Question Number: 25772

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 11/26/2011

RE: REC College

Nathan of Bangalore, India asks...

Hi,
I was refereeing a game where team (A) passed a ball to their striker who was goal-side of the last defender. I blew for off-sides, and immediately a defender from team (B) ran back on to field from behind the goal. He had stepped off the field to grab some water(unknown to me), and ran back on to defend the goal. His presence made the team (A) striker on-side, but now play had stopped. I awarded team (A) a free kick from where the striker had received the ball, but I really didn't know what else to do. Any ideas?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

It should have been a dropped ball, because you blew the whistle in error.

There could be other ways of looking at this situation. Did the defender leave the field of play without permission? Was the defender attempting to put a player in an offside position by deliberately leaving the field? If so, the defender would be cautioned and play would be restarted with an indirect free kick.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The player was off the field without permission so for offside purposes he is on the goal line.
Play was stopped improperly so the restart is a dropped ball where the ball was when play was stopped subject to Law 8

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

As a general rule, when play is stopped and there is no proscribed restart, as in this case, Law 8 gives us the dropped ball as a default. This is what is must be used when the referee has stopped play inadvertently, or in error, when play is stopped to deal with an injury (without an accompanying foul), when play is stopped to deal with outside interference and so on.

What a dropped ball cannot be used for is 'simultaneous' touches on the ball when it exits over the touchline. It has to be a throw in and the referee must decide which team touched it last. A dropped ball is not to be used when the referee cannot make up his/her mind.

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