ASK THE REGION REFEREE ADMINISTRATOR – DISCUSSION TOPICS

Jewelry

I understand that all piercings are considered jewelry and will not allow them even if taped. However, there now exist soft rubber items that are manufactured to put into the holes made by piercings to keep them open during athletic events. Last week I made a U19G player remove her lip piercing. She put one of these soft rubber things into the opening and I was befuddled. I decided it was not jewelry and was not dangerous after examining it in great detail. I'd like to get an official ruling especially since we need consistency among referees.

Response:
I would not consider this jewelry as it is serving a medical purpose to keep the piercing hole open. If the referee feels it is dangerous, then the player should not play.

Goal Kick Strikes Own Teammate in Penalty Area

When taking a goal kick, if the ball strikes one's own teammate and then leaves the penalty area, is it in play when it leaves the penalty area?

Or must the goal kick carry the ball outside the penalty area with no further touch by anyone within the penalty area, in order for the ball to be considered in play?

Is it correct that the ruling concerning the above also applies to any free kick taken from within one's own penalty area?

Response:

The ball is not in play, as it did not leave the penalty area directly from the goal kick or free kick taken by the defense in his or her own penalty area. In both cases, the ball must completely leave the penalty area from the initial kick before it can be touched or played by any other player. If these conditions are not met, the kick shall be retaken.

Defending a Throw-in

The opposing team is about to throw-in, but before this happens the defending team has one of its players stand directly in front (not moving) of the player doing the throw-in. First, is this legal for the defender to do? Second, if so is there any distance the defending player needs to be away from the player doing the throw-in?

Response:

The defender has the right to stand right in front of the thrower, but he cannot unfairly distract or impede the thrower. What this means is the defender has the right to any spot on the field including right in front of the thrower. Once he has taken that position, he cannot move or jump around to distract the thrower. Once the defender has taken his position, the thrower can now move 1-yard either side of the spot where the ball left the field of play to take the throw in and the defender cannot move to impede him.

In this situation, I would advise the referee to be close to the situation to prevent retaliation by either player through a quiet word and just encourage the thrower to move to a new spot to get the ball into play.

Offsides – Long

3 strikers are in offside position while ball is on other end of the field. one of their teams gets the ball and dribbles down field. These three strikers turn and begin to run towards the goal. They are not impeding the defense or the goal keeper and they do not "turn in" to make a run for the ball. As the teammate continues down, 1 defender passes one of the strikers that had been offside, then the ball is sent to the now "onside" attacker. The other 2 strikers are still offside but again not involved in the play, not impeding defense or keeper. Goal is scored and awarded. Was this the correct call? I was the AR and I want to be sure that the decision I made was correct. If not I need to know so that it wont happen again.

Response:

As you described the incident, this is a correct call of no offside offense and the goal should be allowed. Offside position is not an offense and you read the play correctly by not penalizing the two players in an offside position and NOT involved in play.

Off-side

Player A from Team 1 puts himself in an offside position intentionally in order to force Team 2 to hold the offside line. Team one passes the ball near player A(no more than 10 away from player A). Team 2 is holding the offside line because of player A(Team 1). Mean time Player’s A teammate, Player B(Team 1), makes the run passed the offside line held by Team 2 and breaks away with the ball.

1) If player A started walking opposite to the direction of the ball at the time the passed was made then it’s no offside. Am I correct?

2) If player A is sitting down at the time the passed was made then it’s no offside. Am I correct?

3) What if player A is just standing there at the time the passed was made. Clearly, he is standing there to force Team 2 to hold the offside line. Did he gain an advantage by forcing Team 2 to hold the offside line so his teammate can break away? Is he offside?

I need to make a statement before I can answer these questions. A player in an offside position is off his team and cannot get back on until someone else helps him. It can be done through the defense moving closer to their goal line than the offside player (or the player moving up field to put them between him and the goal line) before the teammate passes to the offside player; the player moves into his own half before the teammate plays the ball to him; or the ball goes out of play over the touch line or goal line. With that said, the offside player is not a defensive threat and does not need to be closely marked or the defense holding a “line” because of that player’s position.

