Advice on the Laws of the Game

[TheBoss]

The Argentina goal v Ireland, you can not be offside from a goal-kick, I never knew that. Surely, a goal-kick is a re-start of the game like a free kick is. If that is the case, why don't teams just push players as high up as possible to the opposition goal and boot the ball up the them. I think it is an odd rule, what is the reason for this ?

[BigfeetBigsocks]

And I suppose you knew you couldn't be offside from a throw in....it's the exact same thing anything that involves a restart when the ball has crossed the endlines or sidelines I.e throw in corner kick and goal kick you cannot be offside from. :-)

[Subprime]

And u can't be offside from a corner kick either. You are right, why don't teams push up when a goal kick is being taken? They'll stand at the half way because defenders have pushed out and players think they will be offside!!!!!!!

[rocksalot]

hi ref,
quick question for you.we played a match today where the referee refused to toss a coin at the start to see who would have choice of ends and gave the home team the advantage of playing down the hill with the wind,any thoughts on this?

[Subprime]

Was it a friendly you were playing? Did ref just get the game going? We had that in one of our friendlies lately, ref just said stay as you are and other team kick off and no one complained about it. If that is the only complaint you have about him you're lucky.

[rocksalot]

no it was a league match.and as i said there is a significant hill which we wanted to play down as well.the ref refused to toss the coin and said that was his decision and to get on with it.and unfortunatly its not the only complaint we have but i dont want to have a big rant about his overall performance just the basic right to a coin toss and be treated equally and impartially

[Subprime]

"A coin is tossed and the team that wins the toss decides which goal it will
attack in the first half of the match." Basic rule of the game, too bad you got a ref that does not read the rules and implement them as he is required to do. Write a letter to his assessor and ask the question and name the ref - "you were just wondering blah blah:o"

[rocksalot]

for the referee
well ref any thoughts about my previous enquiry on the coin toss which my team encountered?

[gaiscíoch]

Hi Ref,

Just wondering is there any system in place throughout the junior leagues whereby they assess the competence of a given referee to enforce the rules of the game correctly and to ensure the safety of all players on the pitch?

Thanks.

[Subprime]

they have assessors you can write to but don't forget that under the laws of the game

A referee (or where applicable, an assistant referee or fourth offi cial) is not held
liable for:
any kind of injury suffered by a player, official or spectator

[Referee09]

Just wondering is there any system in place throughout the junior leagues whereby they assess the competence of a given referee to enforce the rules of the game correctly and to ensure the safety of all players on the pitch?

Assessors will assess referees locally, usually a couple of times a season, and maybe more if complaints are received about a specific referee. The Fai also run developement modules around the country to help further referees knowledge of the LotG and their guidelines.

I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at with the players safety bit. A referee can't be held accountable if a player is injured, whether it be from a tackle or an act of violence!!

[Jofspring]

I think by player safety he means the kind of games where bad tackles go flying in and the ref fails to punish players so it continues and someone usually ends up seriously injured. Rarely happens but it has happened before.

[Referee09]

I think by player safety he means the kind of games where bad tackles go flying in and the ref fails to punish players so it continues and someone usually ends up seriously injured. Rarely happens but it has happened before.

Ok......well here's where we run into problems......... Firstly, it's down to a referees knowledge of the Laws and his ability to identify the different types of fouls and under the LotG these are "in the opinion of the referee" and as opinions differ and with the referees view being different to most other views in the ground, here lies the problem. A spectator might view a tackle and cry "foul", the referee might view the same tackle and deem it as a fair tackle and vice versa.................Education is the way forward and that's what the Fai hope to improve with the developement modules.......to get all referees singing from the same hymn sheet by improving their knowledge.......Here's hoping!!

