Question Number: 35653

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 8/13/2024

Gabe of Clovis, California U.S asks...

What is considered delaying a restart excessively

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Gabe, 
match duration is 90 minutes. 
The balance of USING time versus WASTING time  is often a degree of latitude that referees must address. A proactive referee combating gamesmanship  must tread between best intentions of preventive time wasting, without indirectly misapplying the Laws of the Game. You use the term excessive time wasting. It is rather obvious is it not?  Your focus is actually ON the delay where it overtakes the expectations of the match itself. 

At the pro levels with MORE than a single ball available officials have a pretty fair idea of what constitutes a retrieve, place and kick scenario on goal kicks and throw ins as to time required to get it done.  So once past say 20 to 30 seconds,  the referee will be warbling warnings or handing out cautions. Many of the reasons for stoppages in play and thus “lost time” are entirely normal elements of the game, which is not generally added to extra time.

BUT it is certainly possible to do so!
  
The referee takes this into account in applying discretion regarding the time to be added. 
The main objective should be to playing time to the match which is lost only due to excessively prolonged or unusual stoppages. Now a referee has authority for adding unplayable time,  principally for injury delays, substitutions and goal celebrations but ostensibly to make up for other deliberate delays of the  infringements of the Laws at restarts and for disciplinary matters as well as outside interference that unfairly WASTE playing time.  A soccer match is not stop start time, it continues as we chase down balls that exit the FOP which is why they have extra balls and ball retrievers personal at the elite levels. All designed to get play underway ASAP on throw ins, comer or goal kicks, it is not generally added to extra time.

BUT it is certainly possible to do so! 
 
In an actual game, the ball is in the air, or out of play for a huge portion of the game. So much so that out of the 22 players on the FOP, if the ball should be at their feet for longer than 2 minutes, it would be an exception. It is why the sacred tactical theme of a complete soccer player is based on what you do without the ball occupies 95% of your actions.  Having the quality and technical control to produce a skill that can be used to tactically exploit the opposition separates  the good from the great is that 5% of what is done WITH the ball in terms of TIME!

You might note that keepers are often cautioned late in a match for delaying goal kick restarts, where their team is benefiting from the current score line. Remember that the ball is OUT OF PLAY,  no one can do anything until play resumes thus the keeper is WASTING time.  Conversely consider the 6 second rule after a handling save, during active match time, it was designed to get the ball BACK into active play as NO ONE can challenge the keeper for control. Now the keeper dives to grab a ball at the foot of an opponent, you note he does not rise up super quickly,  at least not very often, then proceeds to bounce the ball or travel about USING up the legal time allotted as he considers his method of distribution. If you put a stop watch you might note that 6 seconds has morphed into 12 to 15 or even longer? The question then becomes, is the keeper making a reasonable effort to release the ball into play? Here a verbal warning before jumping to a caution and also be very certain no opponent is shadowing the keeper in such a way as to create a delay. Opposing players are not  permitted to attempt to prevent the goalkeeper from releasing the ball into play.
 
The practical referee will cut some recovery time slack for a downed keeper to arise before bearing down on the 6 seconds to release the ball. Yet the keeper knowing the score line will react differently, winning, he might SLOWLY get up whereas losing or behind  he is up running and throwing or punting the ball out as quick as possible to begin the attack. 
Both keepers know TIME is running out! On corner kicks, do you notice how long it takes, not necessarily due to the kicker but the scrum of players jockeying about in the PA? Yet once again in matches where a team is ahead,  notice how long it seems to take when those leading have a corner versus a team desperately trying to get a tying goal and the match time is nearing completion? 
      
Whereas, a team mate in the FOP could dribble the ball into the corner and proceeds to stand there to USE UP time as he shields the ball hoping (a) to be fouled or (b) win a corner is perfectly acceptable! Is that time being USED or WASTED ?

When a team is fouled and a free kick is going to occur the threat of being yellow carded (cautioned) is a deterrent but nonetheless the defenders are always trying to stop attacks and goal scoring threats! The right to a quick free kick is often delayed by antics where they willing bend down to tie a shoe right at the point of the foul or lay on the ground, pretending to be hurt,  trying to DELAY that restart allowing  their teammates to recover into a better defensive position. The attacking team can request the ten yards turning it into a ceremonial free kick, set the wall no one goes till the whistle or perhaps the referee needed to show a card for that foul that created the free kick thus  it was always ceremonial. If the opposition is creating further issues in delaying the free kick by not respecting the distance causing a referee to caution the behavior as misconduct, that turns it into a ceremonial free kick. 
Now during this down time match time is ticking away, it is not generally added to extra time.

BUT it is certainly possible to do so.
 
The discretionary powers of a referee allow them to consider these antics and their misuse of playing time as wasted, thus added to extra time.
Even attacking teams can use the free kicks that are in their favour to drag out a timeshare.
Notice even the announcers often comment "well they will be in no hurry to take this one!  
The PKs have their own time frame to get sorted, it is not generally added to extra time.

