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The Corsham Referee Newsletter No 34 (April 2006) |
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1st April 2006 International newsletter covering Football (Soccer) Refereeing matters. |
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Welcome, with an International perspective. |
Welcome to the 34th edition of The Corsham Referee monthly International Referees' newsletter. I hope that all of you continue to enjoy your role in the world of refereeing. Please let me have any contributions for the newsletter, as readers are always interested in hearing about Refereeing from around the world. Please let me know if you have any difficulties in receiving or reading the newsletter; and let me have any suggestions on how it can be improved. It is issued free by email in both html (web page format), and plain text format. Previous issues (and printable pdf versions) can be seen by using the 'Previous Newsletters' link on the home page of my http://www.corshamref.org.uk web site. This newsletter is issued approximately on the 1st day of each calendar month.
REFEREEING TODAY MAGAZINE - A MUST FOR ALL REFEREES
For those of you who are interested in subscribing to the best ever Referee magazine, why not subscribe to the Referees' Association (RA) glossy magazine 'Refereeing Today' which is
normally issued 4 times each football season.
Refereeing Today contains a blend of professional and grassroots materiel that will be of interest to referees at all levels.
The April 2006 issue has a theme of 'The Enjoyment of Refereeing'' and includes a number of
fun and job-satisfaction articles from all levels of the game: David Elleray, a
piece from our newsletter friend and referee Hilton Mukuwiri in Zimbabwe,
Referees' Coach Rob Harris (ex-top ref), the IFAB Law changes for next season,
tips on refereeing, an update on small sided soccer for referees, and lots
more. A further Referees'
Association Conference edition of Refereeing Today is planned for release mid-May 2006, and the theme of this final edition for
the current football season here in England, will be 'The World Cup'.
If you wish to forward any 'Refereeing Today' articles or photos for consideration, please email them to
teh Managing Editor Julian Carosi
TO SUBSCRIBE TO REFEREEING TODAY:
The magazine can be delivered to your door, wherever you are in the world.
Annual Subscription Costs for 4 magazines per season: United Kingdom £12 by direct mail.
National Referees' Association members who subscribe through their Referees' Society get the reduced rate of £8.40.
Airmail (World-wide) £18.50: Europe £15.25: Forces £12.75:
Part-year subscriptions are available pro rata.
This issue of the newsletter focuses on the forthcoming Law changes, and hence does not contain the normal news items.
Please note, that the OFFICIAL version of the Law changes are released by FIFA, and should be available from your national associations during April onwards. The Law Change details in this newsletter are complied from various genuine sources. THEY SHOULD NOT BE DISTRIBUTED AS THE OFFICIAL VERSION which always comes out later in the year. Nevertheless, they should be accurate.
Keep up the good Refereeing work wherever you are in the world; and my best wishes go to you all. Editor Julian Carosi.
International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting 4 March 2006
Zurich/Lucerne, 4 March 2006 - Less than 100 days before the kick-off of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) sent out a clear message to the football world on 5 March by approving a series of modifications to the Laws of the Game (see page 17) and endorsing instructions to referees and assistant referees to clamp down on time-wasting and gamesmanship in general. The modifications will come into force on 1 July 2006. However, with the FIFA World Cup™ beginning on 9 June and lasting until 9 July, the IFAB decided that the modifications and instructions would also apply for FIFA's flagship competition.
Looking ahead to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, the Board supported FIFA's request that special instructions be issued to the match officials who will be in action in Germany. As a result, they will be asked to severely sanction all cases of elbowing, reckless tackling and serious foul play with red cards, while shirt-pulling and holding an opponent will incur a yellow card. Furthermore, referees will also be told to caution any player who provokes a confrontation with an opponent by deliberately interfering with the ball after the referee has stopped play. These directives were explained at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ finalist teams' workshop in Düsseldorf (Germany) on 5-7 March.
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter praised the visionary spirit of the founders of the Board and expressed his pleasure at the International F.A. Board's readiness to use the FIFA World Cup™ to pass on a clear message in terms of player protection. "The FIFA World Cup is the perfect platform to send out this message to the whole world of football as people all around the globe will follow the 64 matches in Germany. The stars of the tournament will serve as role models for hundreds of millions of other players around the world. So it is all the more important that Germany 2006 sets a positive example."
International Football Association Board (IFAB) Law Changes for Season 2006/2007
FIFA administration is currently in the process of drafting an official Circular to their member associations to explain in detail the changes to the Laws of the Game agreed to at the meeting of the International FA Board on 4 March 2006. In the meantime, the details shown below are sourced from: www.FIFA.com Neale Barry, IFAB Agenda, and FIFA Media release.
