Question Number: 23710

Law 3 - Number of Players 7/27/2010

RE: Competitive ` Under 17

Doug Anderson of Orillia, Ontario Canada asks...

During the half time break, yellow team changes their goal keeper (neither of two coaches nor any player tells me or my assistants of the change.

What is the correct procedure for Center referee to follow?

At a less competitive level (house league, U-littles) I would ask the coach loudly 'Do you have anything to tell me? trying to stress it as their responsibility to tell ref but not letting the obvious chnage slide. I did not do so here.

As recently instructed by my District Referee-Coordinator, I waited until the keeper handled the ball and then issued a yellow card caution to the keeper for the failure to inform (calling it unsporting behaviour).

I stopped play to award the caution so I awarded an indirect free kick from the point of handling. (In postgame rethinking of this, I could have waited until the ball next went out of play AFTER the handling and awarded the yellow then. I likely would handle such repeat of that in that fashion unless our panel can suggest a more appropriate stop/restart.)

In the final analysis of this game, it mattered not at all. Yellow was way ahead and Red did not score on the free kick awarded. Yellow learned an embarrassing lesson (coaches were mostly to blame but the keeper is an aspiring referee and knew this rule.) It was a 'high' profile and I would like to followup to be sure I had it right and the players and coaches know it.

DSA

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Do you allow other substitutions to be made at halftime? What do you do about those if you have not been notified?

The changing of a goalkeeper at halftime is no different. Sure, the referee is supposed to be informed before it happens. But if there is no notification, you simply count the correct number of players, make sure one is dressed in the funny spiderman jersey, and off you go.

If this is in a game with restricted numbers of substitutions (rather than unlimited with right of reentry), then you do need to take action. You need to know when substitutions have been made, and whether the keeper change was a substitution or not. But as you suspected, you should not stop play for a caution. Law 3 says:
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If a player changes places with the goalkeeper without the referee's permission before the change is made:
* the referee allows play to continue
* the referee cautions the players concerned when the ball is next out of play
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Which brings up another question: Did you caution the keeper from the first half as well?

And, if you're willing to prompt them about the keeper change in lower-level games, why not in any game?

I'm glad you didn't fall for the stupid referee trick of saying that the new goalkeeper was not a goalkeeper at all, and charge them with a PK for deliberate handling.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Anderson
Prevention is better than the cure and I pay particular attention to the teams at the restart of the 2nd half. I will also ask both team at the center circle if they have made any changes. Also there is a distinction between a substitution and a change of goalkeeper on the FOP.
If a goalkeeper substitution is not notified and I note it during play the correct decision is to allow play to come to a natural stoppage, caution the new GK for unsporting behaviour and complete the substitution process.
If it is an outfield player then the referee stops play if he gets involved in play, cautions the player, completes the substitution process and restarts with an IDFK from where the ball was when play was stopped. Otherwise he waits until a naural stoppage to issue the caution and complete the substitution.
If it is a change of GK involving another player on the FOP, the referee allows play to come to a natural stoppage and he cautions both players.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

While you should follow the directives of the District Referee Coordinator, the advice for referees in the United States is radically different. When the referee is aware of the keeper change and permits the half to begin, the referee has granted permission for the change. The referee should remind the player of the need to inform the referee.

Waiting until the keeper touches the ball and then giving the opponent's a free kick in a very dangerous position inside the penalty area usually will lesson the referee's ability to control the match. It can lead to players (of both teams) not getting the message (the need to inform the referee of changes during the half), and instead getting the message that the referee is playing 'gotcha.' It is a lawful approach, but may not be the most effective.

If you had waited until the ball went out of play to caution both the old and new keeper, however, you still would have following the directive but the lesson for the players would have been the caution (and the need to inform the referee) rather than an obsession by the players on the restart.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Your District Referee Co-ordinator has advised you to disobey directly the LOTG. Regardless of what he said, you should wait for a stoppage then caution BOTH keepers if you are going to caution at all.