Law 8: The Start & Restart of Play

Soccer Canada Memo : Restarts after striking, throwing or spitting.

Signals and Restarts

Under the Laws of the Game only two restarts require a signal from the referee:

1.   A kick off (Law 8)
2.   A penalty kick (Law 14).

 The dropped ball is a special case that requires the involvement of the referee in the restart, but no signal as such.

At free kicks, throw-ins, goal kicks, and corner kicks, the team with possession of the ball can put the ball into play without a signal from the referee. At the time of the stoppage in play, the referee will have given the signal for the type of restart, and no further signal is required. The only exception is where the referee must deal with something during the stoppage, for example, a substitution, an injury, to give a warning, or issue a card. Then a ceremonial restart is required, and the referee should make it clear to the teams that play can not start without a signal.

Canada Soccer Memorandum

Subject: Clarification for the Laws of the Game – FIFA
Date: March 11, 2002
To: Provincial Technical Directors
c.c.: CSA Referee Committee members
National Instructors and National Assessors
FIFA referees and FIFA Assistant referees
From: Sonia Denoncourt / CSA Referee Development Coordinator

Restarts after striking, throwing or spitting.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has provided a new interpretation of where a foul has occurred when there has been no direct contact or when the contact has occurred off the field of play. Prior to now, for example, striking using a thrown object was punished where the action originated.

The IFAB now instructs that all such infringements are to be punished where the contact occurs or would have occurred if the action had been successful, provided this location is on the field of play.

The July 2000 version of FIFA’s Questions and Answers to the Laws of the Game incorporates this new interpretation and referees in Canada should implement this guidance.

There are few exceptions to this rule:

1- If the striking or attempted striking was misconduct (i.e., the actual striking contact occurred off the field or was committed against someone other than an opposing player or substitute), the restart is an indirect free kick from the point of initiation. The guilty player should be sent off for violent conduct and shown the red card.

2- If a substitute, standing outside the field of play, strikes or attempts to strike a player on the field of play, the restart is a dropped ball at the place where the ball was when the blow was struck. The substitute is sent off for violent conduct and shown the red card.

3- If a player, taking a throw-in, throws the ball at an opponent, the referee is presented with a gray area involving sound reading of the conditions of the game. This throw could be considered to be trifling, unsporting behavior, or violent conduct, depending on the force used. If the throw-in was correctly taken and the referee considers that a foul has been committed, the restart would be a direct free kick from the point of contact. If the throw-in was not correctly taken and the referee considers that misconduct has been committed, the restart would be a retake of the throw-in, because the game was not restarted properly.

 For more information, you can refer to the:

1. Questions and Answers in FIFA web site: www.fifa.com
2.http://www.ussoccer.com/templates/includes/services/referees/pdfs/position_papers/restarts.pdf