Question Number: 26622

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 8/11/2012

RE: competitive Under 16

rob deconinck of st. petersburg, fl pinellas asks...

A foul has occured, but it appears advatage should be called. The referee blows the whistle (to stop play, I guess),but then rules play on. I thought once the whistle was blown, the play must stop?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Rob
Once the whistle sounds to stop play advantage cannot be then played. The advantage signal is through the shout of 'advantage' and the recognised arm signal. The whistle stops play.
What can happen though is that if the ball is available and it is placed quickly at the point of the foul the quick free kick can restart play almost immediately.
At the Pro level I have seen this happen where a team does not want the free kick and the referee has stopped play with the fouled against team still in possession. The QFK can almost make the stoppage and restart look seamless.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Yup, you can't unblow the whistle. Once it sounds, play has been stopped.

If the fouled team saw a potential beneficial situation, they might go with a quick restart. That's almost like advantage.

But the ref can't say, 'My mistake, play on.'

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Play stops when the whistle is blown. The referee cannot unring the bell.

But, the referee may allow the victim to take a quick free kick on the foul. Play can restart immediately. The practical difference, however, is that the ball cannot be rolling on a quick free kick. The ball does not have to stop if the referee properly had allowed the advantage.