Firelands Soccer Referee Association

Please Note: This site will be updated on an "as needed" basis, and topics will be removed when two months after the published or pertinent date has passed.

Topics found below:

1. Match Report Involving Discipline (April, '08)
2. Objects on the field (April, '08)
3. Advantage in the Penalty Area (April, '08)
4. Offside Offense on a Corner Kick (April, '08)
5. USA Cup Weekend, July 11-13, and July 15-19

1. Match Report Involving Discipline
Please note the following information and use it as the basis for your game reporting involving misconduct:

From:       Alfred Kleinaitis
                 Manager of Referee Development and
                 Education

Subject:   Match Reports Involving Discipline

Date:       April 7, 2008

A Circular (No. 1137) recently received from FIFA?s General Secretary emphasized the importance of referee match reports in properly evaluating acts of misconduct for any further response by FIFA?s Disciplinary Committee. The issues raised by the Circular are equally important for the professional leagues, high level youth and amateur leagues, and major tournaments in this country. The same concerns are also felt in the regional and state associations.

Although all aspects of the referee?s match report must meet high standards of clarity, accuracy, brevity, and pertinence, those sections involving misconduct require special attention, and reporting on acts of misconduct leading to a send off merit the highest concern. The need for effective match reporting starts at the lowest competitive level and becomes ever more critical as the competitive level of the match increases. State Referee Administrators and State Directors of Instruction are strongly urged to ensure that effective match reporting is incorporated in their training of senior referees.

In order for Disciplinary Committees to evaluate serious misconduct, match reports must start with:

The name of (and additional identifying information for) the player who was sent off
The time of the send off
The specific reason in the Laws of the Game for the send off (Law 12)

In addition, however, the referee must supply sufficient detail regarding the circumstances of the misconduct to aid in evaluating its level of seriousness. Among the factors that should be addressed, where relevant, are:

Whether the action occurred during a challenge for the ball
Whether the misconduct occurred at a stoppage of play or during play
If anyone was injured as a consequence of the misconduct
Whether there was any prior incident that may have led to the player?s actions
The demeanor of the player during the send off (including any difficulties in implementing the player?s removal from the field)
The location of the action in relation to the goal line and penalty area being attacked at the time
The subsequent intrusion of any other players (teammates or opponents) during the time the referee is managing the send off
The specific words or gestures which were determined to be insulting, offensive, or abusive
The identity of the opponent or official toward whom the misconduct was directed
A summary of the prior misconduct (or a reference to the section of the report which detailed the prior caution) preceding the second caution for which the player was sent off
The identity of the assistant referee, fourth official, or reserve assistant referee who provided independently observed facts to the referee regarding the misconduct
All other details of the action which materially shaped the decision to send the player off

Any other facts which a Disciplinary Committee might decide it needs as a result of its review of the match report can be supplied by the referee on request of the Committee, but the most useful information will come from a properly completed, accurate, detailed, and clear match report. Match reports provided independently by assistant referees, fourth officials, or reserve assistant referees should follow these guidelines as well.

2. Objects on the Field

From:       Alfred Kleinaitis
                Manager of Referee Development and Education

Subject:   Objects on the Field

Date:       April 10, 2008

Soccer matches are exciting events, attended by partisan fans who celebrate the successes and bemoan the reverses of their favorite team. They wave flags, blare trumpets, beat drums, swirl scarves, and, sometimes, they throw things onto the field. Usually, what is thrown onto the field (confetti and streamers) is inconsequential, at most a momentary distraction.

At times, however, what is thrown onto the field constitutes a serious interference in the match, either because of the specific nature of the object (e.g., bottles or lit fireworks) or because of the volume of the material covering the field and making the surface dangerously unstable. In such cases, the referee must suspend play, preferably at a stoppage called for some other reason but otherwise without delay if the issue is the safety of the players, the officials, or team personnel in the technical areas. Before play can be resumed, it is the responsibility of the home club (the organization sponsoring the match) to resolve the problem without undue delay. Under certain circumstances, the referee may consider removing players from the field for their safety during this time.

A more difficult case is presented when what is thrown onto the field is not intrinsically dangerous but carries the threat of interfering with play in some significant way. Referees are, of course, alert to such interference when a ball enters the field and comes close enough to play to be mistaken for the match ball. Another example that might be cited is an EPL match (Sheffield United v. Manchester City) in which, about 10 minutes into the first half, the ball was played into the attacking third of the field at a time when more than a dozen balloons were also in the area (it may be important to note that the balloons were generally similar to the match ball in size and color).

On a shot across the face of the goal, the ball hit a balloon, causing the former to be redirected slightly and the latter to be knocked toward the goal. Further play resulted in other balloons moving and bouncing in front of the goalkeeper. A goal was scored during what may have been a very confusing few seconds.

In these ?gray area? situations, the referee must evaluate a number of factors in order to determine if and when play should be suspended until the problem is resolved.

What is the likelihood that the foreign object(s) might interfere with the safe movement of the players?
What is the likelihood that the foreign object(s) might confuse players and/or disrupt the flow of play?
Is the problem with foreign object(s) primarily at one end of the field and therefore more likely to disadvantage one team over another?

