Referee's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  REFEREE'S

 

THE REF'S ROOM

 
Terry Thacker
E.C.F.A. Referee Development Officers, David Dixon and Terry Thacker, are itching to answer your questions in the world famous Refs Room!
 
If you see a game over the weekend and wondered why the referee gave a certain decision, or if there’s a simple refereeing question that has been bugging you for ages, then make The Ref’s Room your first port of call!
 
QUESTION  
I recently encountered a situation. An attacking player was making a counter run with his team mate and a defending player tried to play the ball but made a reckless challenge.
I decided to play on, keeping what I'd seen in mind, and his team mate went on to score for the team. I then went back to the defender and cautioned him for a foul tackle and warned him about calming his challenges down.
Did I do the right thing to play advantage and, for future refernce, would I have brought play back if the team mate didn't have a clear advantage after a few seconds?
 
Regards,
Edward Smith
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
As the referee, if you feel a defender makes a reckless challenge on an opponent but the ball runs onto a another member of the attacking side, you can allow the advantage. Then, when the game has stopped, you can go back and caution the player who made the reckless challenge. 
One point I will make, however, is if by playing the advantage this affects your control it may be better to stop play straight away. 
On this occasion it does appear you were correct as a goal was scored, though you need to be mindful of the reaction there have could have been had a goal not been scored. 
Once deciding a player has an advantage you can only bring play back within a few seconds, providing the advantage was not lost due to lack of ability from the attacker or the ball goes out of play.
 
QUESTION  
I recently refereed a game where one of the players was wearing dread locks adorned with beads.
I thought long and hard about whether to ask the player to remove the beads, as I had concerns about aerial challenges where they could end up in somebody's eye. I decided to tell the player to tie his hair back as a stop-gap and this worked O.K. The question is, however, are beads legal ?
I thought them to be dangerous and I'm surprised things related to the hair are not classified separately as we see on the T.V. the wearing of alice bands, bandanas and various tie-backs etc.
 
Regards,
Paul Chapman
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
If, as the referee, you deem the beads to be dangerous for the player wearing them and for other players, you would be correct not to allow the player to participate. But there is always a 'however'! 
We do need to be mindful of religious/cultural issues and I believe, in the circumstances you mention in your question, common sense was used.
 
QUESTION  
I was refereeing at a recent festival when two defending players both attempted to slide tackle an attacker at the same time. The attacking player managed to avoid both of them and the defending players ended-up colliding with each other, resulting in an injury to both of them. 
Although there appeared to be no head injury I stopped play as I felt the collision may have caused serious injuries as the impact was quite heavy. I considered no foul had been committed as no contact had been made by either defending player with the attacker. 
When re-starting play, the captain of the attacking team came to me and offered to return the ball to the goalkeeper of the defending team. I did consider a dropped ball but both teams preferred the ball to be returned to the nearest 'keeper. Was I right or wrong with my decision?
 
Regards,
Tony Capon
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
The re-start should be a drop ball as no offence had occurred, and you stopped play. 
It is quite O.K. to just drop the ball so it can be played back to the goalkeeper, providing this has be agreed amongst the players. 
You cannot tell them to kick it back. The only point I should stress is the game must be re-started by the referee dropping the ball and should not be restarted by a player just kicking the ball.
 
QUESTION  
Whilst watching a game recently, it was apparent that the player-referee co-operation is non existent at the highest level.
The incident I refer to is that of Lucas Neill and Referee Rob Stiles. It was clear when the West Ham United skipper was asking about a decision the referee had/had not made. He was clearly told to go away and be quiet or be sent off.
How on earth do we as referees and football people expect our game to be one of respect and mutual understanding. If, in front of a national audience, there is no understanding. It filters down to all levels. How can we move towards this?
 
Regards,
Graham Smith
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
I never refereed at that level, but through my experience as referee I have found no matter what level of football you are refereeing there will be some players you can talk too and others you cannot. Over a period of time, a referee will get to know which ones he can and cannot talk too and will react accordingly.