[rocksalot]

hey ref ,will you read my original post about the referee who refused to toss a coin to decide who played downhill in a game recently an d respond please

[gaiscíoch]

Jofspring is more along the lines of what I'm asking.
I ask the question about referees actual competence to Referee a game, who watches them to assess their ability.
The reason for this is a ref who will remain nameless (has refereed a fair few games which I have played in) is constantly acting the clown for example he sent a player off straight red for asking for a Penalty?
Book another player for asking for offside and then a dirty tackle goes in lets a tackle from behind with unreasonable force(I believe that's what the rule book says) and gives a free to the player who put in the bad tackle when asked why he game the free cannot answer the question and books the fouled player for asking?
He then allows a 4th substitution be made when the league applies a 3 substitution rule.
I know allot of refereeing is interpretation but the guy generally turns a game into a farce for both teams and everybody involved.
In short who watches the watchmen?

[Referee09]

Jofspring is more along the lines of what I'm asking.
I ask the question about referees actual competence to Referee a game, who watches them to assess their ability.
The reason for this is a ref who will remain nameless (has refereed a fair few games which I have played in) is constantly acting the clown for example he sent a player off straight red for asking for a Penalty?
Book another player for asking for offside and then a dirty tackle goes in lets a tackle from behind with unreasonable force(I believe that's what the rule book says) and gives a free to the player who put in the bad tackle when asked why he game the free cannot answer the question and books the fouled player for asking?
He then allows a 4th substitution be made when the league applies a 3 substitution rule.
I know allot of refereeing is interpretation but the guy generally turns a game into a farce for both teams and everybody involved.
In short who watches the watchmen?

Referees at Junior level are graded from 1 -4 with 1 being a top referee a Junior Level. A grade 4 referee will usually only referee div 3 & 4 matched where the quality and intensity of the game is generally low. If what you say is true, I'd report this referee to the League, the local referees society and to the local referees assessor/Fai as he obviously needs further developement......

[Referee09]

hey ref ,will you read my original post about the referee who refused to toss a coin to decide who played downhill in a game recently an d respond please

This is really only a minor thing...............technically he was wrong but it may have been a case that he forgot to bring a coin so decided to just "wing it"........He could of used his head and just done a "which hand is the whistle in?" and I'm sure you wouldn't then have a gripe?

[rocksalot]

hi ref,
in regards to the coin toss or refusal to toss a coin,we objected with him there and then ,asked him why he wouldnt do a coin toss and he just said he had made his decision and to get on with it,we offered to get him a coin as we wanted to play down hill and he just refused,it may not sound like a big deal but it sets a precedence,we were not treated equally and unfortunatly this continued throughout the game.he turned down 4 penalty shouts ,3 definite penalties and he didnt give us one.he was totally biased and to be honest its referees like that which give all referees a bad name

[Referee09]

If what you alledge is true, then your Club Secretary should contact your local Referees Branch and maybe the local Fai assessor to bring this situation to their attention.

[Round Tower]

U177's World Cup quarter Final
Ireland V Japan
What did u think of the discraseful decision of the refree in awarding the penalty to Japan when the Irish defender got the ball clearly.

[Longshanks]

poor decision alright, but the 2nd goal??? dont le t the ball bounce....certainly not three times!!, shudda finished a draw

[bruffunited]

Bigguy

Two conditions must be met before a caution (yellow card) can be given:

1. The referee must be happy to allow a quick free kick and;

2. The player must be deliberately trying to stop a quick free kick.

If the player who is not 10 yards away is there unintentionally (i.e. he is not deliberately attempting to stop the quick free kick) then no yellow card is to issue, in fact the referee can allow play to continue.

If the player is attempting to stop the quick free kick then a yellow card should be shown.

If the referee is not happy for the free kick to proceed e.g. a player is injured or referee is not in a good position, he is under no obligation to allow it. I personally allow quick free kicks as often as possible but what annoys me is the attacking team attempting to hit an opposition player who is not ten yards away to get him cautioned.

