Question Number: 28381

Law 5 - The Referee 4/29/2014

RE: junior Under 16

Trev Harper of Essex, Essex United Kingdom asks...

Last few seconds of a match attacking team losing 1-0 throw in awarded thrown into penalty area during the following mele goal is scored, referee whistles to indicate goal awarded, players begin to return to to restart game before positions are returned referee blows whistle to indicate end of game, and team celebrates draw. Few seconds pass and linesman (member of defending team) attracts referees attention to claim goal was offside despite being thrown in (possibly got knocked on) and severel players being on goal line, referee then disallows goal despite having ended the game minutes earlier can he disallow the goal after awarding it and ending the game?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Trev
Extremely messy mechanics here. This is the reason why many referees restart the game after a goal in these situations with a kick off. Once the kick off is taken the decision cannot be reversed and there is no doubt or debate about it.
Now the referee could argue here that he did not end the game. Could the whistle have been to signal the goal? Did the celebrations relate to the goal only?
Also in this situation it was not a neutral assistant referee but a club linesman. That makes it even more difficult as he may not have been instructed how to deal with this type of situation.
Having said all that had the referee seen the flag he probably would have disallowed the goal assuming he agreed with the CAR. I believe that would have caused debate as well by the scoring team.
For me the spirit of the decision, rightly or wrongly, was whether the goal was offside.
Now to the Law in this matter. The referee may only change a decision on realising that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee or the fourth official, provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match. The answer to your questions rests with the referee and did he terminate the match.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The referee has the power to disallow the goal so long as: (a) play has not restarted with a kickoff; and (b) the referee has not ended the match.

You indicate that (b) occurred. If so, then the goal should not have been disallowed AND the referee should have reported the circumstances to the league to decide what happens next.