The problem is, as a referee, if you are asked by a player why you gave or did not give a decision, if the player does not except the reason given, this could lead to possible dissent or worse. Then, when this happens, the referee ends up cautioning or even sending off the player. Had the referee not responded to the question this may not have happened.

How I used to deal with these situations was, if I knew it was a player who I could talk too, I would respond.   If not, I would not say anything and move away.    If they decided to follow me, I would then have to decide if I should take any action against them.  However, each referee will have his/her own way of dealing with this.
 
QUESTION  
I'm fully aware of the clamp down on foul language but it's very hard as a team manager to get that across to players when they see it in the Premier League and the Championship.
When players see those at the top doing it, how can we make grassroots players understand why they are being booked themselves for the same incidents as some referees seem to issue cautions and some don't ?
 
Regards,
Paul Groves, Harlow
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
I can only inform you of what is states in the Laws of the Game:
"A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offences..." Number Six of these highlights "...uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures."
The Laws of the Game are the same on a Sunday morning as they are in the Premiership.   What you should remember is on a Sunday morning on the local park, every word can be heard.
In a Premier League game with around 40,000 or more in attendance, it is a lot harder for the referee to hear what is being said. There are also so many cameras at these games which pick up the actions of the players and we then believe the referee must have heard and seen it, bit this is not necessarily the case.
I also can recall seeing things, when I felt the referee must have seen or heard them, but never having refereed at that level it would be wrong of me to make a judgement.
As a County Football Association, we are trying all we can to stop players using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures. We need to do so for the sake of local football because, if we don't, pitches will be closed and even more referees will give-up because of the abuse they receive.
The only way to prevent this from happening is for everyone involved in football to be proactive in attempting to stop the foul language within the game.
 
QUESTION
I was at a match recently where a defender handled the ball on the line and the rebound was netted by the attacking team.
The referee blew his whistle for a penalty in-between the handball and the goal, therefore presumably rendering the ball dead. Should the goal have stood?"
 
Regards,
A. Finnan, Witham
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
As the referee blew their whistle before the ball entered the goal, then a decision to award a penalty kick would have been correct and the player who handled the ball should have been sent off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. 
If the referee hadn't blown the whistle and allowed play to continue, and if a goal was scored from the rebound, then the goal should stand.
Then, if they adjudged the defender had deliberately handled the ball, the defender should have been cautioned for unsporting behaviour. 
On this occasion, the player was not sent off because he did not deny a goal-scoring opportunity
 
QUESTION
I recently refereed an Under 14s game and encountered a situation where there was a male spectator who claimed that to be taking photographs of his Grandson playing in the match.
However, one Club Assistant Referee objected which nearly caused a scene.
What should I have done ?
 
Name of Referee Supplied
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
The Referee should not involve him/her self in thismatter but refer it to a Club Official. 
It must be stressed it is not an offence to take photographs if the game is being played on a public park, but on an enclosed/private ground the owners of the facility could restrict the taking of photographs. 
Again, this is the role of the club and not the match officials. 
If a match official saw a person taking inappropriate pictures (i.e. in a dressing room) this matter should be reported to the club, their County F.A. or the Police if appropriate. 
For more information on safeguarding children, I would refer you to TheFA.com/Goal.
 
QUESTION  
There was an incident last Sunday where the ball went out of play for a corner.
The attacking team player retrieves the ball and throws it to a player who is going to take the kick.
The ball is placed correctly by the team mate while the other player is still off the field of play and is some yards away.
The corner taker plays it short and the player who retrieved the ball originally runs on and is the first to touch the ball.
I stop play and award an indirect free kick as the player has entered play after the kick was taken. 
Was I correct ?
I thought about cautioning the player for either entering the field of play without permission or unsporting behaviour but did not.
The team argued that I should have allowed the corner kick to be retaken.
 
Regards,
Pete Rawlings
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
I believe you shouldn't have signalled for the kick to be taken until the player who retrieved the ball was back on the Field of Play.  This would have avoided any problem. 
In my opinion you could not caution the player for entering the Field of Play without your permission or for unsporting behaviour as he had not done anything wrong. All he did was to retrieve the ball because someone had to !
My advice is that at any stoppage when the ball has gone out of play, do not allow the restart until all players are on the Field of Play.
If a player takes a throw in, goal kick or corner kick before the player retrieving the ball is back on the Field of Play, have the restart taken again.