I hope this clarifies this for you
if a team are tryin to take a free kick from their own half and try to take it quick(dont ask for 10 yards) and a player who is not 10 yards away blocks it he gets a yellow!!! correct??
but if a team are taking a free around the box and dont ask for 10 and go to take it quick usualy the wall wil b setting up and will not b 10 yards away when they see the free is about to be taken they jump or whatever it takes to block the ball therefore they are not 10 yards away and deliberatly trying to block the free kick!!! so as you say the rule states a yellow should be given here?????

[Referee09]

if a team are tryin to take a free kick from their own half and try to take it quick(dont ask for 10 yards) and a player who is not 10 yards away blocks it he gets a yellow!!! correct??
but if a team are taking a free around the box and dont ask for 10 and go to take it quick usualy the wall wil b setting up and will not b 10 yards away when they see the free is about to be taken they jump or whatever it takes to block the ball therefore they are not 10 yards away and deliberatly trying to block the free kick!!! so as you say the rule states a yellow should be given here?????

This will all hinge on how the referee manages the dead ball situation. The ref needs to be proactive and control the free kick. If its in the middle of the park or in your own half and a player stands over it, the referee should move him back. If he doesn't move and delays the restart of play then he is cautioned. If it's in a more advantageous position, ie: edge of 18 yard box and the attacking team signal that they want to take it quickly and the ref is happy to allow it and they then hit the wall which isn't back 10 yrds............tough, play on!! But as stated at the beginning it comes down to how the referee manages the taking of the free kick. Also remember, if a player is cautioned for this, he's cautioned for "delaying the restart of play"

[bruffunited]

This will all hinge on how the referee manages the dead ball situation. The ref needs to be proactive and control the free kick. If its in the middle of the park or in your own half and a player stands over it, the referee should move him back. If he doesn't move and delays the restart of play then he is cautioned. If it's in a more advantageous position, ie: edge of 18 yard box and the attacking team signal that they want to take it quickly and the ref is happy to allow it and they then hit the wall which isn't back 10 yrds............tough, play on!! But as stated at the beginning it comes down to how the referee manages the taking of the free kick. Also remember, if a player is cautioned for this, he's cautioned for "delaying the restart of play"
i have had this convo with various refs in matches its a joke because when a player goes to take a quick free in his own half he never tells the ref he is gonna take it quick he jst does it so if what your saying is right its that players own tough sh!t if he hits it of a player who is not 10 yards back because by the law he has to ask for 10 yards if he wants it quick he doesn ask for 10 yards rules should be the same no matter what part of the pitch you are in

[Referee09]

i have had this convo with various refs in matches its a joke because when a player goes to take a quick free in his own half he never tells the ref he is gonna take it quick he jst does it so if what your saying is right its that players own tough sh!t if he hits it of a player who is not 10 yards back because by the law he has to ask for 10 yards if he wants it quick he doesn ask for 10 yards rules should be the same no matter what part of the pitch you are in
You seem to be a little confused.......But I'll try explain as best I can. Firstly, a player doesn't have to ask for ten yards, It is the responsibility of the defending player to observe the 10 yard rule.
As I stated earlier it's up to the referee to manage the free kick. Now normally if a team gets a free in their own half it's rare that an opposing player will stand over it, so normally a quick free kick will be taken without incident and if there is a player standing over it, it's up to the referee to remove him quickly before an incident develops and he is then forced to administer a card. It's when a free is awarded in areas where the taking of a quick free kick may lead to a goal scoring opportunity that the referee needs to be proactive. If the referee controls the free kick properly he will normally ask the attacking team if they want 10 yards.....if they say yes then he will tell the wall to retreat and tell the kick taker to wait for his whistle and then pace out the distance for the wall. result: free is taken without incident. If the attacking team want to take a free kick quickly and don't want to wait for the referee to pace out the 10 yards and then subsequently hit the wall which isn't back 10 yards then... tough.

But players need to remember, if they stand over a free kick and delay the restart of play regardless of where it is on the field of play, they will rightly receive a caution!!

