Question Number: 25045

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 6/1/2011

RE: Club Under 19

kevin of south pasadena, ca usa asks...

play was stopped for injury of a blue player while red had possesion. The referee dropped the ball to a blue player a little inside the red half and asked him to pass the ball to the red keeper for the restart. The blue player kicked the ball in the air and the red keeper failed to catch the ball which entered the net. The referee scored a goal for blue nad the restart was a kickoff for the red team. What are some better ways of handling this situation?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The goal is allowed. But, a sporting restart also would then see the red team allowed by blue to score a goal without any interference after the kickoff. That evens the score and avoids the unfair goal on the restart. Both teams act with respect for each other.

Sporting play, however, is not something that can be ordered by the referee.
The real problem with the restart you described, IMO, is not that the keeper erred in catching the ball - - - it is that the referee told the blue player to kick it to the keeper. Referees should not tell the players how (or where to kick the ball). We can persuade, but we cannot dictate the sporting return of the ball. A far better practice for referees is to ask, not tell. 'Do you want to do a sporting restart by kicking the ball back to their keeper?' If the kicker says yes, then ask the kicker tell everyone that is what they are going to do. If the kicker says 'no' then do a contested dropped ball.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

It seems every time A referee interjects himself where he shouldn't, something like this happens. Better way to handle this? Follow the LOTG and not try to tell players what to do.

Play was stopped for an injury. The restart is a dropped ball. Why in the world would this referee drop the ball to a blue player when red had possession? If the referee was going to be the arbiter of fairness, drop the ball to a red player.

If players want to be sporting at a dropped ball, fine. I object to the referee trying to force his idea of "fairness" as it seems something unintended frequently happens.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Kevin
Geez I do not like these uncontested dropped ball restarts or fair play throw ins. Some times they end up with the wrong effect totally which causes a real problem for the game and the referee.
In Law the goal is awarded. These 'goals' have happened at the highest level and many were 'sorted out' by the scoring team allowing a uncontested goal to be conceded from the kick off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPk-wmqP5ec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgN_ZByOTF0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBeV8JXBe-g&feature=related
Now the skill is to ensure that it does not happen. On a dropped ball restart I simply say that I'm dropping the ball and the teams do what they will with it. If they agree an uncontested kick I now make a point of saying to the kicker "away from the goal please"
This actually happened to me in a game many many years ago and I have been very wary of sporting dropped balls since. At that time my solution was to disallow the goal and to say that I made a mistake by dropping the ball in the wrong place, that is I should have dropped the ball where play was stopped not where the player was injured. Both teams accepted the decision. I also know a colleague who was told by a player that he was going to kick the ball back yet when the ball was dropped he unsportingly dribbled off with the ball. The referee was of the view that the player verbally distracted an opponent at a restart, stopped play, cautioned him for unsporting behaviour and restarted with an IDFK.