 

QUESTION
I was an assistant at a game today, and the goalkeeper when taking a goal kick managed to slice the ball so that the ball spun out of play behind the goal line but inside the 18 yard box (i.e. the ball did not leave the front 3 marks of the 18 yard box before crossing the goal line).
Both myself, the other assistant and referee had a long debate after the game as to what the restart should have been. I’m thinking Corner, the referee ordered the goal kick to be retaken.
We discussed this at length after the game and decided it was one for Thackerchat! 
 
Regards,
Jonathan Smith
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
If the ball did not leave the penalty area before going behind the Goal line, the restart should be re-take the goal kick.
If the ball passed outside the penalty area before going over the goal line then the restart should be a corner kick.
The reason for this is that Law 16 states “the ball is in play when it is kicked directly beyond the penalty area” As in any other stoppage,
If something happens prior to the ball being back in play, the re-start is as the original decision i.e. goal-kick, corner-kick, throw-in or drop ball.

 

QUESTION  
Did you see the West Ham v Man U game on Sunday ?
There was an incident around the 60th min where Lee Bowyer received the ball  flicked it up with his foot and headed it back to his goal keeper, who then picked it up
Why did the referee allow this as Law 12 Decision 3 clearly states...
"A player may pass the ball to his own goalkeeper using his head or chest or knee, etc.  If, however, in the opinion of the referee, a player uses a deliberate trick while the ball is in play in order to circumvent the Law, the player is guilty of unsporting behaviour. He is cautioned, shown the yellow card and an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team from the place where the infringement occurred."
 
Paul Bambury
TERRY'S ANSWER
I did see the game but cannot recall the incident mentioned.  I believe the answer is in the law you quoted...
...If, however, in the opinion of the referee, a player uses a deliberate trick...
When I watch games on the TV I always look closely at decisions by the referee and as already stated I cannot recall the incident, so I must have felt it was OK.
You state Lee Bowyer did this to get himself out of trouble, he could not have been in too much trouble to have time to flick it up and then head it back to the goalkeeper
QUESTION
My question refers to the Champions League Final, between Barcelona and Arsenal, and the goalkeeper, Lehmann's, sending off.
The referee sent the goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann, off for denying the attacker, Samuel Eto'o, a clear goalscoring opportunity.
However, if the referee had played the advantage and allowed the second attacker, Giuly's, goal to stand after the incident could the goalkeeper still have been sent off for denying the initial goalscoring opportunity ?
Thanks

Daniel Schofield


TERRY'S ANSWER
My response is not direct at the Champions League Final as I believe the Referee could not win on this one.
LAW 5 states "allow play to continue when the team against which an offence has been committed will benefit from such an advantage and penalize the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensure at that time"
This in it self leaves questions.
If the advantage was played, then the player who receives the ball misses the goal. In this case the referee should not bring play back and send the goalkeeper off, as 1) the player missed the goal through lack of his own ability. 2) The ball had gone out of play.

If the goal was allowed to stand, it could be argued that by doing so and only cautioning the goalkeeper, this would be a disadvantage to the offended team, as the other side would still have eleven players. Having awarded the goal the referee could not send off the goalkeeper as he had not denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, as the goal has been awarded. (However if the offence was deemed as serious foul play or guilty of violent conduct, the player could be sent off.)

I hear that the referee spoilt the game, because of the action he took. This is not the referees concern, he must do what he believes to be correct at the time and enforce the Laws of the Game. After all it was the goalkeeper who committed the offence and I have heard anyone say it was not a sending off offence.
QUESTION
With the onset of the World Cup just over three weeks away we will no doubt be seeing the dreaded penalty shoot out.
Once again what appears to be a fairly simple law to understand seems to me to be constantly misinterpreted by the officials in almost every penalty/penalty shoot out I witness.
The problem I have is with the movement of the keeper.
Law 14 states 'he should remain on his goal-line' etc 'until the ball has been kicked'.
I appreciate the keeper can move laterally along his line, before the ball is kicked, but keepers have a tendency to also move forward. 
This happened with the Liverpool keeper in the recent FA Cup Final and can be seen by freeze framing the video.