Law changes for 2006/2007 are as follows:
Note: the text eliminated, is shown as crossed through like this. The new text is shown in
bold italic.
Law 4 - The Players Equipment
The FIFA proposal to add the following words 'comprises the following separate items' was APPROVED.
Reason: To clarify the Laws in various respects and to outlaw the 'Cameroon' one piece suit.
The Law 4 change will now read:
Basic Equipment.
The basic compulsory equipment of a player comprises the following separate
items.
Law 10 - The Method of Scoring
The FIFA proposal to add the words 'or home-and-away tie' was APPROVED.
Reason: This adds into Law, the current custom and practice for deciding matches.
The Law 10 change will now read:
Competition Rules.
When competition rules require there to be a winning team after a match or home-and-away tie has been drawn, only the following procedures, which have been approved by the International F.A. Board, are permitted:
Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct
This FIFA proposal was in three parts. All three parts were APPROVED.
The first part adds the words 'or throw-in', into the cautionable offences.
Reason: To cover the Law change introduced last season on the 2m minimum distance that opponents must be at the taking of the throw in.
The first part of the Law 12 change will now read:
Cautionable Offences.
A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offences:
1. is guilty of unsporting behaviour.
2. shows dissent by word or action.
3. persistently infringes the Laws of the Game.
4. delays the restart of play.
5. fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick,
or free kick or throw-in.
6. enters or re-enters the field of play without the referee's permission.
7. deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee's permission.
The second part of the Law 12 change was to make a clear distinction between a PLAYER, SUBSTITUTE PLAYER and SUBSTITUTED PLAYER.
Reason: At the moment, the Law only talks about players. Cautionable Offences have now been split between the 7 a PLAYER can commit and 3 that a SUBSTITUTE PLAYER or SUBSTITUTED PLAYER can commit.
The second part of the Law 12 change will add the following text beneath the current 7 Cautionable Offences for players.
A substitute or substituted player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following three offences:
1. is guilty of unsporting behaviour.
2. shows dissent by word or action.
3. delays the restart of play.
The third part of the Law 12 change, adds in the words 'substitute or substituted player'
into the first sentence describing the Sending-Off Offences.
Reason: Sending-off offences can be committed by any of the three categories of participant; i.e. players, substitutes or substituted players.
The third part of the Law 12 change will now read:
Sending-Off Offences.
A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offences:…………
Law 14 - The Penalty Kick
This FIFA proposal was in two parts. Both parts were APPROVED.
The first part involves adding the words 'from the place where the infringement occurred' which gives the referee clear guidelines as to where the free kick should be taken from.
Reason: Previously, the wording had said the 'referee restarts the match with an indirect free kick' but no guidelines as to 'where from'.
The second part adds the words 'infringes the Laws of the Game'.
Reason: Previously there were a number of specific scenarios that the referee took into consideration when deciding whether an infringement had occurred, i.e. players entering the penalty area, the ball rebounding off goalkeeper, goalpost, crossbar, or a player playing the ball twice. Now,
ANY infringement of specific aspects of the Laws leads the referee into how to restart play.
The Infringements / Sanctions section of Law 14 will now read:
Infringements / Sanctions
If the Referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and, before the ball is in play, one of the following situations occurs:
The player taking the penalty kick infringes the Laws of the Game:
The goalkeeper infringes the Laws of the Game:
A team-mate of the player taking the kick infringes the Laws of the Game
enters the penalty area or moves in front of or within 9.15 m (10 yds) of the penalty mark :
· the Referee allows the kick to proceed
· if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken.
· if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick,
from the place where the infringement occurred, to the defending team
· If the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper, the crossbar or the goalpost and is touched by this player, The Referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick to the defending team.
A team-mate of the goalkeeper infringes the Laws of the Game enters the penalty area or moves in front of or within 9.15 m (10 yds) of the penalty mark :
Law 17 - The Corner Kick
This FIFA proposal confirms that the opposition players must be 9.15m (10 yds) from the 'corner arc' until the ball is in play.
Reason: Previously the Law 17 Corner Kick Procedure said that 'opponents must remain at least 9.15m (10 yds) from the ball'. This is now consistent throughout the Law in this aspect.
The Law 17 change will now read:
Additional Instructions for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials. *
The IFAB approved the inclusion of an additional bullet point into the 'Additional Instructions for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials' chapter of the Law book, to provide further disciplinary guidance to referees during stoppages of play
Reason: To give greater focus by deterring players from initiating a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball, rather than leaving it alone and allowing the opponent to restart play quickly.
The heading 'Delaying the restart of play' within the 'Additional Instructions for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials' chapter which states that "Referees must caution players who delay the restart of play by tactics such as………:" will now include the following additional new bullet point.