[bruffunited]

But players need to remember, if they stand over a free kick and delay the restart of play regardless of where it is on the field of play, they will rightly receive a caution!!
so what your saying is, it has to be a yellow if you are not 10yards back no matter where on the field the free is???? so if the free is on the edge of the box you have to be 10 yards back no matter what so if the player taking the free wants to take it fast you cant try to block it if your not 10 yards back or you will get a yellow????

[Referee09]

so what your saying is, it has to be a yellow if you are not 10yards back no matter where on the field the free is???? so if the free is on the edge of the box you have to be 10 yards back no matter what so if the player taking the free wants to take it fast you cant try to block it if your not 10 yards back or you will get a yellow????

You're getting bogged down on this. Think of it this way... I you "delay the restart of play" whether that's by stopping a free kick being taken quickly or by stopping a throw or by delaying taking a throw or goal kick near the end of the game when you're one up, it's a yellow.! Similarly, when a player gives away a free and kicks the ball away he's not cautioned for kicking the ball away but for "delaying the restart of play" hope this helps.....

[Subprime]

"failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner
kick, free kick or throw-in" is in the law book and I often hear refs shouting at players to get back automatic ten yards or yellow card their choice and yet we still hear players (goal keepers) shouting to stand over the ball. I also see some players put the ball down and hit it quickly to take advantage and when they hit it off an opponent cry foul. An odd referee will give them the retake (which is unfair) but a lot just yell to play on as they took it quickly (which is fair). Referees differ and we shiver.

[Round Tower]

What did u think of Liverpool's first goal against Sudderland or do u think common sense should have prevailed that the defender was tapping the ball back to the keeper for him to take the free kick.

[Referee09]

What did u think of Liverpool's first goal against Sudderland or do u think common sense should have prevailed that the defender was tapping the ball back to the keeper for him to take the free kick.

I think the referee switched off a little and actually didn't see the incident. He could clearly be seen with the whistle in his mouth looking for a dig out from his assistant, which never came. It would have made his life easier if he called it back, and the worst he would of had to endure would of been Torres whinging instead of 11 players disputing the validity of a goal. However.... technically the Sunderland played the ball after it had been placed so you could argue that the free kick had been taken................ a difficult one, but imo he could have managed it a little better........

[bruffunited]

"failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner
kick, free kick or throw-in" is in the law book and I often hear refs shouting at players to get back automatic ten yards or yellow card their choice and yet we still hear players (goal keepers) shouting to stand over the ball. I also see some players put the ball down and hit it quickly to take advantage and when they hit it off an opponent cry foul. An odd referee will give them the retake (which is unfair) but a lot just yell to play on as they took it quickly (which is fair). Referees differ and we shiver.
good points d reason i kept on about this is because last seasons i got sent off(2 yellows) the 1st was for 'delaying' the start off play from a free kick inside the opponents half the player took the free quick and kicked it straight of me i was about 5 yards away the ref had not asked me to move back and the player never asked for 10 yards i taught this was wrong..i got the 2nd yellow for taking a free myself around the box we were attacking bout 25 yards out the wall was lining up and were only bout 2 yards away from me i hadnt asked the ref for 10 yards i took it quick and kicked it straight off the wall(the exact same as what happened me a few mins earlier) but this time the ref said play on the ball went out of play as i was captain i asked to speak to the ref at half time to see how he could make this decision he told me go away his decision is final would not give any explanation so in the 2nd half the other team had a free about 30/35 yards out i wasthe only player standing there so i stood 2 yards away (like what the other team done when they blocked my free and never got booked) the player took the free straight away and kicked it straight off me the ref blew the whistle gave me a 2nd yellow and brought the free up 10 yards as a result a goal was scored????? i just wanted to know the official rule regarding this as i often see quick frees being taken and to me refs usualy let the game play on if a player takes a quick free around the attacking goal and it is blocked but if its a free in ur own half and you take it quick and its blocked you get a yellow for it surely the rules dont state that in 1 part of the pitch its ok but for another part of the pitch its not