Paul Chapman
TERRY'S ANSWER
I am not going make comments on the recent Cup Final as this would be wrong of me to do so.
Law 14 states that the goalkeeper "remains on his goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts until the ball is kicked."
The goalkeeper is allowed to move along the goal line between the goal post before the ball is kicked. The Law does not state both feet on the goal line, where in Law 15 it states "has part of each foot either in the touch line or on the ground outside the touch line".
So, providing the goalkeeper is facing the keeper and is on the goal line, I cannot see a problem. If the keeper had his right foot a few feet forward then I would suggest this would be an advantage to the keeper.
The Referee would have given instructions to the Assistant Referees before the game and would have told them what he wanted in the case of penalty kicks. Law 6 states "whether, at penalty kicks, the goalkeeper has moved forward before the ball has been kicked."  As an Assistant Referee it is difficult to see, at the moment the ball is kicked, if the goalkeeper is moving prior to the kick being taken. After all he has not got video freeze frame to identify the point at which the kick was taken.
Of course, if the officials decide he has moved forward before the kick has been taken then the penalty kick should be retaken. I, on more than one occasion this season, believe a goalkeeper has moved forward before the kick has been taken and the kick has not been retaken if a goal was not scored. However it is not always easy for officials to spot this. 
The goalkeeper moving off his line before the kick being taken is no longer a cautionable offence as it was many years ago. Even if it was, it would not lead to a sending off. Kicks from the penalty mark are not deemed to be a part of the game - just a way of deciding the outcome. 

QUESTION  
A striker is in a one on one situation with a goalkeeper. The striker shoots and the keeper deflects the shot into the path of another attacking player who scores a goal.  As the goal is scored the first striker and the goalkeeper collide injuring themselves.
The goal is allowed and whilst the game is stopped both the keeper and the striker receive treatment form the physio. 
The game is resumed but the referee insists that the striker wait off the pitch at the halfway line to be called onto the pitch after the game is restarted from the centre mark.
If the game was already stopped for a goal, is it necessary for the striker to be off the field before play restarts?
 
Thanks
David Gainsford
TERRY'S ANSWER
It would be necessary for the striker to leave the field of play for the restart, as, when a free kick or a throw in is awarded, the ball is out of play in the same way as when a goal has been scored.
However providing the attacking player’s treatment is complete by the time the goalkeeper has been treated, he should be allowed to remain on the field of play, as we do not make the goalkeeper leave the field of play after recovering from injury.
QUESTION
Can a player in an offside position be played onside if a defender on the opposing team gets the last touch on a ball ?
 
Thanks
 Mandy Addington
TERRY'S ANSWER
The answer is yes
If the player is an offside position when the ball is played and it touches an opponent on its way through then he is still offside as he was in that position when the ball was played.
By receiving the ball he has gained an advantage by being in that position.
However, if the defender plays the ball i.e. deliberately kicks or heads the ball to someone in an offside position, then that wouldn’t be offside as the ball was last played by an opponent.  
QUESTION
I was asked recently by a player if it was ok to give a pass back to your goalkeeper with the thigh or knee
My reply was "To be honest I am not sure, so to be safe don't do it"  I would penalise with an indirect  free kick if it was to happen in my game. Am I right?
Head and chest would be ok though?  
 
Many Thanks.
Vince Stringer
TERRY'S ANSWER
The answer to this is in Law 12 of the LOAF
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team mate.
This being the case, if the ball is played to the goalkeeper with either the thigh or knee and the goalkeeper touches the ball with his hands NO offence has been committed.
Although we talk about the back pass rule, I feel I must make it clear the ball does not have to be played back for this to be an offence. The Law just states deliberately kicked, it does not mention which direction the ball is played.
QUESTION  
Could you please clear this up for me as it's a subject of debate with, it seems, is me on my own against the rest of my refereeing colleagues !
Does the ball have to be stationary at the taking of a goal kick ?
The law states for every other start or re-start that the ball must be either stationary or placed with the exception of the goal kick!
I'm almost certain that, during my course, this came up with Dino Zoff being used as an example because he always use to roll the ball.
 
