Question Number: 28395

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/6/2014

RE: Youth-Adult rec and comp

G. Barry Stewart of Chilliwack, BC Canada asks...

This question is a follow up to question 28358

A point of clarification for John Barry, as it looks like he has mis-read the situation.

It was not on a free kick, it was during live play¦ so no encroachment rule applied here.

The special-needs player came rushing in from behind, just as the attacker was going to launch a shot on goal. She growled loudly, like an angry bear, from maybe 3 steps away.

I was confident that her growl could have affected the accuracy of the shot, so I gave the IDFK (which also misfired!) Any 'regular' player would have gotten a caution from me for the same infraction. In this case a strong word corrected it.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Barry
Thanks for the clarification.
As a point of interest in a game at the weekend a player shouted loudly his name while going for the ball in the air. IMO the only intention was to distract the opponent as there was no team mate close that he could have been communicating with. The opponent was not distracted nor did the opponents appeal the shout as a 'name' was used. It showed me that it takes a lot to distract players when properly focussed and they know its an opponent!!

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Thanks for the additional information.

Referees need to be in tune with how actions will affect the players today, in this match, and these circumstances. The best response may be different tomorrow. In this case, however, it seems that you did exactly what the match needed.