The Ref Stop

Substitute OFFINABUS

G

Goldfish

Well-Known Member
During play inside the penalty area a substitutes shouts OFFINABUS at the referee from the technical area. As the ball is moved outside the PA the referee stops play to send off the substitute.
What is the restart and from where? Answer to be supported by the current LotG
 
The Ref Stop
Goldfish said:
During play inside the penalty area a substitutes shouts OFFINABUS at the referee from the technical area. As the ball is moved outside the PA the referee stops play to send off the substitute.
What is the restart and from where? Answer to be supported by the current LotG
Click to expand...
Unless there's a 4th Official in place, how is the referee supposed to identify which person shouted the abuse? With play in the penalty area, I would expect my focus, and that of my assistants (if provided), to be where the action is.
If I feel the need to stop play before play stops naturally, my thinking would be a dropped ball restart and outside the PA seems like a useful neutral position to do so. With a natural stoppage in play, I'd go with the appropriate restart (goal kick, corner etc.).
If this is a recurring problem in the game and you've already had words with the technical areas, @CapnBloodbeard's suggestion may not be as flippant as it first appears.
 
Goldfish said:
Answer to be supported by the current LotG
Click to expand...
It can't be, as this scenario is not covered. I think the most a referee can do is try to extrapolate from the other scenarios that are covered and use the discretion afforded him within the Laws of the Game to come to a decision that in his opinion, remains within the spirit of the law.
 
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Never know till if/when it happens but I would like to think, given this sub is not going to score a goal/commit a SFP tackle or interfere with the play, I would wait till the ball is out of play/game is stopped, and then go over and sanction.
Common sense?
 
If I was refereeing I'd do what @Ciley Myrus said.

But to answer the OP scenario where the referee has stopped play, my view would be:
Restart - IDFK
Where - boundary line in front of the technical area, because the offence occurred off the field of play

Both answers because of this bit in Law 12:
  • If, when the ball is in play;
    • a substitute, substituted or sent off player, or team official commits an offence against, or interferes with, an opposing player or match official outside the field of play,
play is restarted with a free kick on the boundary line nearest to where the offence/interference occurred
Click to expand...

That said, an offence hasn't been committed against someone, so I might be stretching it a little to apply that part of law. I also hate the suggestion of where to restart play in this example - another reason why I would wait for a natural stoppage myself.
 
@Ste
OP says:
Goldfish said:
a substitutes shouts OFFINABUS at the referee
Click to expand...
You say:
Ste said:
an offence hasn't been committed against someone
Click to expand...
LOTG says (from your quoted text):
a substitute, substituted or sent off player, or team official commits an offence against, or interferes with, an opposing player or match official outside the field of play
Click to expand...
According to LOTG/Law 12:
Sending-off offences
A player, substitute or substituted player who commits any of the following offences is sent off:
...
•using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
...
Click to expand...
Therefore, I'd say OFFINABUS is an offence and someone has committed an offence against a match official so, you were possibly right in the first place. However, my questions remains: how do you identify the offender and if you can't identify the culprit what do you do? Guess?
 
Sorry, yes. I'd missed the "at the referee" bit in the OP. Now I agree more with the answer I came up with!

I'm assuming we know for sure who the offender was. If we don't, we can't guess. It becomes a general warning to the team secretary/manager, but we can't take any disciplinary action at that point. We may not even know which team it came from, then we're onto a dropped ball restart.
 
2017/18 LOTG state:
An IDFK is awarded when a player:
is guilty of dissent, using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or
gestures or other verbal offences

So in corroboration with @Ste 's post I would say an idfk on the boundary line closest to where the offence was committed.

However due to previous suggestions you'll do well to see which player in the technical area when your attention is focussed on the PA. Also the OP doesnt say who is in possession of the ball nor which team so by stopping play and awarding an IDFK on he touchline might actually serve as a disadvantage. So, play on until a natural stoppage and if you have your man (or woman) deal with it then.
 