Thanking you in advance
John Magill
TERRY'S ANSWER
Law sixteen Goal Kick - No where in the Law does it state the ball has to be stationary, what it does state is that “the ball is kicked from any point within the goal area by a player of the defending team”
With all other dead ball kicks, the ball is in play as soon as it is kicked and moved. Therefore it must be stationary when kicked.
With a goal kick the ball is only in play when it leaves the penalty area, therefore if it is moving within the goal area before the goal kick, it does not matter as it is only in play once it leaves the penalty area.
I have heard this debate on many occasions; I believe the ball should be stationary to be consistent, but within the written Law, it does not state that it has to be stationary. 
QUESTION  
During a match if the ball strikes a referee play normally continues - On Saturday I had an incident where a ball was cleared from the box and as I was leaving the penalty area a defender hit a tremendously powerful volley.
I did my best to get out the way but it struck me and deflected towards the goal.
Fortunately it went just wide but my question is:  What would have been the correct decision if it had gone into the goal ?
I would have given a drop ball from where the position the ball struck me.
Thanks
Pete Rawlings.
TERRY'S ANSWER
The referee is deemed a part of the field of play, so, if the ball hits the referee and goes into the net then a goal is awarded. 
It is only a drop ball if play is interfered with by an outside agent i.e. if the ball hit a dog which ran onto the field of play or a person other than the players while in play.
QUESTION  
I have a query for you regarding a recent Cup game.
Could you please clarify the ruling regarding a player being fouled by the last defender when running in on goal ?
Should this result in an automatic red card, a yellow card... or nothing at all as witnessed in the aforementioned match where the referee awarded the free-kick but took no further action against the offending player.
I am mystified !
 
Kind regards
Kevin McCarthy
TERRY'S ANSWER
Law 12 states “A player should be sent off if in the opinion of the referee, denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick”.
The decision the referee has to make is
A) is the player moving towards the goal ? 
B) is it an obvious goal-scoring opportunity ?
If the referee decides it is neither of these then the player should not be sent off.
He / she can still award a free kick for the offence and, if it was considered to be unsporting behaviour, a caution can be issued.
However, if it was considered just a careless challenge then the award of a free kick is all that will be given.
QUESTION
If a player attacking his opponent’s goal is in an offside position and his team mate shoots for goal and the shot is saved by the keeper, but the ball rebound`s to the player in the offside position he then becomes active and is in my opinion offside.
But in a recent premiership game I watched, as the ball rebounded from the defender’s upper leg to an opponent in an offside position he then turned and scored and the goal was allowed to stand, and, according to the team of so called expert’s on the TV panel, they said the defender had played him on.
I may be wrong but surely the attacking player is in a position to gain an advantage? If I was refereeing a game and the same situation occurred, I think I would have blown up for offside. Is that right or wrong?
Regards
Eddie Pirie
TERRY'S ANSWER
If the player is in an offside position when his team mate shoots for goal, providing he/she was not interfering with an opponent, he should not be given offside. However, if the goalkeeper pushes the shot back into play to the player in an offside position, that player has gained an advantage and should be given offside.
If the incident you describe is the one I am thinking of, a defender kicked the ball up field, the ball came off the leg of a team mate and went back towards the goal to an attacking player who was in an offside position and the goal was awarded. These are always difficult to judge. It could be said that the defending player played the ball - if this is the case then the attacking player would not be offside.
In incidents such as this, the officials have to award it as they see it! 

 

QUESTION  
My question involves roping off of pitches
Are the use of metal spikes permitted when roping off pitches ?
I've heard conflicting stories of plastic only others say metal are OK dependant on local league rules ?
Is there a BS standard as with portable goals?
Thanks 
Paul Parker
TERRY'S ANSWER
There is no standard, British or otherwise
Whether they are metal, plastic or any other material they should not constitute a danger to players, spectators or any other person.
QUESTION  
What sort of calls/shouts to players can a goalkeeper make without being penalised by a referee ?
For instance, is 'leave it' OK or should a players name also/always be mentioned ?
From a recent game I heard a call of 'get out of the way' as the keeper went to try and claim a cross into the area.
Is this permissible ?

