Question Number: 34340

Other 9/20/2021

Crebs Crem of Zagreb, Croatia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 34338

Thank you very much for your answers.
In the case that Referee Richard Dawson told, if the free-kick did not find its target but the spitting of the attacker on the defender still occurred, as far as I understand the correct restart is to retake the free-kick after the player who spitted is sent off. However, isn’t the retake an unfair advantage to the attacking team, whose player committed a misconduct?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Crebs
It no doubt is yet the law does not allow a change of restart for misconduct while the ball is out of play.

Some sports allow for a change of restart after misconduct. Soccer is not one of them.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Crebs,
yup it would suck but it is correct. You see VAR would pinpoint the timing of any event so it can not be disputed. At grass roots you can blend it into the match as occuring just as the restart began and sell such a decision as a red card send off with a free kick & no goal just as you would allow the goal if it was the other way around & a defender did VC against an attacker . Essentially a referee should HALT play imediately if he notices true VC before a restart rather than wait to see what transpires. We can alter things somewhat for unknown passed on information on events we do not see but a neutral souces ids them for us. It is WHY communication in real time situation is vital to the match. Look at the advantage they have proffesionaly to see and fix things At grassroots often its just a guy or gal in the middle!
Cheers