IFAB ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND DECISION that were approved, at the 4 March 2006 meeting are as follows:
Adidas/Cairos Goal-line Technology:
After disappointing results in Peru and Nuremberg, Adidas and Cairos have been given permission by the IFAB to continue with its development. The IFAB would require them to arrange another visit to their test stadium in Nuremberg to evaluate any future improvements.
Requests for tests with a Referee Communication System in UEFA Club and Youth Competitions:
Although The IFAB was unhappy that UEFA had run tests with this system without permission, they did give the go ahead for them to continue. FIFA also stated that they would try to test this at the World Cup 2006 if the system could be modified so that the microphone was a small device that could be positioned on the referee's shirt rather than the 'live performers' one that is used by UEFA which FIFA consider could constitute a danger.
Technical Area
A Scottish FA proposal to give clear guidelines in terms of what constituted advertising within the Technical Area was placed in the hands of the IFAB sub-committee. This was mainly in connection with what was/wasn't allowed on the 'dugout' or 'officials cabin'
Italian Football Federation Goal-Line Technology
The Italians were allowed to make a presentation regarding using cameras for goal-line decisions. After some discussion The International Football Association Board gave permission for tests to be carried out. When the system was ready for testing members of the Board would visit Italy and monitor the progress, as they had done with the Adidas/Cairos tests.
The following IFAB discussion items were NOT approved:
Law 1 - The Field of Play
The FIFA proposal to increase the corner arc from 1m to 2m was WITHDRAWN.
Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct
New Decision 7 - WITHDRAWN
This was replaced by an additional bullet point under 'Additional Instructions for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials' * see above.
Additional Instructions for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials
This proposal put forward by The Football Association, sought to right a perceived injustice of a player having to leave the field of play, having received an injury from a foul challenge that was serious enough to warrant the referee issuing a yellow or red card.
The 4 Home Associations were in favour, but FIFA were strongly against, for the following reasons:
Requests for tests with a Video System to assist Referees:
FIFA stated that this proposal didn't conform to the criteria of a decision relayed IMMEDIATELY to the referee, as in the case of goal-line technology.
The International F.A. Board, the custodian of the Laws of the Game, is composed of The Football Association (England), The Scottish Football Association, The Football Association of Wales, The Irish Football Association (Northern Ireland) and FIFA. Representing its 203 other members, FIFA has four votes on the body, while the four British associations have one vote apiece. A proposal requires a three-quarter majority (i.e. six of the eight votes) to be passed.
The 121st Annual General Meeting of the IFAB will be held in Manchester (England)
4 March 2007.
THIS MONTH'S TOPICS:
This month, we look at three topics; the mounds created when taking a goal kick; the wearing of spectacles; and two-footed challenges
Question: My son plays in goal for an under 12 side, and when he takes a goal kick, he tends to make a small mound and place the ball on top of this mound to kick it, he has done this since the age of nine, and was coached by a professional club to do this. However, in our last game, the referee told him that he would caution him if he did it again, is this correct ? And is it also against the Law to mark your area out (i.e. goal posts etc).
Answer: There is no hard and fast ruling on this subject, as mounds can be anything from "hardly a dimple in the turf", to great big potholes created over time.
The condition of the field of play is the individual referee's responsibility. If he feels that the mounds constitute a danger to players, as they very often do when they are constantly created (and then left behind as a hazard) then the referee's prime responsibility is to stop players using them.
If a player is asked by the referee not to create them by the referee, and then ignores the advice, he could receive a caution for unsporting behaviour.
If an innocent player breaks his ankle because of one of these mounds or resultant holes;
Would your son come forward and take responsibility? No.
Would his team come forward and take responsibility on his behalf? No.
Would the professional club who have been coaching your son come forward and take responsibility? Most definitely no.
If your son broke his ankle because of a hole left by the opposing team, how would [i]you[/I]feel?
Would the referee take all the blame? More than likely.
It would be the referee who cops it when things go wrong. It is therefore the referee's duty to minimise this danger, so that it protects the players. It is a safety issue, rather than a strict Law issue.
It is also illegal to place additional markings on the field of play, such as marking the middle of the penalty area or goal post positions by scuffing a line in the turf with your studs. Only lines approved in Law 1 can be marked on the field of play.
If the referee notices this before the match starts, the offending player is cautioned for unsporting behaviour. If the referee notices this being done during the match, he cautions the offending player for unsporting behaviour when the ball next goes out of play.
Wearing Spectacles:
Question: Are players allowed to wear glasses (spectacles) whilst they are playing.