Kind regards

Kevin McCarthy
TERRY'S ANSWER
There is nothing in the Laws of the Game about calling a name.
It does not matter what is said, within reason, as long as it does not put off an opponent.
If the ball was near a team mate of the goalkeeper and he says leave it or something similar, then an offence has not been committed.
However if there was an opponent within playing distance or who may have been able to collect the ball then the referee should consider this as unsporting behaviour and award an indirect free kick and caution the goalkeeper for unsporting behaviour.
QUESTION  
In a game that I refereed on Sunday, I gave an indirect free kick when an opponent was impeding a throw in.
I believe that the new ruling states that the opponent must be at least 2 yards away?
Am I right ?
 
Thanks 
David Weyman
TERRY'S ANSWER
You are correct.
The opponent must be at least two metres away.
I question the indirect free kick however as the offence occurred before the throw was taken so play should have been restarted with the throw-in.
You could have cautioned the player for not removing the required distance.
QUESTION  
Just a quick question on when a goalkeeper is in control of the ball and when he isn’t.
Most of this law I understand, however the main part I am having trouble with is...
A goalkeeper makes a save but only has one hand on the ball which is then kicked into the goal by an opponent ?
It’s not happened to me in a game........yet! 
 
Thanks,
David
TERRY'S ANSWER
If the goalkeeper is making a save and has one hand on the ball and then the ball is kicked, it sounds to me like dangerous play and an indirect free kick should be awarded.
A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball, once a save has been made and he has both hands on the ball.
QUESTION  
Here's one for the punters to think about.
Southend Borough Combination Faux Cup (knock out competition) - spectators, as they ALL do, standing on the touchline despite being requested to step back a yard.
Two opposing players challenge for a "50/50" ball both approaching in opposite directions, therefore "head-on tackle".
There's no foul as the players both hit the ball simultaneously but the ball cannons off from the force of the impact, hits a spectator standing immediately on the touchline and returns back onto the pitch from hitting the spectator.
Referee signals play on.
Crowd erupts at the decision - now, one side has possession and attacking on goal.
Fortunately, no goal was scored this time but please explain why the referee did not award a throw in ?
 
Thanks
Graham.
TERRY'S ANSWER
If the spectator was standing on the touch-line when the ball hit the spectator the ball had not gone out of Play as the touch-line is a part of the Field of Play.
The spectator should have been deemed an outside agent and play should have been stopped and restarted where the ball hit the spectator with a drop ball.
A throw-in can only be given if the ball had wholly passed over the touch-line.
QUESTION  
I watched my son play football this weekend and his team were awarded a direct freekick. 
The player took the free-kick and the keeper saved it but prior to the ball reaching the keeper the ball exploded which did gain a laugh from us all.
Should the free-kick have been taken again, obviously with a new ball ?
Tony Disley
TERRY'S ANSWER
Once the free kick has been taken then the ball is in play and cannot be brought back to take again.
The correct decision is for the referee to award a drop ball from the point where the ball exploded.
So, if the lad took the free kick on the edge of the area and it went bang at the penalty spot then that's where the drop ball would take place.

 

QUESTION
I recently refereed a game where the following happened:
The ball had gone out of play after a tackle and I'd awarded a throw-in.
The opponent to the player taking the throw was standing fairly close, with his back to the player. 
The throw was then lobbed (relatively tamely) at the back of the opponents head.
In my opinion it was done to incite a reaction, and I was concerned as to the way the opponent would react so I immediately blew the whistle to stop play.
As it was a somewhat lame throw I declared it a foul throw. If the throw had been taken properly, what should I have done?
 
Would this constitute an offence like striking an opponent, or is this within the rules (and spirit?) of the game and play should be allowed to continue ?
 
Andy Kitson
TERRY'S ANSWER
I feel you handled the incident well and used common sense.