1. If player “A” started walking opposite to the direction of the ball at the time the passed was made then it’s no offside. Am I correct?
a. This is correct
2. If player A is sitting down at the time the passed was made then it’s no offside. Am I correct?
a. That is correct as long as his position did not affect play, i.e. he did not block or interfere with a defender’s run to get to the ball
3. What if player “A” is just standing there at the time the passed was made. Clearly, he is standing there to force Team 2 to hold the offside line. Did he gain an advantage by forcing Team 2 to hold the offside line so his teammate can break away? Is he offside?
a. This is where I am confused. A player in an offside position cannot “hold” an opponent to a “line.” If that player is clearly in an offside position, the defender is now free to challenge and mark the teammate of the offside player who is making the run down the touchline. If the offside player interferes with the defender, then he is declared offside and an indirect free kick is awarded from that offside position. If the offside player just stands there, then there is no offside. The referee cannot give the offside call just because a defender decided to mark a player in an offside position.

Uniform Distinguishability

U13 Athena D game: Home team uniform is black shirt, shorts and socks. Visitors are in white shirt, dark shorts and dark socks. FIFA rules are that uniforms of each team must be distinguishable. How is that rule as relates to shorts and socks customarily applied for competitive youth teams?

In my opinion for a player under pressure, it is much easier to find a teammate when socks and shorts are clearly different i.e. either dark or light or high contrast colors such as red and blue.

Response:
The Laws of the Game mention uniform colors in only one place: Law 4 states that the goalkeeper for each team must wear a jersey that distinguishes him from all other players and the referee.

FIFA has not issued any directive or opinion about teams' uniforms, except for matches under its supervision (such as the World Cup or Olympics, etc.).

Rules about uniforms are left up to national associations and competition authorities. All Region 337 Referees will adhere to this policy about uniforms as follows:
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1 All players on the same team shall wear the same color uniforms.
1a. They will be individually numbered and legible.
1b. The number on the shirt must correspond to the player number for that player as shown on the AYSO game card.
1c. The goalkeeper shall wear a shirt of a different color from his teammates, the referee, and his opponents, and does not require a number.
2. The referee shall determine if there is a conflict of team colors.
2a. In the event of a conflict of team colors, the home team shall be required to change to alternate jerseys.
2b. Alternate jerseys may be T-shirts of contrasting colors.
2c. If a team is required to change to alternate jerseys, numbers on the jerseys shall not be required.
2d. Playing in "skins" shall not be allowed.

The text of these rules clearly implies that only the jersey is to be considered by the referee in determining if there is a color conflict between teams, so socks and shorts are not a consideration.

It is easier to tell which team a player belongs to, both for players looking for a teammate and for referees judging which team last touched a ball that goes out of play. However, there are no provisions in the Laws of the Game or AYSO rules for teams to have contrasting socks or shorts

Reporting Yellow Cards

I have witnessed numerous yellow cards being issued in a game by the referee but not reported on the game card. This practice leads to confusion on the players, coaches, spectators, scorekeepers, and age group coordinators regarding the validity of the caution being given. What is the Region 337 policy of reporting cautionable offenses?

Response:

I am hearing more and more complaints about referee's not reporting cautions on the game roster. This is TOTALLY AGAINST the Region 337 policy and will need to be stopped immediately!

It is one of the duties of the referee to report all misconducts within 48 hours. Our Region has made it easy for the referees to report a caution (yellow card) as it allows the caution to be marked on the game roster and not reported on a separate report. The send off (red card) still needs to be reported on a separate report.

Spectators Affecting Play

I see and hear more and more parents yelling directions directly to kids on the field. Is there a rule under which referees can restrain them from doing this?

Response:

There is nothing in the Laws of the Game that pertains to spectators, fans, and parents except when they enter the field of play or interfere with play by throwing objects onto the field. The only time I would ask the coach(es) to assist with the spectators yelling in a youth game, is when they are having a negative effect on the game through foul language, making comments to the opponents, or distracting the referee or assistant referee with their negative comments. Their yelling or coaching is usually not even heard by the players, so it has no effect.

Please do not address the spectators directly as the referee, but let the coaches handle this as directed in my Policy on this website.