Question Number: 27722

Law 8 - Start and Restart of Play 9/2/2013

RE: advanced Under 19

ronald dodds of battle mountain, nevada USA asks...

P 103 Law of the Game AYSO FIFA 2011/2012. Infringements. An attacking player distracting an opponent is between the goalposts and distracts an opponent. Goal disallowed and player cautioned. Restart with a dropped ball? It seems to me to be an indirect free kick. What if the player was outside the posts?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Ronald
It is a dropped ball restart as the attacking player is off the field of play between the goalposts and inside the goal net when he commits the misconduct.
If the player was on the field of play when he commits the cautionable offence of distracting an opponent, the restart is an IDFK from where the offence took place.
Those decisions are in keeping with the Law where the referee stops play due to an offence committed outside the field of play (when the ball is in play), play must be restarted with a dropped ball from the position of the ball when play was stopped. An exception is where the player leaves the FOP to commits the misconduct such as VC in which case it is an IDFK from where the ball was when play was stopped.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The reason for the unusual restart is that the player who committed the misconduct was off the field. If the player had been on the field, the restart would have been an indirect free kick.

The referee, however, has one 'out' to avoid a dropped ball. If the referee judges that the player left the field for the purpose of committing the act of misconduct, the USSF interpretation is that the restart will be an IFK. (Note: some countries limit the IFK restart solely to leaving the field to commit violent conduct.)

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The restart has to be a dropped ball because the player is off the field. (It would be the same if he was beyond the goal line but outside the goal.) Restarts take place from the site if the infraction. Since that is off the field, the restart couldn't be a free kick from that spot. So we revert to the catch-all restart, the dropped ball - which is taken from the spot where the ball was when play was stopped..

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