However throwing the ball at an opponent should be deemed as striking an opponent, which within the Laws of the game would be a send off under violent conduct. The reason for this is the ball becomes an extension of the arm.

If at a throw in a player threw the ball at the back of a member of his own side to gain an advantage, this would be a caution for unsporting behavior.
QUESTION
Can you tell me why swearing at officials is tolerat ed throughout the higher leagues but on a Sunday morning/afternoon it brings a straight r ed card?

Surely if foul and Abusive language is a straight r ed offence then it should be a law that is appli ed throughout the game?

Thanks

Simon Onyons
TERRY'S ANSWER
I could not agree more, the Law states “a player uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures”, is a send off offence. The Laws of the game do not change at various levels of football.
However I have never refere ed at the highest level of football, so it would be wrong of me to make comments on those who do. However I will say that the referees at the highest level will not hear as much as the referee on the local park, on the local park there may be up to twenty people watching the game, at the highest level, there could be more than 40,000, therefore the referee would not hear so much. 
Also we ne ed to remember the number of TV cameras at these games that will pick up everything and will always show this kind of behavior on TV. Where the referee only has one pair of eyes and is unable to see as much as we do watching the TV.
I a m n ot making excuses for the referees, because I do believe over recent weeks, there have been cases when a player was clearly using offensive language towards an official. But we should always remember the referee does have a difficult job and in most cases they do get it right.
QUESTION  
In the Premiership and the Football League is there no such thing as a foul throw ?
In every game I watch there are at least 5 foul throws which all the officials seem to miss !
Is there any reason for this ?
Dan Cuddy
TERRY'S ANSWER
It is very difficult to comment on this one as you have not mentioned why you believe they are foul throws.
I must admit I only award a foul throw when it is taken from the wrong place or it looks bad.
The reason I do this is because stopping the game for minor infringements of Law 15 only causes frustration amongst the players, so therefore I believe it is more beneficial to keep the game going.
I can only say my reasons for not giving minor infringements of Law 15 could be the same as the referees you are talking about.
QUESTION  
Hi Terry
Can you please explain why Arsenal were allow ed to take a quick free kick against Chelsea but when Man City tri ed this against WBA recently they were told to wait for the whistle! Are referees applying different interpretations of the laws ?
Regards
M. Black
TERRY'S ANSWER
No, the referees are not applying different interpretations of the Laws.
The team that has been offend ed against is allow ed to take a quick free kick with the permission of the referee. In most cases if ask ed the referee will allow them to take the kick quickly. However if the referee wants to speak to the offending player about the offence he will not give permission for the kick to be taken.
When players ask the referee to get the defending players (the wall) back 9.15m (10yds), he will tell the player taking the kick not to do so until he has signal ed for the kick to be taken. The reason for this is that if the referee is attempting to move the wall back then he is not ready for the kick to be taken.
If having been told to wait the player then takes the kick before receiving a signal to do so then it would have to retaken as it is only right that the player should not gain any advantage from taking the kick.
QUESTION  
From a recent Match of the Day:
Middlesbrough vs Aston Villa
Referee A. D`Urso
Referee & assistants in black uniforms
Villa goal keeper in all black as well
Middlesbrough goalscorer, Job, had a ring taped on his right hand
Birmingham vs WBA Referee M. Riley
Birmingham player Morrison & WBA player Kanu both wearing wrist bracelets
At youth game I officiated today there was a goalkeeper in black – I asked him to change and was cited the above.
Essex referees are not permitt ed to change shirt colour otherwise a charge will be brought against them by the Essex F.A. unlike the Premiership referees who are permitt ed to change.
Also at youth game today there was a player wearing jewellery.  I asked him to remove it and was also cited the above !
Has Law 4 been chang ed since start of this season or do only certain Laws apply to Premiership teams / referees ?
Has the instructions from the F.A Head of Refereeing issued at the start of the season been amended ?
How do referees keep respect when it appears double standards are operating ?
 
