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Ask the MYSL Referee - Questions & Answers
>Three Questions: Throw-ins, Referee's discretion calling a foul, and off-side.
>Can a goalie get a red or yellow card for sliding outside the box to save a goal?
>What are the changes to the offside law?
>Thank you
>Can a goalkeeper pick up a ball that was headed to him by a teammate?
>Can you score directly from a kick off?
>What is the difference between recreation and club levels?
>What is the difference between a goal kick and a corner kick?
>When is the goalkeeper considered to be in control of the ball?
>How does MYSL view when a player handles the ball diliberately
>Poor calls during game
>Can a goal be scored directly from a corner kick?
>What are the laws on Free Kicks?
>The ball size.
>When is charging a foul and is there a new rule about changing goalies?
>Please clarify when there is no offside on a goal kick. Is it ....
Question (from Danny Santiago)
Three questions:
1. When a player throws in the ball and the ball bounces out of bounds and then bounces in bounds onto the field of play what is the ruling?
2. Is it referee's discretion to call a foul if a player is tripped or kicked, and the ball is not touched by the offending player, and there is no advantage by the player who was fouled?
3. A player is off sides, but the ball is not passed to him, but shot on goal, and the player that is "off side" has no play on the ball, should an off sides be called?
Thank you!
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Danny,
1. If the ball hits the ground on a throw-in before it crosses the plain of the touchline (sideline) then that team has to retake the throw-in at the original point.
2. The referee has the power to stop the match for any infringement of the Laws, to apply advantage, or to decide that an infringement is trifling or doubtful and should not be call at all. What you may see on the sideline may not always be what the referee sees out on the field.
3. It is not an offense to be in an offside position. Although the player was in the offside position when the ball was kicked by his team-mate, he should not be penalized unless the referee decided that he was interfering with play, interfering with an opponent or gained an advantage by being in that position. If none of those three situations occurred then the player not involved in active play is not called for offside. Regards, Dave
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Question (from john)
If a goalie slides outside the box to save a goal from happening. would that be a red or yellow card.
Thank you,
Boys U11
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
John, Your question doesn’t give very many details. It always helps to give as many details surrounding the question as possible, so I can give you a more accurate answer. I will have to assume that you are referring to a situation where the goal keeper did a slide tackle against an opponent and the referee called a foul. The referee can caution the goal keeper and show him the yellow card if, in the opinion of the referee, the slide tackle was considered to be reckless. The referee can send-off the goal keeper and show him the red card if, in the opinion of the referee, the slide tackle endangered the safety of the opponent, or the slide tackle denied the opposing team an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. If, in the opinion of the referee, the slide tackle was simply careless, then no card would be shown at all. It doesn’t matter that the player was the goal keeper or where the foul occurred when considering weather or not to show a player a red or yellow card. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Max Everson)
I have heard that there are changes to the off-side rule. Is that true? What are the changes if true? Thanks, Max
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Max, Law 11 � Offside, has not changed, but the International FA Board added two decisions to the law back on February of 2005 to help clarify when the Assistant Referee should call offside on a player. That is what may be causing any confusion about changes to the law. Basically, Decision 1 deals with when an attacker is considered in the offside position. An attacker can no longer be considered even with the second to last defender if any part of his body is closer to the defenders� goal line then that defender. If any part of the attackers� body is closer to the goal line then the second to last defender then the attacker is considered to be in the offside position. This does not apply to any part of the attackers� arms. This same concept also applies at the midfield line. If any body part of the attacker (except the arms) is past the midfield line without two defenders closer to the defenders goal line then the attacker is considered to be in the offside position. Remember that it is not a foul for an attacker to be in the offside position. The attacker becomes offside only when he/she is in the offside position and gets involved in active play. Decision 2 deals with when an attacker is offside by defining when the player becomes involved in active play. The attacker is considered offside when he/she interferes with play while in the offside position. Interferes with play means, playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate. The attacker is considered offside when he/she interferes with an opponent while in the offside position. Interferes with an opponent means, preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent�s line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts the opponent. The attacker is considered offside when he/she is gaining an advantage by being in an offside position. Gaining an advantage means, an attacker plays a ball that rebounds off a post or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him/her off an opponent having been in an offside position. The USSF Advice to Referees adds that the reference to �playing or touching the ball� does not mean that an offside infraction cannot be called until an attacker in an offside position actually touches the ball. The main ideas of these decisions are to keep Assistant Referees from calling an offside infraction on an attacking player who is clearly not involved in the play, and clearly defining when a player is or is not in the offside position. I hope that this helps you out. Regards, Dave x