Ive booked subs, e.g. more than one who were giving it large thinking they are immune and billy biigbollocks... Wait for a break in play and dish the revenge... Heard a few OFFINABUS comments too but its always said slyly so its hard to be 100% when I was on my own... Cant really go on guesswork or hearsay!!
 
Would only wait until the next stoppage if the advantage can't be applied. What are the team who have just conceded a goal going to think when you book a player after they've conceded a goal? Common sense is to then not book the player....
 
I had something not dissimilar a couple of months before the end of the season. I'd sent a home player for two cautions - a foul followed by shouted dissent, so I was used to the sound of his voice!
The away team were attacking in the penalty area when I heard someone screaming at me from the side-line. I thought it sounded familiar so glanced across to check, saw the player shouting and went back to the game - luckily I was in a position where I could glance across quickly without too much risk, and could let the play develop until the ball finally went out for a corner. I then held the game and went across to deal with him. He'd moved away when sent before coming back, and I hadn't caught him.
I then told him to go away, to get the usual "you can't do anything! It's a public place!" before carrying on his tirade. He eventually went when told that he had thirty seconds to start moving before the game was abandoned - I don't give people on the side-lines too long or it encourages them to keep going.
I felt that stopping the game would penalise the team who were not offending, and there was a real chance of them scoring. I didn't think about where a resulting IFK would have been at the time.
He got one game for the S7 plus three for the OFFINABUS, but he probably still hasn't learned!
 
If you can identify the bench but not the player, ask the manager to identify the culprit or send him on his way instead.

Free kick in front of the dug out is the correct restart
 
I don't see that the passages from the law quoted above, would directly apply here - they talk about situations where a substitute "commits an offence against, or interferes with [a] match offcial outside the field of play" In the scenario in the OP, the match official offended against is not outside the field of play. I think it's close enough that you can use it as a model for the sanctions to apply though, which is why I talked about extrapolating earlier.

I also agree with Ciley Myrus that (unless the offence were particularly egregious and having a direct effect on play) it would probably be better to wait until the next stoppage to deal with it.
 
Peter Grove said:
I don't see that the passages from the law quoted above, would directly apply here - they talk about situations where a substitute "commits an offence against, or interferes with [a] match offcial outside the field of play" In the scenario in the OP, the match official offended against is not outside the field of play.
Click to expand...

Well it's a question of where the offence is committed in this case ... is it the position of the offender (outside) or the official (inside)? Is the offence committed when the words leave his mouth or when they hit the referee's ears? It feels like a silly point to raise, but I suppose it does actually make a difference to the interpretation.
 
The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. In dry air at 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound is 343 metres per second (1,125 ft/s; 1,235 km/h; 767 mph; 667 kn), or a kilometre in 2.91 s or a mile in 4.69 s. What's the point you make Ste?
 
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The point was raised that some of us think the offence took place off the field of play, and others on the field of play. I'm raising the question of how you define where this particular offence took place.
 
Ste said:
The point was raised that some of us think the offence took place off the field of play, and others on the field of play. I'm raising the question of how you define where this particular offence took place.
Click to expand...
Which is a point that is pertinent more broadly as well Offinabus or dissent can easily occur from a player on the FOP whilst the ball is in play ... my understanding is that the point of offence in these cases is where the player was standing rather than where the official is. Thus, in this case, the point of offence is off the FOP and the restart is therefore taken from in front of the dugout.
 
Hi
The reason I asked this is that the restart is not so clear from the LotG. In old money the restart was an IDFK from where the ball was when play was stopped whereas now it is an IDFK in front of the technical area. I do not think that moving the ball from where Play is for such a restart sits well in the game. I know it is unlikely yet with advantage not being available to the attacking team should the referee have to stop play the ball has to be brought back to the half way line instead of the edge of the PA where it was when play was stopped.
I think all these on / off restart changes will cause all sorts of problem. Trying to keep up with the changes
 
RC and IDFK where the referee was at the time as the object of the tirade.
This specific case isn't covered clearly in the laws. I think the intent of the laws is that object of the offence is the location here - in the same way that if an object is thrown, the point of the offence is where it strikes (or would have struck) an opponent or official...
 
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