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Soccer Referee Questions on Soccer Rules

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Question...

Team B player fouls a Team A player. It is a penal offence, cautionable as a reckless tackle but also fits a sending-off offence as DOGSO criteria are met. The player is shown the red card and sent-off. Hey referee! Team A have 12 players on the field. Referee counts and sure enough they do. In fact the Team A player who was fouled was not supposed to be on the field. .
Your match, your decision, your reputation!

Our Hint

Law 3 Law 5 Law 8 Law 10 Law 12

Our Answer...

There are many things for the referee to consider during the process if unscrewing this mess. Firstly the referee MUST understand the match is "invalid" as soon as the twelfth player entered the park. Whether or not this is a result of a poorly [read abysmally] administered substitution or through other cause such as not counting to begin the match, second period of play or a substitute just choosing to enter on his own the referee is bound by law to caution and remove the twelfth player from the field of play, and this is not an option. This is a given. The referee is going to have tons of explaining to do in his match report about the incident. Again, a given.

So back to the mess, we have just sent-off and shown the red card to a player who, because of a reckless tackle [trip or the attempt to trip or the like] that also denied a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity. He has gone to where ever players in this competition must go, the locker room or the bench or where ever, anyway he has gone.

While we are setting up to restart play we find out there are twelve players on the field. As roster checking or the list of substitutes reveals or the captain points out the extra player is in fact the gent who was the recipient of the foul play. Because of this his presence WAS consequential and it is BECAUSE of the fact we must address this as a different restart then if it was a legal player. At this point the referee crew, and especially the referee begin to feel the effects of a serious attack of "What Now?" followed by the proverbial "Oh [insert disgusting word here]!!

Here is where all those tests we have taken come to use. If we can we must recall a number of things:

1. What is the penalty for too many men on the field?

2. How is a goal scored?

3. How is a goal scoring opportunity denied?

4. What is the penalty for denying a goal or obvious goal scoring opportunity?

5. What changes a direct free kick into a penalty kick?

6. How does the referee punish a the reckless act of doing one of the first six direct free kick offences?

7. Can an illegal substitute be fouled or does only misconduct apply?

8. Can the referee change a decision taken?

Assuming the referee has the presence of mind to think of all these things, or has an assistant who can advise him of these things he is armed with enough information to resolve the problem. There it is, a solution -- even though it is hidden in Law there really is one. It isn't pretty because many things are not supported in Law as soon as the twelfth player entered.

We're all standing around immediately after a player has been sent-off and watching the referee count with a funny expression on his face, he begins to pale and realizes...

The twelfth player must be cautioned and removed form the field, there is no choice in the matter either because the referee is bound by the Infringements/Sanctions section of Law 3. AND, for this the penalty is an indirect free kick for his opponents at the place the ball was when play was stopped, subject to the special circumstances of Law 8. Cool...

Now the matter of what happened with the goal being denied kind of thing. The astute referee, or at least one who is familiar with Law 10 - The Method of Scoring knows a goal is scored when the ball completely crosses the goal line under the crossbar and between the posts provided the Laws of the Game have not been infringed by the team scoring the goal. Oops! In this Mess the team who had a goal scoring opportunity taken away COULD NOT have scored a goal in accordance with Law 10!!

This is the first incident of the Laws of the Game not supporting any action you take because you stopped play BECAUSE of foul play that denied a goal and have already instructed a player to disappear. Can you do that? Can you do that based on the knowledge you now have???

We think you can't, but you have. Oh [disgusting word again].

Law 5 is a bail out in that you are permitted, IN LAW, to change a decision already taken provided you haven't allowed play to restart. The player sent-off was sent-off without basis in Law, another time the Law doesn't support what you MUST do. Even though you stopped play for, effectively, denying a goal scoring opportunity circumstances have revealed a goal COULD NOT be scored by that team because they infringed the Law. The player sent-off must be returned to the match because there is no sending-off offence possible, the challenge was "reckless" not excessive. He returneth from where he went and is cautioned for the reckless MISCONDUCT and the sending-off is rescinded. [Need we mention the match report is now quite a bit more than just the one paragraph and the referee committee is going to want to have a chat with you.]

By the way, you still need to restart play -- don't you? Yup, you guessed it -- Indirect free kick to the side with the right number of players because that happened first and where the ball was when you stopped play. Why not a DFK? Because the illegal substitute WAS in fact consequential to why play was stopped. If any other of the 11 legal B team players was the fouled party the DFK would stand!

See what we mean by saying the Match is "invalid" or just royally screwed up ...

That was our Question YOUR Answer is...

Al Wielinga a Referee from Strathroy Ontario Canada

Hey Referee, use correct substitution procedures!!!

Assuming the Referee did, Substitute A (he is not a player) entered the field of play without permission and is Cautioned for UB.

Now we need to deal with the restart and player B (previously guilty of DOGSO). Since the "illegal" player was on before the DOGSO, the restart is based on stopping play for that problem. All other offenses are "cancelled" (unless they also involve misconduct). The restart is an IFK to team B (where the ball was when play was stopped). Player B is still guilty of misconduct (his reckless tackle) and Cautioned for UB.

To put it simply, player B did not deny an obvious goal scoring opportunity since a goal cannot be scored by a team with 12 players if the referee becomes aware of the problem before the play restarts.

Jed a Referee from Newcastle New South Wales Australia

No goal-scoring opportunity existed, as Team A had 12 players. Expunge the send-off and caution the Team B player for unsporting behaviour. Restart with an indirect free kick to Team B at the point at which the ball was when the referee stopped play to award the penalty.

AskTheref.com Educating and Amusing The Soccer Referee Since October 11, 1999

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