Inventing the Laws

As a 2nd year Grade 8 ref, I think I can apply the Laws 100% correctly.  That is different from foul recognition of course.  Well...

I've worked more State Cup games this year.  That's good of course - I'm working high level youth games as CR which offset some of the not-so-high level HS games I've recently had (even at Varsity!).  This weekend though I misapplied a few Laws.

• U14 #1 CR.  One minute before half I see an eligible sub at the center line.  I wave off the sub to my AR since I have a minute left and I already announced I was not adding time to the half.  Well that's an incorrect application of Law 3.  In "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game", paragraph 3.6 clearly states "...Even if it seems that the purpose [of the substitution] is to waste time, the referee cannot deny the request, but should exercise the power granted in Law 7 to add time lost through "any other cause."  So my correct decision should have been to allow the sub then add time to compensate for the late substitution.

Well that misapplication in the grand scheme of things isn't too egregious.  The next one however...

• U14 #2 AR1.  Ball crosses the touch line, then a kid on the Yellow team decides to push an opponent on the Blue team down.  CR blows the whistle.  Again, the ball crossed the touch line.  We confer (unfortunately, I was watching the ball cross the touch line, so although the push occurred in my quadrant, I totally missed it.).  We agree the restart is a FK to the Blue team.  So that's incorrect on multiple levels.  First of all, the ball is out of play, so the action cannot be a foul.  It is a misconduct.  Advice 12.25a on Law 12 clearly states "If misconduct occurs while play is stopped, the restart is determined by the original reason for the stoppage."  In this case, a throw in to Blue.  So the correct application of the Law would have been to caution the Yellow player and restart via a throw in to Blue.  To make matters worse, the Yellow coach asked us for the reasons.  I explained it, but even thought in the back of my mind "I think we missed that one."  Fortunately, the restart had no effect on the game, other than to make the coaches wonder if we knew what we were doing.  The CR had a bit of a tough game too, so our misapplication certainly didn't help things.

I absolutely hate when I misapply a Law.  Fortunately, that doesn't happen too often.  Yes, sometimes HS "Rules" conflict with IFAB "Laws" and I get them confused.  But at the end of the day, my job is to enforce the Laws of the Game.  I can miss 100s of fouls and, although I hate that too, it happens.  Of course, I can guarantee you I won't misapply those Laws again!

• U18 AR2.  Nothing to report except, wow U18 State Cup Boys is a totally other animal.  I've got a way to go before I feel comfortable running U18 State Cup Boys as CR.  U17s I can handle.  It's amazing what a year difference will make.

Until next time...