and the defense deflected it back out where the kicking team reclaimed it. The whistle blew and game called. The opposing coach was arguing that there was an active on-going play and that until the ball is completely posessed and started back out by the defense, the play should have continued. I agreed with the referee as I have always thought it was when the ball changes direction. My team was not involved, so I have no dog in the fight, but would like to know what y'all think. Thank you.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Both you and the coach are wrong. Play is over, in all USSF sanctioned games, when the referee says it is. The referee adds time lost during the half for injuries, excessive substitutions, time wasting or any other reason. When regular time and all added time are finished, the referee should blow his whistle and end the half. The ONLY instance where time may be extended is if a penalty kick was awarded before time ended but wasn't completed. The referee will tell all the players that the kick is the last play of the game and no one gets to kick it a second time. In your scenario there is no requirement that the kick even be allowed to proceed. There certainly is no requirement that the ball be controlled by the defense or that the ball change direction. If, in the referee's opinion, the kick was taken as time expired, then the half would end with the immediate result of the kick, in this case the defending team kicked it back out. End of half. I have had games where a free kick was awarded with only 20 seconds left. I told both teams after announcing the kick that there were only a few seconds left and to hurry up. With 5 seconds left I told the coach to tell his player to take the kick as I was ending the game in 5 seconds. She decided not to. Blew the whistle and the game was over.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Under FIFA law Time is up when it is up at the SOLE discretion of the referee. To some it might seem arbitrary but the guidelines are fairly straightforward. We know that it is unfair to add time as it is to not play all the time. A team defending the full 90 should not have to concede a goal at 90.05 just because we want to see one last attacking play. Conversely no referee can be so obtuse as to blow the whistle as the ball is crossing over the goal line unless the are watch watching not paying attention to the game itself.

The REFEREE can at ANY time, stop play and SUSPEND time to regroup and ensure no team is unfairly disadvantaged by the antics of another.

Admittedly if a serious breech of law occurs in the dying seconds like a blatant foul just outside the area we can stop the time! Say there were 5 seconds left at 46.55 as I had planned to add 2 extra minutes and the team taking the shot from say 20 yards out in front have a decent opportunity to score. I could suspend play at 45.55 until the ball is kicked into play then play out the 5 seconds. I would do the same on a PK where after the Pk is taken I wait 5 seconds before ending the match. This is perfectly legal in the way a referee can make up for lost time.

The extended PK is when the foul occurs with 1 or 0 seconds on the clock or the one team is not experiencing any unfair conditions as in leading the match and the Pk is but a formality as opposed to a game deciding outcome. So no haste in completing the outcome is in evidence.

That said if there is no obvious opposing time wasting by the opposing team then the team taking the kick must act accordingly to the fact time is winding out and with due diligence get their shot off ASAP. As my colleague indicated if the team that was fouled has no interest in getting the game underway then we lose the impetus to do ensure the time ticks slowly!
Cheers

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 21557