Regards
Nick Pavitt
TERRY'S ANSWER
I could not agree more with the comments you have made.
I also refereed a game two weeks ago when one of the goalkeepers was wearing black, I told him to change his top as it clashed with me, his response was I am not getting cold. I informed him he would not get cold in the changing room as that will be where he would be if he did not change his top. Surprise, surprise he soon found another top.
In Law 4 it clearly states “each goalkeeper wears colours which distinguish him from the other players, the referee and the assistant referees” The Laws of the game apply to all levels of football.
I can only assume that the referees in charge of those Match of the Day games felt that the sponsorship names on the playing tops was enough to distinguish them from the referee. 
With regards to Essex referees being permitted to change shirt colour - The FA Handbook in section Referees Rule 11 states “All Match Officials in Competitions under the jurisdiction of the Association and Affiliated Associations must wear uniforms comprising plain black shirts with white collars and black shorts. Socks shall be black and may have another colour at the top. Such colours must be in accord with the single colour used on the shirt collar”.
I cannot comment about players wearing bracelets as I did not see this. Law 4 has not been chang ed since the start of the season and neither has the advice from John Baker, the FA’s Head of Refereeing, which was issued at the start of the season.
QUESTION  
If a goal-keeper has the ball in his hands and then decides to release the ball in his/her area and then due to pressure from the opposition they then decide to pick the ball back up, should a indirect Free-kick be awarded?
 
Simon Stewart
TERRY'S ANSWER
If the goalkeeper, after having control of the ball in his hands, put the ball on the ground and touches it again with his hands before it has been played or touched by another player then an indirect free kick should be awarded to the opposing team.
However the goalkeeper is allowed to bounce the ball on the ground or throw the ball in the air and catch it again.
QUESTION  
I have noticed in televised games that a number of players, when taking penalty kicks, break their run-up or "feint" during their run-up in order to try to deceive the goalkeeper to make him dive the wrong way before the kick is taken.
I seem to remember that, some years ago, there was a specific "International Board Decision" which referred to this practice advising that, if a goal was scored, it was to be considered as un-gentlemanly conduct, the player was to be cautioned accordingly, and the kick retaken.
I know that the current "Laws" state that if the player taking the penalty kick infringes the Laws of the Game and a goal is scored then the kick should be retaken but, is this "feinting" still considered as an infringement (unsporting behaviour) and, if so, why do our "professional" Referees not penalise this offence?
 
Ron Barclay.
TERRY'S ANSWER
This is a difficult one !
What the referee has to decide is whether the kicker committed an act of unsporting behaviour.
The goalkeeper is now allowed to move along his goal-line before the ball is kicked and the only reason he would do so is to put off the player taking the kick.
This being the case I see no reason why the taker should not be allowed to attempt to deceive the goalkeeper in his run-up.
What would not be allowed is the kicker to stop his run wait for the goalkeeper to move one way then place the ball the other way.
This, without doubt, would be unsporting behaviour and the kicker should be cautioned and the penalty kick retaken if a goal had been scored.
QUESTION  
At a local match I attended an unusual situation occurr ed
Under pressure a defender attempted to pass the ball back to his keeper, his pass was wayward and looked like it was going to go into the net.  The keeper had to dive to his left and saved the ball with his hands.
The ref awarded an indirect free kick for a back pass, was he right ? 
The keeper had no option but to save it with his hands otherwise a goal would have been conc eded. It seemed very harsh to me
B Farmer
TERRY'S ANSWER
This is difficult one - I would really need to see the incident to make a judgment.  Law 12 states “touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate”.
What the referee has to decide on - Was it a deliberate pass to the goalkeeper, or was it an attempted clearance by a player under pressure?   If it was an attempted clearance a free kick should not have been awarded.
How I see it is that no player would deliberately kick the ball to his own goalkeeper in such a way that he has to dive and prevent the ball going in the goal.
I hope this helps.
QUESTION  
What is the rule regarding the return of an injured player (U18) who is treated on the pitch and then taken off for further treatment? 
Is he allowed back on if more than 10 minutes have elapsed?  One of our boys was told he could not return once the cramp had been treated because he was off the pitch for more than 10 minutes.
 
Steve Hammond
Shenfield
 
TERRY'S ANSWER
I do not understand why an injured player should not be allowed back onto the field of play after receiving treatment, no matter how