A&H

Drop ball re-start

K

Karl Atherton

New Member
I’m reffing an U12 youth game. There’s a bad injury so I blow the whistle and stop play to allow the physio on the pitch. Everything is OK with the injured player.



I'm about to re-start with a drop ball and I tell the kid from team 1 that team 2 was in possession when I blew so you should kick the ball back to them, he says OK no problem. I drop the ball and he proceeds to run up the pitch with the ball on his own unchallenged, and ready to take a shot at the keeper. There’s uproar from team 2. I blew the whistle as soon as he touched the ball twice claiming he couldn’t do that from a drop ball, and I awarded a free kick to team 2.



I don't think this is correct, is it? Please advise?
 
A&H International
Simple no. There is nothing is law to say that should pass it back to the opposite team. It's just sportsmanship.

A few years ago I think it was Arsenal. They had a player injured and the opposite team (can't rem who) kicked the ball. Arsenal them took the throw in and ran down the wing and scored the winner.

There was up roar by the ref awarded the goal and no laws had been broken.
 
Whilst the player has technically done nothing wrong, they will almost certainly regret their lack of sportsmanship when they hear the reaction of other players/supporters. It's not up to the referee to enforce good sporting behaviour, all we can do is encourage it. And whilst some other players might come up to you and demand to know why you don't pull the player back, all you have to do is shift the blame to the player. He's the one who has been unsporting and there is nothing in the rules that you can do to stop him. Then that player becomes the bad guy, and for once it isn't the ref!!
 
refdave83 said:
Simple no. There is nothing is law to say that should pass it back to the opposite team. It's just sportsmanship.

A few years ago I think it was Arsenal. They had a player injured and the opposite team (can't rem who) kicked the ball. Arsenal them took the throw in and ran down the wing and scored the winner.

There was up roar by the ref awarded the goal and no laws had been broken.
Click to expand...
Sheffield United if I remember correctly. Manager took his players off the pitch because of it and they replayed the game.

To answer the original question, you can't force someone to give the ball back, 9 times out of 10 a player will suggest it. If they don't play it back and score, it's tough! Not the most sporting of things to do, but they've done nothing wrong in law.
 
James said:
Whilst the player has technically done nothing wrong, they will almost certainly regret their lack of sportsmanship when they hear the reaction of other players/supporters. It's not up to the referee to enforce good sporting behaviour, all we can do is encourage it. And whilst some other players might come up to you and demand to know why you don't pull the player back, all you have to do is shift the blame to the player. He's the one who has been unsporting and there is nothing in the rules that you can do to stop him. Then that player becomes the bad guy, and for once it isn't the ref!!
Click to expand...

I would be careful of shifting the blame onto that player. You never know who is going to take that to mean that he should take retribution on him. Likewise, in this case, the player is U12 -- probably not emotionally stable enough to be blamed by an adult for this kind of things. The best you can do in this case is explain to the players that it is still a goal and that's the end of it. If you must, you can also speak to both managers. I suspect that Team 1's manager would instruct his players to allow the other team to score a goal. If not you play on.

Ryan, you can't caution for USB. The LOTG say pretty specifically what constitutes unsporting behaviour.
 
Ross said:
Sheffield United if I remember correctly. Manager took his players off the pitch because of it and they replayed the game.
Click to expand...
Yup, Wenger offered a replay and the league allowed it. I also remember it happening lower down the leagues, Bristol/Swindon I think, where a goal was scored. The team that scored allowed the opposition to walk through them and score an equaliser from the kick off.

I don't think, as a referee, we can instruct a player to give the ball back to the opposition from a drop ball, but we can ask - "Red were in possession when I stopped play, are you gonna give it back to them?"

At u12s though, I would be surprised if the players are aware of what the sporting thing is to do in that situation o blaming the kid would be difficult.

I was reffing a Ladies Social tournament the other day, and red put the ball out of play as they had a player injured. Orange took a foul-throw and I blew for it. "But I was giving it back to them ref!" - oops! As it happened though, orange player challenged for the ball anyway so I just said "Thank you, they have it now".
 