[Round Tower]

good points d reason i kept on about this is because last seasons i got sent off(2 yellows) the 1st was for 'delaying' the start off play from a free kick inside the opponents half the player took the free quick and kicked it straight of me i was about 5 yards away the ref had not asked me to move back and the player never asked for 10 yards i taught this was wrong..i got the 2nd yellow for taking a free myself around the box we were attacking bout 25 yards out the wall was lining up and were only bout 2 yards away from me i hadnt asked the ref for 10 yards i took it quick and kicked it straight off the wall(the exact same as what happened me a few mins earlier) but this time the ref said play on the ball went out of play as i was captain i asked to speak to the ref at half time to see how he could make this decision he told me go away his decision is final would not give any explanation so in the 2nd half the other team had a free about 30/35 yards out i wasthe only player standing there so i stood 2 yards away (like what the other team done when they blocked my free and never got booked) the player took the free straight away and kicked it straight off me the ref blew the whistle gave me a 2nd yellow and brought the free up 10 yards as a result a goal was scored????? i just wanted to know the official rule regarding this as i often see quick frees being taken and to me refs usualy let the game play on if a player takes a quick free around the attacking goal and it is blocked but if its a free in ur own half and you take it quick and its blocked you get a yellow for it surely the rules dont state that in 1 part of the pitch its ok but for another part of the pitch its not

Not knowing the full the full story i would think u were unlucky but normaly any where on the pitch except close to goal if a player take a free kick quickly and does not give aplayer a chance to move away the ref will just allow the frre kick to be taken again. But if a player stops on purpose and stops a goal scoring chance any where except the goal areas he would be right to book a player. Also it a case different ref different intereption. There is alot of cases the ref wont allow quick free kicksd because they can't keep up with the play.

[Round Tower]

What did u think about Nani's goal against Spurs taking that the Ref did not see his handball.

[Notaclue]

An attacking player was fouled just outside the penalty area but the offending players momentum took both himself and the fouled attacker into the penalty area by a couple of feet. The ref gave a penalty and yellow carded the defender. When questioned the ref said that as the offence continued into the box he deemed it a penalty. I thought that was only the case where a defender was illegally holding an opponent, and not for a sliding tackle. What do you think?

[Subprime]

Hey notaclue, I think you are definitely clued in on this one, I would say the ref was wrong as it is where the offence was committed and not where it ends up (except for holding the jersey-which I think is a stupid rule as the offence starts outside the box and it allows an advantage to see whether it carries into the box and is punished by a harsher free i.e. a penalty). If a defender standing inside the box spits at an opponent who is outside the box a penalty is awarded because the defender was inside the box when he committed the foul and likewise if the defender was outside the box and spit at an opponent who was inside the box then a direct free kick outside the box is given, so if I tackle u outside the box why should u get a penalty because you landed inside the box???? If I pull your jersey going into the edge of the box and you continue on into the box with me holding your jersey and you then turn and go back outside the box what would it be - a penalty or a free kick? Referees differ and we shiver and get booked if we dissent.

[Referee09]

An attacking player was fouled just outside the penalty area but the offending players momentum took both himself and the fouled attacker into the penalty area by a couple of feet. The ref gave a penalty and yellow carded the defender. When questioned the ref said that as the offence continued into the box he deemed it a penalty. I thought that was only the case where a defender was illegally holding an opponent, and not for a sliding tackle. What do you think?
Hi, Notaclue.......It depends on what you mean by fouled really........from your description I'm taking it that the attacker was kicked, tripped or seen that the defender and attacker both landed inside the PA maybe the attacker was pushed or tripped by the chasing defender. However you are correct, if the foul was committed out side the PA, regardless of where the player lands it's a free kick. But it must also be pointed out that it was an offence that begun outside the PA and continued inside the PA then it's a penalty. The easiest example to explain this type of offence is the holding offence, wher the offence starts outside and the players end up inside with the defender still holding. Hope this helps!