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Question (from Kristinea Cotteen)
I just wanted to say "Thank You" for the referee's who take the time to explain why the whistle was blown. The younger players don't usually have a clue, and it's refreshing to see the referee take the time to educate the player(s). Kristinea Cotteen
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Kristinea, Thank you for your kind words. I am sure that our referees appreciate your acknowledgement of their work. Many times parents only want to say or yell something out at the referee when they don�t agree with a decision by the referee. Referees are required by our modified laws of the game for U5 through U10 to take a moment of time and explain all infractions to the players. It is nice to receive a thank you from a parent when a referee is doing his/her job out on the field. Keep up the good work referees. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Bill Havens)
Is it ok for a defender to head the ball to the goalie and have the goalie pick it up? The header was intentional and not a deflection. Thanks
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Bill, yes it is OK for a defender to head the ball to the goalkeeper and have the goalkeeper pick up the ball. It doesn�t matter if the defender intentionally or unintentionally headed the ball back to the goalkeeper. In FIFA�s �Laws of the Game� it states in Law 12 that an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, touches the ball with his/her hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him/her by a team-mate. �Deliberately kicked� means only that the ball has been played by the foot towards the goalkeeper with the deliberate intention. This does not include situations in which the ball has been, in the opinion of the referee, accidentally deflected or misdirected by the defender. In those situations the goalkeeper is allowed to play the ball with his/her hands. Keep in mind that a defender can not try to circumvent the law with some kind of trickery like playing the ball up to his head and then head the ball back to the goalkeeper. In those situations the defender has committed an unsporting behavior and should be cautioned. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Mike Fitzpatrick)
I have played soccer competetively for many years, Junior High, High School, College and at a semi-pro level. During the course of our final game on saturday a player kicked the ball from mid-field (on a kick-off) and put it in the net. My understanding is that ball must make contact with another player before going into the net. This was ruled a goal against us. What is the ruling and where can I find it in the rule book?
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Mike, the incident that you described is a legal goal. Under FIFAs Laws of the game, Law 8 The Start and Restart of Play, you will find that a goal may be scored directly from the kick-off as long as all procedures have been followed and there were no infringements/sanctions noticed by the referee. In the MYSL Handbook for Coaches & Referees, under the Modified Laws of the Game (all divisions), you will find no modifications under Law 8 except for the distance an opponent must be from the ball. No other modification to the law is allowed by the IFAB without consent. With that said, I would like to think that the opposing coach did not have his player do this on a regular basis to score goals and/or win games. That could be construed as violating the spirit and intent of the Laws of the Game as it applies to the Micro Division. A friendly conversation by the referee to the coach would be suggested in that situation if it had continued. My thought is that this was the last week of the Spring season and one of two situations occurred. #1, the opposing coach new he had a player with a big kick, so he told his player to go for it since it was the last game of the season. #2, the opposing coach didnt direct that player to attempt the kick, but the player just decided on his own to go for it. What a great feeling this kid and his team must have had to kick the ball directly into the goal from a kick off. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Jamie)
What is the difference between recreational and club levels?
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Jamie, MYSL has two soccer programs. The recreation program is what you see everywhere around Murrieta on Saturdays. This program is designed for the beginner and intermediate player although you will find very good soccer players playing in the recreation level. The club program is for you more advanced players. To get on a club team you must first try out during the try out period each year. If you are selected to be on a team you will be playing more competitive teams from other cities. In recreation you are guaranteed to play at least 50% of the game. In club you are not guaranteed to play at all, but most players do play at least some of the game. I hope that helps. If you want to learn more about the club program go to our website and click on our club soccer page. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Kellie Wetherbee)
What is the difference between a goal kick and a corner kick?
