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Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play

The aim of this page is to understand how to confidently conduct the coin tossing ceremony and how to start and restart the game correctly.

COMMON ELEMENTS OF THE EIGHT METHODS OF RESTARTING PLAY

1. Preliminaries                                       Go to top of this page

Make sure you allow plenty of time to complete the coin tossing ceremony prior to kick-off time.

It is very important that you create a calm and confident impression by positively summoning the team Captains to the centre-circle with a loud and confident blow of your whistle - make sure everyone hears it. Be pleasant in your manner to the Captains, wish them well and be sincere.
A feeble whistle at this stage will demonstrate a weakness to the players - they will probably think:

"We have a right one here this week".

Weakness with the whistle is one of the easiest ways to lose the confidence of the players.

Make sure your bearing is positive and exudes confidence - this will form a good impression for any on-looking players. Test your whistle at home and in the changing room before you enter the field of play.

Shake the hands of both Captains and introduce yourself and your Assistant Referees.
If you want to say anything to the Captains - this is the time to do it -  before you have tossed the coin. Do not be afraid of mentioning any particular points you wish to emphasise, and tell the Captains that you expect the game to be played in a good sporting manner.

A coin is tossed and the team that wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match.

The other team takes the kick-off, to start the match. Use your Referee's note pad to annotate which team kicked-off in the first half.

It is very easy to forget which team should kick-off, when coming out to commence the second half,

The team that wins the toss, takes the kick-off to start the second half of the match.

In the second half of the match the teams must change ends and attack the opposite goals.

In Cup Competitions, if extra time is required, then the coin is tossed again - the team that wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the extra time, the other team takes the kick-off.

Make sure you have a coin available with you when you meet the Captains in the centre-circle. As a last resort (e.g. if you have left your coin in the changing rooms) pick up one piece of grass and hide it behind you in a closed fist - then ask one of the Captains to chose which hand is holding the piece of grass, if he guesses correctly, then he wins and chooses which goal his team will attack in the first half of the match. It may sound stupid, but believe me, most Referees have used this method more than once during their careers.

A good tip is to wear a wrist lanyard that includes the match whistle, a spare whistle, and two small coins clipped onto the lanyard. Drill small holes in each coin to allow clipping to the lanyard. You then have everything secured and to hand. It also prevents that scourge of all Referees - having a jangling coin jumping about in one of your pockets and distracting you throughout the game.

Before you start the game, check that your Assistant Referees are in position, and that all the players including the goalkeepers are ready to start. Commence the game with a loud, clear, firm positive whistle.

Prior to the start of each half, most Referees hold out an up-stretched arm towards the Assistant Referees and goalkeepers, to ask them if they are ready to start. This is not necessarily required - a Referee can usually see when everyone is ready.

2. Kick-off                                               Go to top of this page

A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting play:

• at the start of the match

 

• after a goal has been scored

 

• at the start of the second half of the match

 

• at the start of each period of extra time, where applicable

 

A goal can be scored directly from the kick-off.

Do not turn your back when a goal has just been scored, keep your eyes on the goal area to note any misdemeanours occurring immediately following the scoring of the goal.

Walk or run backwards to the centre-circle, keeping your eyes on the players involved. Once players have settled down - then make a note of the score in your note book.

3. Kick-off Procedure                              Go to top of this page

• all players must be in their own half of the field

 

• the opponents of the team taking the kick-off must be at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play - i.e. the players must be outside of the centre-circle and must not encroach until the kick-off has taken place

 

• the ball must be stationary and on the centre mark

 

• the referee gives a signal for the team to restart play (it is not essential to blow your whistle to restart after a goal has been scored, you can just signal or speak or shout. Example " Off you go lads".)
  
  
  But blow your whistle loudly to commence the start of each half.

 

• the ball is in play as soon as it is kicked and moves forward into the opponents half. The opponents can only then enter the centre-circle.

 

• the kicker must not touch the ball a second time until it has touched another player

 

After a team scores a goal, the kick-off is taken by the other team.

The normal position of the Referee prior to a kick-off, is on the Referee's diagonal which he is to patrol, just outside of the centre-circle, and facing the team who are taking the kick-off. This position can vary, but do try and keep away from the action area. In other words, do not get in the way of the players during a kick-off - but allow yourself a good view of the kick-off.

During kick-off, Assistant Referees will normally position themselves so that they are adjacent to the last outfield defender, in readiness to judge for any off-sides. This will prevent them having to suddenly sprint to monitor any off-side offence at the commencement of the game, and therefore reduce the risk of a pulled muscle or other injuries before they have had time to warm up.

