Dealing with Team Officials
The correct procedure when sending coaches (officials) off the bench to a neutral area is:
* The referee to have warned the official prior that their behaviour did not improve they would be sent from the area.
* When the bad behaviour (language, gestures, abuse) is so bad, or repeated, the referee advises the official that they are 'on report' and to leave the technical area.
* The referee makes the report on the team sheet, or if he / she chooses the preference is a separate report be written. This can be done on paper or on the Send Off / Incident Report form.
It the referee is satisfied that the game can continue with the official removed, the game proceeds. A referee cannot show a red / yellow card to the bench, unless it is a player before or after taking part in the game.
The reason they are asked to leave the bench is to stop inciting others and not to incorrectly identify another person on re-occurance. When really bad the referee / ground official may ask for them to leave the ground. If they refuse, the game is suspended until resolved and more reports may be submitted.
Some referees accept that once the official has left the bench, and there is no further problem the reporting of the incident is not as important - based on whether the incidents were serious enough to warrent reporting once the game has been satisfactorily completed.
Some bench officials, once sent from bench, may still linger around the field. If they do and still remain vocal / abusive a ground official is to be called to remove them from the ground.
WEARING SPECTACLES
Q: Are players allowed to wear glasses (spectacles) whilst they are
playing.
are not dangerous to the player himself or to other players, then players
wearing glasses should be allowed to participate in the game.
The following paragraphs show advice from various sources on this subject.
The FIFA Questions & Answers 2005, Law 4 (The Players' Equipment) question
number 6 is shown below for guidance:
6. May a player wear spectacles during a match?
Modern sports spectacles, made of plastic or similar material, are not
normally considered to be dangerous and referees would in such circumstances
be expected to allow them to be worn. Football is a contact sport and as such is at moderate risk for eye injuries. Players in preference to contact lenses sometimes wear spectacles or goggles. Referees should ensure that if a request has been made to wear
glasses or goggles, that they must not constitute a danger to himself or to any other player. We are anxious not to put obstacles in the way of players who wish to participate in the game but neither must we compromise safety.
HAND BALL
OK, I simply cannot stand it anymore. One cannot go to a game anywhere without someone yelling for a "hand ball" every five minutes. Listen up folks, players, coaches, referees and fans have gotten this rule wrong all of these years, and it's got to stop. Furthermore, it's not just beginning players who get the call wrong. Even top-level professional players want referees to call a foul every time a ball hits a player's hand.
To learn more about the "hand ball," we need to begin by looking inside our FIFA Laws of the Game to see what the rules really are. First of all, unbeknownst to many, there is no such rule as "hand ball." In reality, Law XII states that it is illegal if a player "handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)" This means that is not, I repeat not, a foul if the ball touches a player's hand. It is only a foul if the player intentionally handles the ball. Therefore, all of those times that a defender kicks the ball right into a player's hand or the ball bounces up and hits an arm, these are not fouls and should not be called.
Let me also emphasize that nowhere does the rule book say anything about whether or not the player gains an advantage by the ball hitting his or her hand. In other words, even if the ball were to hit a player's arm and drop right at his feet or even were to go directly into his opponents' goal, these are not fouls if they were unintentional acts. Since 1996 FIFA specifically changed the laws to make it very clear that it is only a foul if the player handles the ball deliberately.
So how can you tell if a hand ball is intentional or not? First, if a ball, such as a clearance out of the defence, hits a player so fast that they have no time to react then this cannot be a hand ball. Likewise, bouncing balls that come up and hit a player's arm or balls that hit a player's arm when his or her back is turned are generally not fouls. In particular on wet fields the ball tends to skid off quickly giving players no chance of moving away. On the other hand, when a player uses her hand at her side to control a ball that comes in at waist level or has time to reach out and touch a ball, then these clearly should be called. A good rule-of-thumb to use is if the player's hand comes to the ball, it is a foul. If the ball comes to the hand, it is not a foul.
Now to all of you parents, coaches, players, and fans who incessantly yell for the referee to call these infractions: you need to sit down and be quiet. There is nothing that makes you look more ignorant of the game than crying for a foul every time the ball touches an arm. Unintentional hand balls are not fouls. Period.
Finally, to all you referees out there, I know that it is easier to simply call every ball that hits a player's hand a foul rather than having to make a difficult decision regarding a player's intent and having to face the wrath of angry (although incorrect) fans. However, you must resist the temptation of making the easy call and have the courage to make the correct call. Calling unintentional hand balls will only make it more difficult in the future for the minority of referees who choose to call the fouls correctly. Remember, no intent, no foul! Let's start playing and calling the game the way it is meant to be played.
The Offside Rule
To view the offside explanation, as given at Referee Coaching Course CLICK HERE.
Once file is open, click the icon to 'rotate clockwise'.
To see an animated OFFSIDE explanation from FIFA website, CLICK HERE.
Note you must have a fast connection to be able to view this.
Over 35 Rule
Old Boys 35 "No slide tackle" -rule has been added to the Sunshine Coast by-laws for season 2010. This ruling has been based on a 'gentlemens agreement' previous years but from this season it is a Law on our local competition.
It is actually a 'dangerous play' indirect free kick rule of slide tackles only within playing distance of the ball when legs are in danger. There is no problem of sliding when there is no one near to cause injury, and no problem if goal keeper does similar when going for the ball.
One leg would have to be refs decision as per dangerous play rule. All penalty area fouls apply, so that if keeper does penalty foul then that overrides a indirect free kick for sliding.