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Kellie, I see by the information that you have given me you are a coach for a recreation U6 team, so may I assume that this is your first time coaching. Well, congratulations for taking on such a noble duty as to be a volunteer coach. I also want to thank you for using our Ask the MYSL Referee I don't want to give you a basic answer without some true and helpful information to go with it. To start off hear is the answer to your question. A goal kick and a corner kick are the two ways you restart the game after the ball has passed over the goal line, either on the ground or in the air, and a goal is not scored. Both the goal kick and the corner kick are covered in the official FIFA Laws of the Game (the rules set forth for soccer games) under Law 16 The Goal Kick, and Law 17 The Corner Kick. Both laws have quit a bit of information that you will eventually need to know, but for now with your division we will stick with the basics. If the attacking team last touches the ball before it goes past the goal line then the defending team is awarded a goal kick. For the U6 division that means the ball is placed two to three yards away from the goal line somewhere near the goal and the defending team gets to kick it back into play. All of the attacking team players must be at least 4 yards away from the ball, and the ball must go at least 4 yards out otherwise you must retake the goal kick. The kicker can not touch the ball two times in a row without someone else touching first. Now, if the defending team last touches the ball before it goes past the goal line then the attacking team is awarded a corner kick at the closest corner from where the ball passed over the goal line. The attacking player gets to kick the ball from the corner of the field to restart the game. That player can not touch the ball a second time until another player touches it. The defending team must stay at least four yards away before the ball is kicked. Please also look up the Modified Laws of the Game for the U6 division on our website under the Coaches section. There you will find helpful information about all the laws of the game as they pertain to your division. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Greg Gay)
I'm interested in knowing what constitutes a "dead ball" in regards to the Keeper contacting a ball (under pressure) in front of the goal. Does the Keeper have to have some sort of control over the ball in order for it to be considered "dead"? Or is any contact on the ball by the Keeper, with any part of the body, considered a "dead ball" and out of play for the attacking team? Thanks, Greg Gay
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Greg, I believe what you are asking is when does the goalkeeper have possession of the ball and an attacker can no longer play the ball. According to the FIFA Laws of the Game the goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball when ever touching it with any part of his/her hand or arm while inside the penalty area. Possession of the ball includes bouncing it on the ground or throwing it into the air. Possession is given up if, while throwing the ball into the air, it is allowed to strike the ground. The goalkeeper does not have possession when, in the opinion of the referee, the ball rebounds off the goalkeeper, for example after he/she has attempted to make a save. If an opponent tries to play the ball while in the possession of the goalkeeper a direct free kick may be awarded to the defending team. If at any time, in the opinion of the referee, an attacking player plays the ball, but in a dangerous manner towards the goalkeeper, weather he/she has possession of the ball or not, a foul may have been committed by the attacker and free kick may be awarded for the defending team. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Greg Gay)
Hi, I have a question about how our league views "Handballs". Over the weekend I noticed, a few times, players using their arms, hands, and elbows to control a ball approaching them in flight. This is probably so that the ball would not hit them in the chest or stomach. In the cases I am refering to, the players had plenty of time to position themselves while the ball was approaching. It was clearly an intentional act to use their arms to settle the ball. The refs would not call the intentional handball fouls. I am not familiar with MYSL's rules regarding the intentional use of the hands, arms and shoulders. In other leagues this action resulted in free kicks, ( sometimes yellow cards), or send offs. Thanks, Greg
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Greg, thank you for your question. First of all, MYSL has no view concerning Handballs or any other Law of the Game as it concerns soccer. The rules and regulations of MYSL simply state that the rules of play be the current edition of the Laws of the Game as published by FIFA, except those modified for the benefit of youth soccer by the USSF, USYSA and CYSA-S. None of these organizations have any law or regulation that allows a player ever to deliberately or intentionally handle the ball except for the goalkeeper inside his/her own penalty area. The rules and regulations further state that the Referee is subject to all FIFA Laws and Procedures. I am sure that this is consistent with all other soccer leagues. Second, you say the referee would not call the intentional handball fouls. If, in the opinion of the Referee, he/she sees a player handle the ball deliberately then a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team where the offense occurred unless it was committed by a defensive player inside his/her own penalty area which would result in a penalty kick. The Referee should not punish actions that are considered to be accidental, inadvertent or trifling. Also, moving the hands or arms instinctively to protect the body when suddenly faced with a fast approaching ball does not constitute deliberate contact unless there is subsequent action to direct the ball once contact is made. The referee also has the right to apply the advantage and allow play to continue when the team against which the foul has been committed will actually benefit from not stopping play. With all that being said what you may see from the coaches box may be viewed by the referee differently. Finally, if the game you were referring to involved a new or youth referee please remember that they are learning too. It takes time for new and youth referees to build up their experience and confidence to referee a soccer game and any mistake that may have occurred by this referee in your game was not intentional. The foul may have been missed or interpreted differently then what you saw. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Shawn Richardson)
