Question Number: 29443

League Specific 5/25/2015

RE: Comp Adult

Phil Wearmouth of Umina , NSW Australia asks...

Midway through the second half we were awarded a penalty by the ref. Before it could be taken, a brawl broke out and the ref called off the game (2 red cards to each side). My concern is this. Shouldn't the penalty shot still have been taken? We ended up losing because it wasn't, and if this is the ruling (to call off the game with no penalty shot) then surely this opens the door for any side to have a game abandoned when they are in front and have a penalty awarded against them?
Thanks
Phil.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Phil,
once the match is abandon, the match is terminated, there is no further playing of the match. The safety of all was in jeopardy and who is or was to blame is for the moment irrelevant. The result is no longer in the hands of those playing or the referee but of the committee overseeing the disciplinary review of what occurred.
You said you LOST? By what definition? Did the league say so?
I can not speak to the decision of those in charge of your association but this has all the earmarks of a replay if they follow FIFA LOTG! That said maybe it is within some weird bylaw that if enough of the match has been played and a game is abandoned the result will stand as it was at that time! If that is the case and you lost by a goal without getting the PK I agree it could be difficult to accept as a fair outcome. Best not to engage in a brawl at all especially before the PK is taken . I know it is hard to walk away from confrontation if you are concerned with appearing weak but it takes greater strength at times to not engage.

While I might feel you should replay the match in its entirety, it ...could... be feasible that they rule you restart time from when the PK was awarded. The thing is no matter their decision, those red carded are held accountable and their suspensions are in effect possibly during the replay (if there is one) or for the next game or three depending on what those in charge finally decided on. Be interested in hearing what the final outcome was?/
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

No. If the game is abandoned, it is unsafe for the referee to restart it for any reason. The players are responsible for their conduct, and if the abandonment causes an issue for the losing team, they should consider the consequences of their acts in the future. Note: the disciplinary committee is free to consider the circumstances of the match in deciding the correct punishment and result.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Phil,

If time expired (half or full time), then the penalty kick must still take place. This is different though - the referee has determined that the match must end. Abandonment takes effect immediately - a penalty kick is not extended when a match is abandoned.

If the referee abandoned the match because he feels it is unsafe for the players to continue, then it would make no sense for him to say 'I'll just play a little bit more then abandon'. That would just be asking for more problems - especially if the players know the match will be abandoned, it would really be inviting more violence.

As for your (understandable) concern about fairness - Central Coast Football will, in the competition rules, state that a certain amount of the match must have elapsed for the result to stand. So if a team tries to force the abandonment, it may not work if not enough of the match has elapsed. Also, in these cases CCF will also retain discretion; even if almost the entire match has passed, if they feel the abandonment is the fault of one team they may still award the result to the opposing team (as well as take further action) - so while you feel like a team could force an abandonment like this, I would say that they're playing with fire and they could easily have points stripped, receive lengthy suspensions for the players involved or even the entire team, face fines. This behaviour could potentially be considered 'bringing the game into disrepute', which would not work well for the team involved. Not to mention that at the very least, players that get sent off are suspended - would you want to have multiple players suspended just for the chance to stop your opponents having a chance to score a goal? Doesn't sound like a smart gamble to me.

These are just all options; the administrators will take it all on a case-by-case basis. Of course, they could consider both teams to be at mutual fault as well, which will affect their decision.

All the referee can do is report the score at the time, report what happened and CCF will determine what happens with the result.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
Once a game is abandoned there can be no further play including the taking of a penalty kick. The outcome of the game is not decided until the competition disciplinary committee meets to consider the facts in the case. The referee will provide a full match report in which he will state all the facts connected with the game such as time elapsed, score at that time, reason for the abandonment etc. the two teams may be asked to attend to provide their version of events
Discipline will then decide the outcome and I have no doubt it has many options available which includes the result to stand, a full or partial replay, a forfeit against one or both teams plus hefty fines. Any decision can be appealed to a higher authority. As a general rule teams that cause a game to be abandon do not benefit from such actions. In fact it has to be to the contrary for the reason you mention. No team can expect to cause a game to be abandoned and profit from that. There has been some high profile situations where supporters have caused games to be abandoned in the hope of a replay and the result stood. That certainly discourages any premeditated actions that lead to abandonment in the hope of a later favourable outcome. The challenge can be reaching that decision when the fact of what happened are disputed.
I would make a final point that when a game gets to a brawl with 4 sendings off and ill feeling with raised tempers etc the safest option for everyone can be to abandon and walk away. It is left to the referees judgment to make the decision.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Typically in a match, if time runs out before the PK can be taken, the game is extended for the PK . If the game is terminated or abandoned, then the referee feels that the game must stop for safety reasons. It would not make much sense nor is it legal to continue on. The league then decides what will happen with the match and will act on any information within the match report as to who or what is at fault.