I'm starting to think that PGMOL have told referees to always restart with the ball dropped to the defensive team when play is stopped due to a defending player being down with a head injury in their own penalty area. There was obviously the high profile Forest vs Liverpool incident, but it seems to keep happening.
Yesterday in the Sheff Wed vs Stoke game a Stoke player went down with a head injury, the ball bounced well out of the penalty area to Barry Bannan out by the touchline. He took a couple of touches, moving forwards towards the goal line and only then did the whistle go to stop play. The restart was a dropped ball to the keeper which is totally incorrect in law. No issue with play being stopped, and the defender was clearly hurt and indeed had to go off, but the only possible restart allowed by law was a dropped ball to Wednesday.
Then today in the Arsenal vs Villa game the same thing happened. Villa very clearly were in possession of the ball when the referee stopped play, yet David Coote restarted play with a dropped ball to Arsenal. Even more bizarre this one, as the head injury was in the penalty area yet he dropped the ball to Arsenal defenders outside of the penalty area.
It is happening too often to be a mistake by the referee, strikes me there must have been some guidance on it.
Yesterday in the Sheff Wed vs Stoke game a Stoke player went down with a head injury, the ball bounced well out of the penalty area to Barry Bannan out by the touchline. He took a couple of touches, moving forwards towards the goal line and only then did the whistle go to stop play. The restart was a dropped ball to the keeper which is totally incorrect in law. No issue with play being stopped, and the defender was clearly hurt and indeed had to go off, but the only possible restart allowed by law was a dropped ball to Wednesday.
Then today in the Arsenal vs Villa game the same thing happened. Villa very clearly were in possession of the ball when the referee stopped play, yet David Coote restarted play with a dropped ball to Arsenal. Even more bizarre this one, as the head injury was in the penalty area yet he dropped the ball to Arsenal defenders outside of the penalty area.
It is happening too often to be a mistake by the referee, strikes me there must have been some guidance on it.