[Referee09]

What did u think about Nani's goal against Spurs taking that the Ref did not see his handball.

I was in the middle of answering this when I received an email with a link to the following:

Jeff Petit Ex Premiership Assistant Referee explains Nani's GOAL!
In the late match at Old Trafford on Saturday (MUFC versus THFC) one of those incidents occurred.
If you haven’t seen it let me explain in simple terms what happened.
The Manchester United player Nani was heading into Tottenham’s penalty area with Kaboul of Spurs in close attendance. There was a penalty shout as Nani went down in the 6 yard box to the side of the Tottenham goal.
The referee – Mark Clattenburg – indicated no foul and then Nani put his hand on the ball in a show of stupidity. Gomes the Tottenham goalkeeper picked the ball up to kick it up field, at this point Mark was happy to allow play to continue.
It is more advantageous for the offended team to have the ball in the goalkeeper’s hands than have a free kick in the goal area, isn’t it?
Now Mark’s world would be a rosier place right now if Gomes hadn’t decided to have a go at Nani. It would appear that because Gomes had a go at Nani he forgot that no whistle had been blown so some 10 yards up the field he put the ball down for a free kick and then realised he couldn’t pick the ball up again!
This is where the fun started!
Footballers being fine upstanding members of the Integrity Guild Nani decided to take advantage of Gomes lapse of concentration and put the ball into the goal.
In round terms John all hell breaks loose and Mark’s watch seems like its stopped! We’ve all been there.
Subsequently Harry thinks Mark’s got it totally wrong because its deliberate handball and that must be a caution. Bless him.
Kevin Keegan on the telecast actually says Mark has done everything correct but surely Mark could have applied common sense and disallowed the goal. Bless him.
Knowing Mark I’m confident that he would have loved to help Gomes out but he had to ask the question: “what happens if I disallow the goal on a “common sense ruling” and then Tottenham go up the other end and equalise?”
If a similar incident happens to you I would suggest that the only thing you could do different to Mark is make a big play-on signal so that everyone knows what you’re about.
If you’re like me you’ll also be saying Thank God that happened to Mark and not to me and you’ll be learning from his experience.
Sometimes being a referee is a tough job.
But if we wanted it to be easy we’d have opted to be an armchair critic who can sit in front of the television and spout off knowing that he’ll never put his head above the parapet.
Whilst Mark will be dejected about how the game ended yesterday he’s got to dust himself off and get back out there with his shoulders back and his head held high. That’s my message to every referee who has had a setback.
Like you he wants his games to go well without incidents such as yesterdays.
Incidentally, I see that MOTD were on Clatt’s side stating that schoolboy mantra “Play to the whistle.”

[Notaclue]

The atacking player was fouled just outside the PA but the foul tackle by a sliding tackle continued into the PA. The attacker tried to stay on his feet as long as possible and did not try to get an unfair advantage. But the question remains was it a penalty or not?

[Jayk69]

Hey there, looking to clear something up. I played a very tight game of football today against our league rival. The thing is there was a league of Ireland ref playing centre of the park for the opposition. The ref, reffing our game knew him and basically listened fr his calls, his offside shouts were greeted with a whistle blow of offside and we should have had 2 peno's at least. We were through 4 times on goal when ref played them till their centre mid spoke up sayin it was offside, then our ref blew the whistle. My question to you is fairly simple, are league of Ireland refs allowed play in standard leagues of football or is it frowned upon?? I heard that they cannot take part in a match but want to get clarity on it.

[Jayk69]

I agree, it shouldn't be an issue at all, he didn't change the course of the game playing wise so I have no issue with that but the concern I have is when we were clean through twice and he shouted housey and the ref listened to him. Not saying that it was a direct result of who he was but it may have had some say in the ref decision. You came away winners in the second half of the game but had it not been for a few decision, especially the 2 clear peno decisions when your number 6 clearly shouted get up when the ref had the whistle in his mouth. I wouldn't want to do anyone out of a game of ball ever but his influence did become clear on a few occassions during our match.