The only time I was told you can caution for USB is if the drop ball is on the edge of the area and the play says to the keeper "Come here, i'll tap it to you" and turns around and flicks it over the keeper and then puts it in the net, opinions on that?
 
Aled said:
The only time I was told you can caution for USB is if the drop ball is on the edge of the area and the play says to the keeper "Come here, i'll tap it to you" and turns around and flicks it over the keeper and then puts it in the net, opinions on that?
Click to expand...

No. USB cautions can be give for:

ommits in a reckless manner one of the seven offences that incur a direct
free kick
• commits a foul for the tactical purpose of interfering with or breaking up a
promising attack
• holds an opponent for the tactical purpose of pulling the opponent away
from the ball or preventing the opponent from getting to the ball
• handles the ball to prevent an opponent gaining possession or developing
an attack (other than the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
• handles the ball in an attempt to score a goal (irrespective of whether or
not the attempt is successful).
• attempts to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to have
been fouled (simulation)
• changes places with the goalkeeper during play or without the referee’s
permission
• acts in a manner which shows a lack of respect for the game
• plays the ball when he is walking off the
fi
eld of play after being granted
permission to leave the
fi
eld of play
• verbally distracts an opponent during play or at a restart
• makes unauthorised marks on the
fi
eld of play
• uses a deliberate trick while the ball is in play to pass the ball to his own
goalkeeper with his head, chest, knee, etc. in order to circumvent the Law,
irrespective of whether the goalkeeper touches the ball with his hands or
not. The offence is committed by the player in attempting to circumvent
both the letter and the spirit of Law 12 and play is restarted with an indirect
free kick
• uses a deliberate trick to pass the ball to his own goalkeeper to circumvent
the Law while he is taking a free kick (after the player is cautioned, the free
kick must be retaken)

Celebration of a goal
While it is permissible for a player to demonstrate his joy when a goal has been
scored, the celebration must not be excessive.
Reasonable celebrations are allowed, but the practice of choreographed
celebrations is not to be encouraged when it results in excessive time-wasting
and referees are instructed to intervene in such cases.
A player must be cautioned if:
• in the opinion of the referee, he makes gestures which are provocative,
derisory or in
fl
ammatory
• he climbs on to a perimeter fence to celebrate a goal being scored
• he removes his shirt or covers his head with his shirt
• he covers his head or face with a mask or other similar item
Leaving the
fi
eld of play to celebrate a goal is not a cautionable offence in itself
but it is essential that players return to the
fi
eld of play as soon as possible.
Referees are expected to act in a preventative manner and to exercise common
sense in dealing with the celebration of a goal.
Showing dissent by word or action
A player who is guilty of dissent by protesting (verbally or non-verbally) against
a referee’s decision must be cautioned.
The captain of a team has no special status or privileges under the Laws of the
Game but he has a degree of responsibility for the behaviour of his team.
Delaying the restart of play
Referees must caution players who delay the restart of play by tactics such as:
• taking a free kick from the wrong position with the sole intention of forcing
the referee to order a retake
• appearing to take a throw-in but suddenly leaving it to one of his team-
mates to take
• kicking the ball away or carrying it away with the hands after the referee
has stopped play
• excessively delaying the taking of a throw-in or free kick
• delaying leaving the
fi
eld of play when being substituted
• provoking a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball after the referee
has stopped play
Persistent infringement
Referees should be alert at all times to players who persistently infringe the
Laws. In particular, they must be aware that, even if a player commits a number
of different offences, he must still be cautioned for persistently infringing the
Laws.
There is no speci
fi
c number of infringements which constitutes “persistence”
or the presence of a pattern – this is entirely a matter of judgement and must
be determined in the context of effective game management.
 
Aled said:
The only time I was told you can caution for USB is if the drop ball is on the edge of the area and the play says to the keeper "Come here, i'll tap it to you" and turns around and flicks it over the keeper and then puts it in the net, opinions on that?
Click to expand...
That would come under 'deceive or distract an opponent'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top