Question Number: 31460

Law 2 - The Ball 4/16/2017

RE: Rec Adult League. Adult

FRANK ALMEIDA of OLNEY, MD USA asks...

While in play a second ball came in the field of play from a adjacent field, a player kicked the ball back to the other field , but the second ball hit the game ball and knocked it out of bounds. The question is : What is the correct restart? Thank you.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Frank
If the action by the player was accidental then the restart is a dropped ball from where the game ball was when play was stopped.
If however the actions of the player was deliberate then it is a caution for unsporting behaviour and an IDFK from where the offence took place. If the ball is thrown hitting the ball it is deliberate handling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeXJX3vBjKk
From your rough description I would say that it was the former and a dropped ball restart. If the game was no interfered with it is play on

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Frank,
The Laws of the Game say that if:

''an extra ball, other object or animal enters the field of play during the match, the referee must:
stop play (and restart with a dropped ball) only if it interferes with play ...''

In this case since a player kicked the extra ball and it hit the game ball, it has clearly interfered with play so the restart would be a dropped ball - unless, as ref McHugh says, the extra ball was kicked at the match ball as an act of unsporting behaviour. However from your description, that does not sound like it was what happened.