Extra time

[Xavier]

I had a game today it was 4-3 and I added on about 3 mins to the end of the match. It was 90 + 3:20 when I gave a soft foul to the losing team on the edge of the box the ball comes in and is kicked about in the box with the losing team then clearly it for a corner. At that point it was 90 + 4:30 was I right to end the game there?

 

[RefereeX]

Being discussed on another thread currently about when to end the game and not.

Firstly... you may want to refer to it as added time, stoppage time or injury time, as extra time usually refers to the 30 mins extra played in some cup ties that are level, before moving on to penalties.

Secondly, you were within your rights to end it there. Whether it was the best thing to do or not is down to experience and whether you'd prefer to face the displeasure that a team didn't get to take their corner or the extreme displeasure from the opposition if a goal is scored from the corner and time should have been up. Maybe consider if each team knew time was up at that point or not / what their expectation was.

Finally, I wouldn't ever recommend giving a foul to the attacking team on the edge of the box and describing it as soft. If it's a clear foul, give it and don't call it soft. If it isn't... I wouldn't give it to the attacking team on the edge of the box, especially not with the trailing by a goal in added time.

 

[Xavier]

Being discussed on another thread currently about when to end the game and not.

Firstly... you may want to refer to it as added time, stoppage time or injury time, as extra time usually refers to the 30 mins extra played in some cup ties that are level, before moving on to penalties.

Secondly, you were within your rights to end it there. Whether it was the best thing to do or not is down to experience and whether you'd prefer to face the displeasure that a team didn't get to take their corner or the extreme displeasure from the opposition if a goal is scored from the corner and time should have been up. Maybe consider if each team knew time was up at that point or not / what their expectation was.

Finally, I wouldn't ever recommend giving a foul to the attacking team on the edge of the box and describing it as soft. If it's a clear foul, give it and don't call it soft. If it isn't... I wouldn't give it to the attacking team on the edge of the box, especially not with the trailing by a goal in added time.

Thank you for your advice. Yes maybe it was safer to not give the foul. And yes with the corner it was definitely on my mind that if they score this then it would be massively controversial as it would have gone to penalties. Both teams knew how much time was left and the foul was by the losing teams manger touchline and he asked whether it's over after this and I said yes

 

[The Gump]

Always tricky situation and damned if you do damned if you don't - had a similar situation in a league match last season where the ball went out for the corner just after the added time on my watch had expired. I let them take the corner, it got knocked about a bit, then was semi cleared to an attacking team player about 20 yards outside the penalty area, when I blew for full-time. There was still uproar bizarrely.

In terms of timekeeping and communication, I will also try to inform coaches (if game is tight) at some point in the last 5 minutes of the game how much added time I currently have, and also say "plus any added from now". In terms of the constant "how long" questions, once it gets under 5 minutes to go I won't be specific, and will say "one or two minutes" and then inside the last minute or so I will only say "not that long" or something similar. I said "last play" once and it went out for a corner and could've caused me the same issue as you, so have never done that again!

 

[Xavier]

Always tricky situation and damned if you do damned if you don't - had a similar situation in a league match last season where the ball went out for the corner just after the added time on my watch had expired. I let them take the corner, it got knocked about a bit, then was semi cleared to an attacking team player about 20 yards outside the penalty area, when I blew for full-time. There was still uproar bizarrely.

In terms of timekeeping and communication, I will also try to inform coaches (if game is tight) at some point in the last 5 minutes of the game how much added time I currently have, and also say "plus any added from now". In terms of the constant "how long" questions, once it gets under 5 minutes to go I won't be specific, and will say "one or two minutes" and then inside the last minute or so I will only say "not that long" or something similar. I said "last play" once and it went out for a corner and could've caused me the same issue as you, so have never done that again!

Yea difficult decision whatever you do. The winning team manager did ask how long there was left when there was 7 minutes left so people were aware and players were asking me pretty much every minute. If I let the corner be played and they scored the winning team would be furious as I would have played 2 additional minutes which is a lot.

 

[The Gump]

Yea difficult decision whatever you do. The winning team manager did ask how long there was left when there was 7 minutes left so people were aware and players were asking me pretty much every minute. If I let the corner be played and they scored the winning team would be furious as I would have played 2 additional minutes which is a lot.

Using "minimum of seven" and then not being specific as you approach time expiry can assist but it's far from perfect for sure!

 

[socal lurker]

You don't say in the OP why the game was continuing to 3:20 when you were adding 3--while I will typically give a few seconds if there is an immediate attack, I'm not getting to 20 extra seconds unless there was a reason to add time within the added time already played.

Technically, the team is not even entitled to take a FK once time has expired--the game is only extended for PKs, not for FKs. That said, if you judged it was appropriate to allow the FK to take place, given what you have described, I would certainly not have allowed the CK. The idea that teams get to take a CK is a myth that many players believe (perhaps because some Rs always let them). When I am letting a team take a FK because I am extending the added time for it, I will typically say something to the kicking team that time is just about up. (I won't say anything that is a commitment like this is the last play.) If a CK would otherwise ensue, I'm ending the game (or half), and if anyone complains it is simply "time is up--I told you we were about up before the FK."

As I said in the other thread, I think the most important thing for a R is to have a philosophy on how to manage added time. And stick to it. If you are making ad hoc decisions on the fly, you can be favoring a team. Referees have different philosophies that can be justified in the Laws. But each ref should have that philosophy and apply it consistently--going in to the game, those are the rules of the day, which are fair to both teams, as either could be the one with that FK at the end of the game.