Play should not be suspended for inconsequential reasons and the referee must remain vigilant to the possibilities of the match being disrupted by the sudden appearance of unwanted objects on the field. Match officials must be sensitive to things which interfere unduly with the beauty of the sport and make a mockery of skilled play.

3. Advantage in the Penalty Area

From:       Alfred Kleinaitis
            Manager of Referee Development and
                Education
Subject:   Advantage in the Penalty Area
Date:       April 11, 2008

Special circumstances govern the application of advantage for offenses committed by defenders inside their own penalty area. Although the basic concept of advantage remains the same, the specific decision by the referee must be governed by both the close proximity to the goal and the likelihood of scoring from the penalty kick restart if play is stopped instead of applying advantage.

The basic elements of the decision are straightforward:

Advantage is a team concept and thus the referee must be aware not only of the fouled player's ability to continue his or her attack but also of the ability of any of the player's teammates to continue the attack themselves.
Advantage has been applied when the decision is made, not when the advantage signal is given. The signal itself may often be delayed for 2-3 seconds while the referee evaluates the advantage situation to determine if it will continue.
Where it does not continue, the Laws of the Game provide for the referee to stop play for the original foul.
If the original foul involved violence, the referee is advised not to apply advantage unless there is an immediate chance of scoring a goal.

Inside the penalty area, the competitive tension is much greater and the referee is called upon to make quicker decisions. The time during which the referee looks for advantage to continue becomes defined by the probability of scoring a goal directly following the foul or from the subsequent play.

In the attached clip of an incident occurring in the 27th minute of a match on April 9 between New England and Kansas City. NE defender #31 (Nyassi) fouls KC attacker #11 (Morsink) near the top of the penalty area. Just as Morsink is fouled, however, he passes the ball to his teammate #19 (Sealy).

The referee properly recognized the advantage but then whistled for the foul against Morsink after he decided that a goal would not be scored by Sealy. In fact, Sealy made a shot on goal just as the whistle sounded and the ball failed to enter the net.

In the absence of a whistle stopping play and if the ball had entered the net, the advantage would clearly have continued and the goal would be counted.
If, in this case, the ball had entered the goal after the whistle had sounded, the goal could not be counted.
Ideally, the referee in this incident should have delayed stopping play for the original foul until he saw more concretely what Sealy would have been able to do with the ball.

In this incident, the penalty kick for the original foul was successful.

Viewing U.S. Soccer's Referee Position Papers:

To view the video related to this email and others like it from the U.S. Soccer Referee Department, log onto ussoccer.com's YouTube page and go to "Playlists" and then to "Playlist Name: U.S. Soccer Referee Department" or click one of the links below. This recent addition to the ussoccer.com's YouTube page is the place to get caught up on all of U.S. Soccer's rule interpretations. If you would like a copy of the video clip (1.19 MB), please reply to this e-mail or send an e-mail to communications@ussoccer.org.

4. Offside Offense on a Corner Kick

From:   Alfred Kleinaitis
                Manager of Referee Development and
                Education

Subject:   Offside Offense on a Corner Kick

Date:       April 24, 2008

Officials must remain focused and vigilant in order to make correct offside decisions, particularly in situations where an offside violation is not expected. Such was the case last Sunday, April 20, in the match between Kansas City at Chicago when corner kicks were called in favor of Chicago.

Twice, in a set play often referred to as a ?short corner,? Chicago players (#21, Mapp, and #10, Blanco) committed offside violations which were not detected by the officiating team. Referees must remember that Law 11 states there is no offside offense if a player receives the ball directly from a corner kick. However, once the corner kick has been taken (i.e., after the ball is kicked and moved), all play occurring afterward must be closely monitored for a possible offside offense and all the usual requirements of Law 11 must be applied.

The accompanying video clip highlights how a corner kick can develop almost immediately into the sort of play where an offside offense can occur. The referee and assistant referee should have been alerted to this challenge by the presence of two attackers close to each other at the corner, a team tactic which has become more common in recent years. The corner kick taker plays the ball to this nearby teammate. The teammate stops the ball to allow the kicker to play the ball again or may even play the ball back to the corner kick taker. However, the moment the teammate makes contact with the ball, the assistant referee must quickly determine if the basic conditions of an offside position exist regarding any attacker but most particularly regarding the corner kick taker.

If at least two defenders had been standing on the goal line at the moment the Chicago attacker stopped the ball which he had received from the corner kick, there would have been no offside position and therefore no offside violation in either situation.

This is a difficult play to observe and the purpose of this paper is to raise awareness as to its challenges for the officiating team. Referees and assistant referees should also be prepared for actions by the opposing team to counter the ?short corner? tactic, including an increased likelihood of an encroachment violation as opponents attempt to move in closer to mark both attackers.

5. USA CUP Info.

From: Mike Rolfes - Long time USA CUP volunteer
MichaelFRolfs@aol.com
USA CUP Weekend '08    July 11 - 13
USA CUP '08   July 15 - 19
www.usacup.org