Hi, Just wanted to say the ref's called a poor game today, (and we won). But the AR wasn"t calling very obvious offsides, the HR was letting the players get away with alot of pushing, elbows etc... They can't be afraid to make the calls!!! I actually thought the ref was afraid to make some call today several on my own team? Tell them to toughen up and take charge.They are there to protect the kids and keep the peace!! Thanks for letting me ramble on, Shawn
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Shawn, thank you for using the �Ask the MYSL Referee�. Sometimes it is very difficult to read comments such as yours and not get angry or defensive when it comes to negative remarks about refereeing soccer matches. I take these kinds of comments very serious since I am responsible for refereeing development, but I do understand the point you are making and I do follow up on comments like these with our referees. As it is part of my responsibilities to assist in the development of our MYSL referees I feel that it is also my responsibilities to educate coaches and parents about the development of our MYSL referees. These referees do not come to our soccer matches with all the skills and abilities to referee a perfect match. If fact, I will even tell you that all of our youth referees are never completely prepared for their first few matches they referee. Sometimes it takes one or two seasons to get them to a level of confidence and skill that is required to referee a soccer match. This can occasionally be seen out on the soccer fields each weekend. Sometimes you get a more seasoned referee and sometime you don�t. There is no way around it. We have to let our youth referees go out there and learn from experience much like we do with the soccer players. Why do we do this? Well, it is because of the fact we have a referee shortage while at the same time our league is growing. We follow up with our referees with monthly training and yearly testing. Eventually our league will have a mentor program in place that will allow experienced adult referees to occasionally be at the game of the youth referees and offer assistance and guidance during and after there match. Until that happens we are stuck with the system that we have. I hope this helps you understand a little better where I am coming from. Adults can be very cruel to youth referees, and should never be tolerated at any time. It is the coach�s responsibility to be the example of their team on the touchline. It is the coach�s responsibility for the conduct of the sidelines and player behavior. The coach is expected to remain in control of their sideline and demonstrate sound sportsmanship at all times during and after the match. All coaches are expected to show that sportsmanship towards the referee, especially the youth referee, at all times even when he or she makes a mistake. At the youth level of soccer it is more the coaches responsibility to keep the peace then it is the youth referees. Could you imagine what would happen if a stranger started to yell at your son out on the soccer field for making a mistake while playing? Then, why is it ok for a stranger to yell out at the youth referee? Now, why am I saying all of this? Because this is what�s happening every weekend out their on the fields, and it is hurting our youth referees to the point they are scared to make a mistake. Some are even quitting without giving it a chance. One of the ways we can start to fix this problem is to have the coaches stop yelling at our youth referees and keep the parents from doing the same. Remember, you are in the recreational division of our league and not the club division. It is a fact of life that competitive club games get the more experienced referees because they pay the referees way more to referee their games. We also pay the referees, but not nearly as much as the club teams do. We rely on the youth that want to learn how to referee. We also rely heavily on the parents that care enough about our league to get involved, and what our league needs right now are adults who would like to become referees. Our league will continue to strive for excellence in our referees, but let us try to do it the correct way by letting the referees referee their game and learning from them and not being scared of the adults on the sidelines. You can always use our website to let us know about games where you felt the referee needs some additional training in certain areas of the laws. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Mike Whitney)
I want to call to your attention a problem with the referee's in our game on Saturday. Our team is FC Murrieta G-U14. Our team was awarded a corner kick.Our girl kicked a perfect bending kick directly into the goal, untouched. The referee called it a goal. However the opposing team coach called him over to talk.Apparently the opposing coach felt a corner kick is an indirect kick and since it was not touched it should not be a goal. The referee agreed and took our goal away. The laws of soccer are clear on this one. It should have been a goal. Unless there is a modified rule at this level I don't know about? I hope you can contact the referee working that game and the coach and educate them on the correct ruling. I just don't want this to happen again.The referee should know the rules.Unfortunately no one there had a rule book. What is your oppinion?
