Question Number: 27016

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 11/18/2012

RE: Comp High School

Chris Thomas of Fairfield, CA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 27001

Why not drop the ball to the just the player who had control, without participation by the other team?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Chris
The reason is that the Laws require the referee to drop the ball to restart the game in certain circumstances. The Law does not allow the referee to choose who should contest the dropped ball or what should happen with the ball when it is in play. That is a matter for the teams to decide.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

NFHS rules also provide that if the referee decided a team was in control of the ball at the time of a stoppage, it's an indirect free kick for that team, not a dropped ball. NHFS also requires 2 players at a dropped ball, used for situations where neither team was in clear control of the ball.

Question 27001 did not refer to a high school game, so the dropped ball was the proper restart.

The referee cannot require or prohibit player participation at a dropped ball. She can use her personality to strongly suggest that teams do the right thing to make it a fair play restart, but the teams do not have to comply. In many soccer cultures it is expected that there will be one-sided dropped ball and the teams will automatically do it. That's not always the case here in the US where the traditions of soccer are not universally understood. Some teams will accept a suggestion: "We stopped play to help your hurt player while the other team had the ball. They should get the ball back, right?"

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

See Question: 27026