Question Number: 33853

High School 1/26/2020

RE: Competitive High School

Yang Cao of Plano, TX US asks...

Two questions for y'all:

1)

Let's say in the following scenario we have Team A and Team B.

The game is actively playing and Team A has the ball. A player away from the ball from Team A commits a cautionable foul and the referee stops the play to give that player a yellow card.

What is the restart?

Does Team A still keep the ball?

Or, does Team B get the ball on the spot where the foul (the player in Team A did) happened?

2)

Team A is on a counterattack after stealing the ball from Team B. A player from Team B, seeing no chance to stop the player from Team A with the ball, commits a tactical foul to try to stop the play.

However, another player from Team A gains possession of the ball. Referee decides to play advantage. The play develops with Team A in possession of the ball until there is a shot on goal, which the goalkeeper from Team B stops the shot.

Referee blows the play dead and cautions the player from Team B who committed the tactical foul in the first place.

What is the restart? Is it where the tactical foul was committed, or does it start with the goalkeeper from Team B in possession of the ball?

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

Yang,
Please refer to rule 13 in your NFHS Rules book. This rule provides information about Free Kicks and the point they are taken from. It provides different situations including cautions and disqualifications. It is a very helpful rule.

In Situation 1, the kick would be taken from the point of the infraction.

In situation 2, because the advantage foul required a caution, the kick would be taken by the team A from point of the infraction. See NFHS Rule 13.2.2.l.

I hope that you have a successful high school season and get to work in the Texas state tournament in April.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Yang,

1. If the referee stops play for a cautionable offence committed by a player on the field of play, the restart would be for the opposing team at the point of the infraction. The team in possession does not get to keep the ball if one of their team commits an offence.

2. In this scenario, as ref McHugh says, the referee should not go back and award a free kick for the original offence, since the advantage has been realised but should allow play to continue. The player can be cautioned at the next stoppage.

The above answers apply, whether we're talking about NFHS Rules or IFAB Laws.

On the second question, if it's an NFHS game, there is a play ruling that pretty much covers this:

''5.3.1 SITUATION C: Player A2 is fouled just outside the opponent's penalty area. The referee signals visibly and verbally ''play on'' [...] (b) A2 keeps the ball and gets off a shot that sails wide of the goal; [...] The referee whistles and awards a direct free kick from the point of the original foul.

RULING: [...] (b) incorrect. The advantage was gained even though the shot missed;''

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Yang
Thanks for the questions. In FIFA the following answer would apply. 1. The restart is from where the offence took place according to the nature of the offence. If the offence was for dissent against the referee the restart is an indirect free kick from where the dissent took place. If it was a penal foul then it is a direct free kick from where the offence took place or a penalty kick if the offence happened inside the penalty area of the player that committed the offence.
2. This is a mechanics question. As the referee has played advantage with play continuing beyond the 2/3 seconds period then the referee has to wait until the next stoppage in play before he stops play to caution the offender.
The referee could go back to the original foul if he felt that advantage was not realised within the allotted time of a few seconds. In your question it reads to me that advantage was fully realised so he waits until the next stoppage to caution the player.
There is one exception to this
Advantage should not be applied in situations involving serious foul play, violent conduct or a second cautionable offence unless there is a clear opportunity to score a goal.
The referee must send off the player when the ball is next out of play, but if the player plays the ball or challenges/interferes with an opponent, the referee will stop play, send off the player and restart with an indirect free kick, unless the player committed a more serious offence.
The thinking here is that say in the case of a sending off and play is allowed to continue with advantage say for example on a second caution with the goal scoring chance saved and advantage fully realised then the Law does not want the player who is going to be sent off at the next stoppage to be involved in play in which case in those scenarios only play is stopped and the restart is an IDFK from where the player got involved with play. That exception is extremely rare and I personally have never seen it.
In your example if it is not a second caution the referee must allow play to continue until the next stoppage before issuing the caution to the player. The restart then is for the reason the ball is out of play.
Without the exception as outlined in FIFA the same answers apply to NFHS

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 33855