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Mike, it is true. A goal can be scored directly from a corner kick. Unless there was something else that happened that caused the referee to take away the goal it should have stood. If the referee was convinced that something else happen before the ball went into the goal, lets say impeding or dangerous play, then the referee should not allow the goal to stand. That probably wasn't the case though. If it were the case the referee would have made it clear what his decision was for not allowing the goal. Most likely the referee misapplied the Laws of the Game. The only recourse you would have would be to protest the game according to Presidio League's Rules and Regulations if the decission made by the referee changed the outcome of the game. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Nancy Ashley)
Our team made it to the Commisioner's Cup and we had a call on the game I'm confussed about. The other team had a free kick, which they made and our goalie touched it with her fingertips. However our coach thought they had to touch the ball twice before it went in for it to count. Is that true? What are the rules on free kicks and when are they called? Also can the referee call the game when we are in the middle of doing a free kick? Thanks
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Nancy, there are two types of free kicks. There is the direct free kick, and there is the indirect free kick. In the Laws of the Game under Law 12, Fouls and Misconduct, direct free kicks are awarded when a player kicks (or attempts to kick), trips (or attempts to trip), jumps at, charges, strikes (or attempts to strike) or pushes an opponent. A direct free kick is also awarded when a player illegally tackles, holds or spits at an opponent, or deliberately handles the ball. All other fouls that a referee might call would be considered an indirect free kick. Those would be the following; the goalkeeper takes more than six seconds to release the ball, the goalkeeper touches the ball again with his/her hands after it has been released, the goalkeeper touches the ball with his hands after is has been deliberately kicked or thrown-in to him/her by a team-mate. A indirect free kick is also awarded when a player plays in a dangerous manner, impedes the progress of an opponent, prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands, commits any other offense, not previously mentioned, for which play is stopped for a yellow card or red card. In the Laws of the Game under Law 13, Free Kicks, if a direct free kick is kicked directly into the opponents goal, a goal is awarded. For an indirect free kick a goal can be scored only if the ball subsequently touches another player (by either team) before it enters the goal. In your case it sounds like the opposing team was awarded an indirect free kick. The opposing player kicked the ball directly towards your teams goal and the goalkeeper touched the ball before it went in to the goal. According to the Laws of the game this would be considered a legal goal. I know this is very hard for U10s to understand, but if the goalkeeper would have just let the ball go directly into the goal without anyone else touching it the referee would have given your team a goal kick rather than giving the other team a goal. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Charley Black)
Soccer ball size for U8 is 3, correct?
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Yes, and here is how the ball size and age group breaks down for all of the ages; U5 = size 3, U6 = size 3, U8 = size 3, U10 = size 4, U12 = size 4, U14 = size 5, U18 = size 5. Regards, Dave
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Question (from Rogelio Gallegos)
I have two questions.
If two players are running or struggling to get a ball and one player leans against the other, when does leaning on each other become pushing the other player?
Is there a new rule about changing goalies? Our team received a yellow card because the coaches did not tell the referee that the team was changing goalies at the start of the 4th quarter.
thanks
Rogelio
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Rogelio,
First Question – What you are describing is more of a charging scenario and not a pushing one, so I will try to explain when charging is considered a foul by the referee. A fair charge is commonly know as “shoulder to shoulder” contact, although shoulder to shoulder contact is not a requirement to be a fair charge. The charge must only be directed towards the area of the opponent’s shoulder, and never under any circumstances be directed towards the center of the opponent’s back (spinal column). A fair charge can result in an opponent to fall down. This is usually the case when one player is taller or stronger then the other. A referee determines when a charging foul has occurred only when the charge was done carelessly, recklessly or involved excessive force.
Second Question – There is not a new law about changing the goalkeeper. Law 3 – The number of Players, clearly states that the referee must be informed before the change is made and that the change is made during a stoppage, i.e. after a goal is scored, at the quarter breaks or half time. This has been that way for as long as I know. The referee followed the correct procedure for issuing a yellow card. Most of the time I have seen referees look the other way or tell the coach to inform him next time about changing goalkeepers. That may be ok at the recreation level on certain occasions, for instance a U8 game. The problem is at what point does a referee decide to enforce the Laws of the Game and issue a yellow card for this offense. I say that if more referees enforced this law more consistently then more coaches, players and spectators would know that the referee must be informed when changing the goalkeeper.
Regards, Dave
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Question (from Rob)
Please clarify when there is no offside on a goal kick. Is it from the ground (restart) or from the keeper's hands?
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Answer from the MYSL Referee
Rob,
There is no offside if a player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick only. Receiving the ball from the goalkeeper is not the same as receiving it from a goal kick. Therefore, if a player is in an offside position at the moment the ball is punted by the goalkeeper and that player becomes, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by interfering with the play, interfering with an opponent or gains an advantage by being in that position then that player is penalized for offside.
Regards,
Dave
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