Question Number: 21814

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 8/22/2009

RE: house Under 13

Andie of King city, ON Canada asks...

Today i played playoffs. A player got hurt- not by a foul and went down. my team stopped, figuring the ref would call it, but he didnt. this led to them scoring and winning should this goal count?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Law 5 says that the referee
'? stops the match if, in his opinion, a player is seriously injured and ensures that he is removed from the field of play. An injured player may only return to the field of play after the match has restarted
? allows play to continue until the ball is out of play if a player is, in his opinion, only slightly injured'

If the referee didn't stop play, he must have felt that the player was not seriously injured. You need to remember to 'play to the whistle'.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

'Play the whistle' is one of the most important lessons you can learn in soccer.

No matter what YOU or your team thinks should happen, it isn't your decision - it's up to the referee.

I've lost count of the times I've seen players stop because they thought the ball was out, or because the ball accidentally struck their hand, or because they thought they committed a foul (or thought the opposition committed a foul) or some such and lost possession as a result.

The ref should only stop play if he believes the injury is serious. Also, if one team has an attack then the referee may be a little less likely to stop play - although if it's serious then it should still be stopped. A few other factors may influence the referee's decision.

If the injury is not serious then the referee should allow play to continue and see to the player at the next stoppage.

The referee made a decision that the injury wasn't that serious. While we can't determine the nature of the injury, it is up to the referee to make that decision - so yes, the goal should count.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The goal counts because the referee didn't stop play. But, I hope your teammate was ok.

Should the referee have stopped play? Some injuries demand an immediate stop in play. If two players knock heads, and one falls down unconscious, that's a serious injury that needs immediate attention. Most injuries aren't serious at all, someone is slow to get up after a collision, but the players doesn't require any attention and wouldn't need to leave the field for a substitute. Regrettably, some 'injuries' are simulations, a tactic to try and stop and attack, a fraud to get an opponent cautioned or sent off, or more commonly, a form of dissent that the player uses to express that she was fouled.

Sometimes, it can be difficult for a referee to decide if the injury is serious enough to interrupt a goal scoring opportunity. With U-littles, we stop play even though we know thereprobably isn't any injury, let alone a serious injury. All players usually will stop when a little one goes down, until the referee checks on the player. As age and skill level increase, the referee has to be convinced that there is a serious injury. In my games, I will stop play for any injury above the shoulders without hesitation, and will wait if there is an imminent goal scoring opportunity for most injuries to the legs and feet.

Referees are now trained to take responsibility for stopping play if the injury is serious, and not simply wait for players to kick the ball out of play.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

In any case, all players should continue to play until the referee stops play. The referee is only required to stop play for an injury if he thinks it's serious. What is serious varies with age and skill level but the bottom line is to play to the whistle