BUT it is certainly possible to do so!  

One very discernable time issue is in allowable match duration changes and the challenge of managing unlimited substitutions in youth matches or time sensitive tournament play (Field availability, Time schedules) wreak havoc on the practical portion of time management. Rarely are there multiple balls so to retrieve a ball out of play can use up precious seconds and minutes, never mind the constraints  following substitution protocols  Rules of those competitions that permit multiple substitutions and re-entries can sometimes lead to confusion. Referees may not ignore or deny permission for a legal substitution that is properly requested. Although Law 3 requires that the referee be “informed before any proposed substitution is made,” this does not mean that the referee can deny permission for any reason other than to ensure that the substitution conforms to the Law. Even if it seems that the purpose is to waste time, the referee cannot deny the request, just ensure those involved do so in a timely manner. 

The substitute only enters:
# during a stoppage in play# at the halfway line# after the player being replaced has left# after receiving a signal from the referee**

The tournament bylaws stated the substitution could occur at any stoppage in favor of the team with the restart & the other team could substitute only on their own restarts or if the other team did also.
There was a limit of 3 substitutes to enter the FOP at one time but only if they were AT center before the restart. The exception to this was in case of an injury a player could come in off the bench directly at the midline.

The issue was a blue defender was limping about in some distress the coach wisely wanted him off in favor of a player not hindered so. We had a very competent referee doing a top level match who chose to not permit a substitute on a throw-in for the blue team by a blue player who was already standing at midfield BEFORE the stoppage, there was only 30 or so seconds left.

Upon the throw in the blue team lost possession, the green team who put a long ball forward right at the limping blue defender, who was out hustled to the ball and green scored on the cross in tying the match at 2 to 2 forcing a shootout which blue lost. Let's just say the tent discussion got VERY heated that day! When I questioned the referee as to his thinking he replied that he felt the blue team had often dragged their feet on restarts because being ahead 2 to 1, he thought they were wasting time, whereas, they were trying to tactically defend by using up time performing a legal substitution. I think the referee was troubled in that he was asked NOT to add too much time due to scheduling. The key point here is that while the referee has authority to manage substitutions there was no reason to disallow the substitution as time CAN be added & it is not wasting time, it is using up time legally!

Many local venues or certain tournaments place restrictions due to time constraints and to the practicality of how much unlimited substitution can use up vast quantities of playtime. The most often used bylaw or extra bit is sub ONLY on your possession & or if the other team goes on their possession you can too PROVIDED  . 
Players MUST BE AT CENTER midline BEFORE THE SUB opportunity occurs. 
No coach needs to ask for a sub only to FOLLOW the protocols in place that permit a substitution to take place! This ensures alerting the officials the team is actively wanting to sub as well as keep the cries of "SUB REF" from echoing around the pitch at every stoppage plus ensures a quick in & out when it does occur. 
In point of fact IF they ARE at center & the referee calls in for the sub, they can not refuse as it is in effect delaying the restart. INJURY is different, we can have a substitute come in directly off the bench through the midline but technically we should not be permitting substitutions unless they are at the midline waiting . 
TIME is USED UP. it is not added. If it is WASTED  it should be added!  
That is a fact, we owe it to the players to limit the wasting of the non-playtime. 
Cheers 

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Gabe
Thanks for the question.

There is no defined answer and it is left up to each individual referee to opine if a restart has been delayed.
The Law sets out other situations where the restart is delayed.
# appearing to take a throw-in but suddenly leaving it to a team-mate to take
# delaying leaving the field of play when being substituted
# kicking or carrying the ball away, or provoking a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball after the referee has stopped play
# taking a free kick from the wrong position to force a retake.

Excessively delaying a restart is listed along with those four situations and examples would include walking slowly to a take a restart, getting set up and then at the last moment stopping to go through the same process of getting ready.
Here is an example
https://youtu.be/Hb7Z7EdX4Yk?si=8SzEtDwCtTCakxKp

Another example would be kicking the ball away which prevents the opponents from getting on with play
https://youtu.be/q1tdd5O0k7g?si=4XEXSxcmZu_OCUqx

Another example would be stopping a restart although that could also be cautioned for failing to respect the required distance.
https://youtu.be/QRwCRdkDh00?si=epLqjAUQhPRqcqNw

So there are lots of ways that players try to excessively delay a restart and it is up to referees to manage that as they see fit. Generally it happens in tight games with the leading team trying to run the clock down by engaging in also sorts of delaying tactics. While it normally happens near the end of games there can be other times when it suits a team to delay getting on with play.
A referee can advise players to hurry up at a restart. Failure to heed the referee’s instruction to hurry up can result in a caution. A simple shout of say *#10 Let’s get on with play* *#10 I need you to speed up* will put pressure on the players and failure to take that advice can result in a caution.