Question Number: 23747

8/7/2010

RE: Adult

darron frost of cumbria, england asks...

This question is a follow up to question 98109

a forward goes on a run and moves of the field of play accidentally,a defender makes a challenge which fouls the forward while the forward is off the field and the defender is on the field of play and the ball is in play what would you award,a drop ball or a free kick idfk or dfk, I would award a drop ball as a fk can only be awarded inside the field of play

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Darron
The correct answer is a dropped ball restart. However in these situations it is always diffciult to judge if the player that is fouled is completely off the FOP and when there is doubt many referees award the direct free kick. I noticed one in the WC game between Holland and Brazil where it looked to me like the foul was committed off the FOP behind the corner flag yet the referee awarded the DFK and without any complaint might I add.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

A foul can only occur on the field - so if it's off the field, then it becomes misconduct. Drop ball, and caution.

However, I'd only take that approach if I was absolutely certain that it was clearly, inarguably, off the field. Otherwise, let's just say it was right on the line and award the free kick there.

A drop ball for a foul is going to be quite confusing for everybody there - while it's technically correct, a good referee will try to avoid the confusing decisions as much as possible unless he has no choice. The game will thank you for it.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You have to make certain the infraction is totally off the field of play. If it is, there can be no foul, only misconduct.

So, we have misconduct committed off the field of play. Even though you say the defender is on the field of play, some part of him must be off the field of play in order to commit the offense there

I would say I think that the he left the field to perform the action and restart with IDFK where ball was when play was stopped

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Darron, we must establish where the offense occurred. If the offense was off the field of play and the referee stops the play, it is a drop ball from where the ball was (except the goal area). You are quite correct in saying that no free kick can be awarded for something that happened off the field of play. A warning, caution or ejection could still happen but the restart can only be a drop ball if the ball never left the field of play and it was still in play when the game was stopped.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Here's the distinction. A player who leaves the field of play to commit an offense is leaving without permission, which is misconduct. Law 13 tells us misconduct is punished where the offense occurred, which is where he left the field.

If the player left the field in the normal course of play, and then commits some form of what would be a foul or misconduct if it had been on the field, the only possible restart is a dropped ball. The decision the referee needs to make has to do with whether or not the incident happened in the course of normal play which took the players off the field and thus it happened off the field - DB restart, OR the referee must decide the defending player LEFT the field to commit the offense, whatever it was, and thus the restart is the IDFK for leaving without permission, plus whatever else gets added on.

As my colleagues have noted, the use of this interpretation gives referees a fair amount of leeway and thus some game control room. Use it wisely.