[Referee09]

I agree, it shouldn't be an issue at all, he didn't change the course of the game playing wise so I have no issue with that but the concern I have is when we were clean through twice and he shouted housey and the ref listened to him. Not saying that it was a direct result of who he was but it may have had some say in the ref decision. You came away winners in the second half of the game but had it not been for a few decision, especially the 2 clear peno decisions when your number 6 clearly shouted get up when the ref had the whistle in his mouth. I wouldn't want to do anyone out of a game of ball ever but his influence did become clear on a few occassions during our match.

To the best of my knowledge, but don't quote me, all National League Referees are members of the Irish Soccer Referees Society and that referee would have to be a member of his local Referee Branch. If the team he is playing for plays in the league where he is a Branch member I cannot understand how other teams and the referees in that area are allowing this to go on. Again, as far as I'm aware once you become a member of the Referees Society you must cancel all affilliations with Clubs. You can't even coach a team never mind play for one!!

[Draper]

I was at a match Saturday, the ref blew a player for calling "my ball" or "leave it". I thaught that law was done away with? Can you clarify it please?

[Referee09]

I was at a match Saturday, the ref blew a player for calling "my ball" or "leave it". I thaught that law was done away with? Can you clarify it please?


This is only an offence under "unsporting behaviour" if the player shouts "my ball" or "leave it" to distract or deceive an opponent. It is not an offence to shout this to your own player!!

[Round Tower]

It was on Yahoo and a video,Italian league play-off,in a penalty shoot out a player takes a penalty hammers it off the crossbar comes out the way,the keeper celabrates thinking they had won, the taker is lying on the ground distraught that he had cost his team a chance to win the game. But when the ball came out and hit the ground it bounced forwards and it ended up in the net. The referee allowed the penalty too stand,was it a corect decision.

[corkref]

Under the Laws of the Game a penalty kick — including a kick from the penalty mark to determine a winner — is completed only when the referee declares it so, and the referee should not declare the kick to be completed if there is any possibility that the ball is still in play. In other words: So long as the ball is in motion and contacting any combination of the ground, crossbar, goalposts, and goalkeeper, a goal can still be scored.

[gunnerbaz]

no it was not

[old git]

quick query , what is the offical referee's view on pitches
what standard is required e,g holes in nets / pitch not properly lined no centre circle , no d at 18 yard box , when can referee refuse to play or when can opposition refuse to play.

[Innishvilla]

quick query , what is the offical referee's view on pitches
what standard is required e,g holes in nets / pitch not properly lined no centre circle , no d at 18 yard box , when can referee refuse to play or when can opposition refuse to play.

I think a ref would know better - but as far as I know the opposition has no say in the matter it is up to the referee to decide if a game goes ahead - never the opposition

[old git]

I think a ref would know better - but as far as I know the opposition has no say in the matter it is up to the referee to decide if a game goes ahead - never the opposition

but what if opposition have concerns on pitch surely they are entitled to ask / point these out to referee and let him then make the decision

[maninthemiddle]

quick query , what is the offical referee's view on pitches
what standard is required e,g holes in nets / pitch not properly lined no centre circle , no d at 18 yard box , when can referee refuse to play or when can opposition refuse to play.

common sense would prevail and it would depend on a lot of things.


I think a ref would know better - but as far as I know the opposition has no say in the matter it is up to the referee to decide if a game goes ahead - never the opposition

of course they would have a say but not in the decesion


but what if opposition have concerns on pitch surely they are entitled to ask / point these out to referee and let him then make the decision

yep and the ref can make a decision. again common sense would prevail.

no ref is going to play with shockin nets or dangerous goalposts etc. imo.

friendlies may be different in regards to lines or corner flags or something but safety woulld and should not be compromised in any shape or form regardless of match stature.

as i sais it woul depend on your complaint.