Answer: As long as the Referee is satisfied that the glasses (spectacles) are not dangerous to the player himself or to other players, then players wearing glasses should be allowed to participate in the game. Players with a stigmatism have been known to play with properly designed sports glasses, which pose no danger to other players or themselves. The Dutch player Edgar Davids always plays with properly designed sporting flexible shatterproof glasses, which do not pose any danger to himself or other players. With glass lenses, there is a great risk that a ball may catch a player in the face and break the glasses. Sharp, broken objects and glass, flying in the eye can cause serious damage. These days, most lenses are constructed with plastic, and therefore the risk is far less. 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.
The following paragraphs show advice from various sources on this subject.
The FIFA Guidelines, in their Laws of the Game 2005 booklet, states:
New technology has made sports spectacles much safer, both for the players themselves and for other players.
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.
The 2005 FA 'Advice on the Application of the Laws of the Game' booklet states:
"Spectacles
Modern technology has made spectacles much safer both for the player himself and for other players. The referee has the final decision on the safety of spectacles and should take into account modern technology and the improved safety features of spectacle design when making a decision."
The Football Association Match Officials Association (FAMOA) June 2004 magazine, offered the following useful advice from Ray Oliver (FA Regional Manager)
Wearing of Spectacles or Goggles:
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.
Polycarbonate lenses are the most important property of all protective spectacles or goggles. Polycarbonate is virtually unbreakable, and will sustain the impact of a ball or finger. An elasticised band and not just temple pieces should secure the frame. Players must have a means of securing the spectacles or goggles tightly to the head so that they will stay in place during play. A frame with temple support only will not hold tight enough, and a jab from a finger could lift the frame off, and make its way to the eye.
Although sports eyewear is intended to offer the best protection available, there is always the possibility that the wearer may sustain an eye or facial injury due to severe impact or because of the nature of the athletic activity.
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.
Question: I've seen it mentioned that a two footed challenge will be punished by a caution if no contact is made with the player - but if contact is made then it should be a sending-off. I interpret two footed challenges as serious foul play (using excessive force), as they are designed to hurt or maim an opponent. So therefore constitute a sending-off regardless of whether or not there is contact with the opponent, as the intent is there.
Also, my understanding was that if a player is injured in a challenge, that cannot be taken into consideration when punishing the offence. If it's a careless challenge, but the player falls awkwardly and breaks his leg it doesn't then become a reckless challenge (or using excessive force) just because of the injury.
If this is the case - then surely this works vice-versa with two footed challenges...if there's no injury (i.e. the opponent pulls out of the challenge) then that shouldn't detract from the fact that the challenge is using excessive force. The player
committing the two footed challenge has no control over whether the opponent is going to pull out of the challenge or not.
Answer: The punishment for a two-footed tackle has nothing to do with whether contact has been made or not. It is possible to make a 'legal' two-footed tackle when no other players are involved; therefore, it's not a case of being able to provide a written list of what is a sending-off incident and what isn't.
It should be blatantly obvious to most referees (at any level) when a player should be sent off for making such a tackle, commonly known as an 'over the top', or a 'two-footed' tackle.
It all depends on a number of factors: the proximity of players, the strength of the tackle, whether it was intentional (for yes, it is possible to slip over and accidentally make such a tackle), the angle of approach, whether excessive force has been used, and even the body language of the tackler. These are just a very few things to consider - there are many more.
You also say that that "if a player is injured in a challenge, that cannot be taken into consideration when punishing the offence." I strongly recommend that when you make a decision in such an incident where an injury occurs, do not dismiss the extent of an injury (or the fact that no injury occurred) and do no dismiss the reaction of the injured player or his colleagues. Whatever you may have heard about players, they are normally genuine when it comes to real pain or appealing against acts of this kind. I short, use all of the information available to you, when you make a decision, and that includes the reaction of the players.
These types of tackles should be the easiest to identify and punish; and if anyone has problems with dealing swiftly with them, they should rely totally on their instinct, for it will invariably be correct. They should not be difficult decisions to make.
Finally - you are correct in your statement, "The player committing the two footed challenge has no control over whether the opponent is going to pull out of the challenge or not."
Let me have your thoughts on this month's topics. Regards Julian Carosi
I hope that you have enjoyed this issue of the newsletter, and that you are all continuing to enjoy your
refereeing roles. All the very warmest wishes to you all, wherever you are in the world.
Regards, Julian Carosi (Newsletter Editor):
Disclaimer:
The content of this newsletter is not sanctioned by or affiliated with any governing body of soccer. The opinions expressed here are
sometimes those of the Corsham Referee webmaster and the readers, or from other
media sources. Reference to the male gender in this newsletter is for simplification only, and apply to both males and females. All rights of the current Laws mentioned in this newsletter are reserved by FIFA, and they are the official laws of the International Football Association Board.
The Editor is not obliged to publicise unsolicited manuscripts or photos.
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