The Weekly Soccer Referee Blog
Sharpening Referee Knowledge and Judgment, One Week at a Time
Volume 16, Issue 8 – February 25, 2024
Please forward this Blog to your fellow soccer officials or tell them about it. This is one of the tools we can use to keep sharp during the year.
The purpose of this Blog is so we can all learn from each other’s experience and by doing so, avoid mistakes, make more consistent calls, and do a better job. I don’t have to make any of this up – this is what happens on the pitch.
Quote of the Week:
“Call it the same way at this end.”
From a coach who thought we were calling the game different. Nope, we weren’t – the other team wasn’t committing the same foul.
No Indian Creek Varsity for the 2024 Girls Season
I received word from Indian Creek Athletic Director Ehren Mertz today that the Indian Creek High School girls season has been cancelled due to a lack of players.
I have already removed the blocks I had on two dates in Arbiter for Indian Creek. Hopefully, this is an isolated incident, and not a sign of a general trend. If you have games at Indian Creek and haven’t been contacted, I suggest you reach out to Ehren ASAP to determine whether you can clear blocks or not.
Otherwise, I’ve seen JV games cancelled here and there, and a few varsity / JV game pairs also cancelled. Not a fun time to be an assignor, between the official shortage and trying to fill and then re-schedule games at this point. And it only gets harder from here.
This Week’s Question – Lost End
During a Rec level soccer game….
This is a U10 game, and some of the players seem pretty new. You have to explain the need to retreat to the Build Out line for example.
There is a general challenge for the ball in between Team A and Team B in Team B’s end, and Player B45 gets possession. B45 is so excited that he turns the ball towards his own goal and drills the shot past the Team B goalkeeper.
Team A starts to celebrate.
You Make the Call:
What is the call?
What is the restart?
Last Week’s Question: – Which Kick?
During a high school soccer game….
You call Impeding on Player A00, who was raising her arms to keep the opponent from getting around her and issue an Indirect Free Kick to Team B at the location of the foul., which is a few feel outside the Team A Penalty Area near the south outer corner.
The players retreat without being asked. You hold your arm straight up in the air, and the kick is taken by B29.
The goalkeeper from Team A sees the ball coming with your arm up, and steps aside, allowing the ball to sail into the back of the net without being touched by another player.
Team B begins to celebrate the goal. Your arm is still in the air.
You Make the Call:
What is the Call?
What is the Restart?
What You Said:
Referee 1:
This appears pretty straight forward and unfortunately occurs occasionally at the high school level. The referee correctly called for an indirect kick by raising his arm. He raised his arm straight up and left it up until the ball went out of play. He is not required to say indirect but usually does so there is no confusion by the kicker.
The infraction occurred when the ball crossed the goal line without being touched by a second player. Point to the goal area and award a goal kick. There is no goal. Maybe coaches don’t have the time to teach each player what an indirect kick means.
Referee 2:
Goal Kick for team A.
Referee 3:
Arm held up vertical means “No Play. “Player shot anyway. Since it went into the goal, it’s not legal. Restart with GK.
Referee 4:
You called a IDFK. You signaled an IDFK by raising your arm so all players can see. The ball crossed the goal line without being touched.
No Goal. BUT – since the ball crossed the goal line, last touched by the offense, restart is a goal kick.
The Answer:
Your arm was up, and you called an Indirect Free Kick.
A goal cannot be scored from an Indirect Free Kick unless touched by one other player than the kicker.
No other player touched the ball, and the goalkeeper was smart enough to recognize it.
No goal. Restart with a Goal Kick to Team A. Be prepared if the coach or the team starts to whine – this is in the basic rules. Regardless, they sometimes do, even at the High School level. Yes, it has happened.
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