Quickies
Did you know …
• goalkeepers may not play the ball with their hands if receiving it directly from a throw-in?
How do players know when a penalty kick is awarded?
When a referee points directly at the 18-yard (16.5-metre) area, he is awarding a penalty kick. The referee will usually run to the penalty spot, stop beside it, and point straight down at it with his hand.
Assistant Referee Flag Signals Decoded
• Flag straight up: indicating to the referee to stop play because assistant referee needs to talk to referee. Can also mean offside or be a signal for the referee to look at the other linesman.
• Flag straight up with hand held over his chest badge: indicating to referee that a player needs to be shown a yellow or red card.
• Flag out sideways at 45 degrees horizontally along the touchline: indicating for a throw-in. The team attacking in the direction they are pointing takes the throw.
• Flag pointing at the goal: indicating a goal kick.
• Flag pointed at the corner flag: indicating a corner kick.
• Flag held straight out in front of assistant referee after an offside call:
– Up at a 45-degree angle: indicating an offside on the far side of the field.
– Straight horizontally: indicating an offside in the middle of the field.
– Down at a 45-degree angle: indicating an offside on the near side of the field.
• Flag held straight up suspended between both hands: substitution in progress.
• Flag held horizontally across chest: calling for penalty kick.
• Flag held behind back while standing at corner flag: calling for penalty kick.
• Flag held up after a goal: assistant referee wishes to dispute the goal.
What is the ruling when a ball bursts after a kick but still goes into the net?
Even if the ball is headed into the net for a goal, if it bursts or deflates at any point while in play, the Laws of the Game require that play must be stopped and restarted with the new ball at the point where the ball first became defective, which means a goal cannot be scored with a burst ball. If the ball deflates after crossing the goal line, it is a goal.
Can coaches or players change the game ball?
No. If a coach or player feels the game ball is defective, they must bring their concerns to the attention of the referee or one of the game officials (who will then tell the referee). The only person on the field who may change the game ball is the referee. Any attempt on the part of a coach or player, or anyone else, to change the game ball, can be ruled as misconduct and lead to ejection.
Quickies
Did you know …
• a substitute who has not properly completed the substitution procedure by setting foot onto the field of play cannot restart play by taking a throw-in or corner kick?
What should a coach do upon realizing his team has fielded too many players?
The coach should learn to count better, because someone on his team is about to get a yellow card and possibly worse if the situation is handled poorly. Since it is illegal for a player to leave the pitch without the permission of the referee, the coach should tell the player who is coming off to stand on the field just inside the touchline at the half-line. The coach should then get the assistant referee’s attention and explain the problem. The assistant referee will notify the referee that his player is coming off, whereupon the referee will yellow-card his player as required by the Laws of the Game. If the coach simply tells a player to come off the field, that player will receive two yellow cards — one for being the extra player, one for leaving the pitch without permission — and then, of course, they will also receive an automatic red card, which means ejection from the game.
Can a goalkeeper switch places during a game with another player?
Yes, this is permitted under the Laws of the Game, provided that the referee is informed before the change is made (otherwise, both players will be shown the yellow card), and that the change is made only during a stoppage in play. Since it is also required under the Laws of the Game that the goalkeeper wear a different-coloured jersey, both players will also have to change jerseys.
Who was Horst Eckel?
Striker Horst Eckel found his place in the annals of soccer by becoming the first-ever substitute player. Up until the 1954 FIFA World Cup, substitutions were illegal in soccer. If one of the 11 players who started the game for a team was injured and had to leave the pitch, the team had to play out the match one short — or two, or three, or however many players eventually left the pitch. And at no point could a player from the bench come on to relieve another player. On October 11, 1953, during a qualifying match against Saarland for the 1954 World Cup, Horst Eckel, who played for West Germany, became the first-ever substitute under new rules instituted by FIFA for the tournament.
Five Laws of the Game that Specifically Concern the Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper may not:
1. take more than four steps while controlling the ball with his hands before releasing it from his possession;
2. touch the ball again with his hands after it has been released from his possession and has not touched any other player;
3. touch the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a teammate;
4. touch the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a teammate;
5. waste time.
When are socks illegal?
As everyone knows, the referee is God and King on the soccer pitch, having the first and final word regarding all interpretations of the Laws of the Game. The question of what is “unsporting conduct” is intentionally left open to interpretation, so that the referee can deal with unusual cases and incidents. For example, if a player wears a different-coloured pair of socks than the rest of his team, it suddenly becomes easier for someone in possession of the ball dribbling up the field, head down and concentrating, to spot that player. A bright red pair of socks on a striker, for instance, will stand out against the green turf. There is no strict provision against this tactic in the Laws of the Game, but players shouldn’t expect to get away with it. The referee has power even over players’ uniforms, and a good one will not allow mismatched socks, and might even call this unsporting behaviour and give that striker yellow card for trying — both literally and figuratively — to pull a fast one with his red socks.
The Laws of the Game Governing Substitutions
To replace a player with a substitute, the following conditions must be observed:
• the referee must be informed before any proposed substitution is made;
• the substitute only enters the field of play after the player being replaced has left and after receiving a signal from the referee;