I often referee on a 3G pitch which has a wire crossing the centre of the 11 a side pitch, which is used to hold a net to split up the pitch when used for 5 a side games. The sports centre won't take it down for 11 a side matches.
I always brief both teams about what will happen. "If it skims the wire but keeps going in more or less the same direction = Play on. If its hits it and drops dead or careens off, drop ball (or restart if happened from a restart)". Fair for both sides, nobody has moaned about this. I have always followed the LOTG for drop ball location, and done this where the ball bit the wire ("outside agent").
From Law 8: "In all other cases, the referee drops the ball for one player of the team that last touched the ball at the position where it last touched a player, an outside agent or, as outlined in Law 9.1, a match official"
Yesterday I heard a manager say that he thought the dropped ball should take place at the place where it had been kicked from. This was from a defending manager where the opposition where playing a lot of long balls from their half over the top of the defenders. So the dropped ball was 10-20 yards further up the field. My counter is that if the ball hadn't hit the wire the defenders would have all been caught out as they were all pushed up too high, the quick attackers would have run onto the ball (from onside positions) and had a clear run at the goal keeper. By hitting the wire the attack was broken down and the defenders had chance to get back and get into shape.
So I didn't think either team was particularly disadvantaged by the situation. Yes the attackers were a bit further up the field, but their initial attack had broken down, and the defenders had time to get back into a good position.
Interested in hearing your thoughts.
I always brief both teams about what will happen. "If it skims the wire but keeps going in more or less the same direction = Play on. If its hits it and drops dead or careens off, drop ball (or restart if happened from a restart)". Fair for both sides, nobody has moaned about this. I have always followed the LOTG for drop ball location, and done this where the ball bit the wire ("outside agent").
From Law 8: "In all other cases, the referee drops the ball for one player of the team that last touched the ball at the position where it last touched a player, an outside agent or, as outlined in Law 9.1, a match official"
Yesterday I heard a manager say that he thought the dropped ball should take place at the place where it had been kicked from. This was from a defending manager where the opposition where playing a lot of long balls from their half over the top of the defenders. So the dropped ball was 10-20 yards further up the field. My counter is that if the ball hadn't hit the wire the defenders would have all been caught out as they were all pushed up too high, the quick attackers would have run onto the ball (from onside positions) and had a clear run at the goal keeper. By hitting the wire the attack was broken down and the defenders had chance to get back and get into shape.
So I didn't think either team was particularly disadvantaged by the situation. Yes the attackers were a bit further up the field, but their initial attack had broken down, and the defenders had time to get back into a good position.
Interested in hearing your thoughts.