4. Infringements/Sanctions                     Go to top of this page

If the kicker touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player:

• an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred

For any other infringement of the kick-off procedure:

• the kick-off is retaken

 

For example:

• if the ball was in the opponents half when the kick-off was taken - retake the kick-off

 

• if a player involved with the kick-off is standing inside his opponents half- retake the kick-off
  
• if a player not involved with the kick-off is standing inside his opponents half- retake the kick-off

 

• if the opposition are not all in their own half - retake the kick-off

5. For Dropped Balls see the Dropped Ball page:

7. Positioning:             Go to top of this page

See my Positioning Page for details of all Referee positions on the Field of Play

8. Questions and Answers:                   

Question 1: During restarts of play, is it legal for a player to put his foot on the top of the ball and touch it so that it starts moving forward and then roll it backwards all in the same movement without having taken his foot off the ball?

Answer 1: During a restart, the ball is only in play when it is kicked and moves. In this case, the ball is not actually kicked but rolled forwards and then backwards in one movement. The player did not touch the ball a second time, because he did not take his foot off the surface of the ball - it was all done with one touch and not two - so an indirect free kick to the opposition is not an option. The kick should be retaken properly.

In instances such as this, the Referee should endeavour to educate players on the correct procedure to be used. Tell them that "the ball must be kicked and moved before it is deemed in play, and then someone else needs to play it before the kicker touches it again" .  Educating is particularly important when teaching our younger players how it should properly be done.

Question 2: Does the Referee have to 'toss the coin' again before any extra time is played?

Answer 2: Yes. The procedure used is the same as when the match is started in normal time. A coin is tossed, and the team who wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half period of extra time. The other team then takes the kick-off. 

Question 3: Exactly what does go on during the coin tossing ceremony at the start of the match?

Question 4: Can a team send more than one person (captain) to participate in the 'tossing the coin' ceremony at the start of a match?

Answer 4: There is no mention in the Laws to specify how many captains a team may send up to the 'tossing of the coin' ceremony. But it would look a bit daft if more than one captain was nominated. One captain should be designated this task. Another main function of a designated captain is to be the authorised intermediary to ask questions of the Referee during the game. It does no good to have a team of eleven captains to officiate - although in most games, this is exactly what the Referee has to put up with! However, captains have no special rights to show dissent towards the Referee, or to have the game stopped for clarification. Coaches and managers may sometimes use their captain as a diplomatic intermediary, when it seems better to not speak directly to the Referee themselves. In my experience, no matter how a Referee tries to encourage the captains to take some responsibility for their own players - the captains end up being the worse perpetrators of bad behaviour. I've given up trying to ask for their assistance during the 'tossing up of the coin ceremony’; it's just a complete waste of time.

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Question 5: Both the Referee and the Assistant Referee were unfortunately blocked off from view when the ball crosses the touchline for a throw-in. Neither of the officials was sure of which way the throw should be awarded. The Referee decided to award a dropped ball instead - is this correct?

Answer 5: No. Law 8 states that a dropped ball is the correct method of restarting the game after a temporary stoppage for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Laws of the Game. In this instance, the ball crossed the touchline - so the correct restart in accordance with Law 15 (The Throw-in) is a throw-in! No other restart is permitted. The Referee does not have the authority to restart with a dropped ball, merely because he is uncertain about which way the throw should be awarded. There will be many times during a Referees career, that both he and/or his Assistants will not be sure on the direction that a throw should be awarded. The solution is very simple - and one that has worked for me (and most other Referees) over many years. If you are unsure as to the direction of a throw, use the 'rule-of-thumb' method and always award it to the defending team. Don't worry too much if you have made the correct decision or not (this applies to Assistant Referees as well as Referees). The secret is to be very positive and 'stick to your guns'. Indicate with a strong arm and whistle signal. If you get any dissent, re-signal as before, but tell the players to "GET ON WITH IT". It is very important that you use a consistent method and get into this frame of mind before each game. You will be surprised how easy and automatically you make such decisions after you have tried it once or twice. Throw-ins are not goal scoring opportunities, so don't fret about making a wrong decision - it very rarely effects the outcome of a game. Some Referees award uncertain direction throws to the attacking side - whatever method you use - be consistent.

As always with football, there are exceptions - some USA high-school rules specifically permit a dropped ball, five yards from the touchline, if the Referee can't determine which team should be awarded a throw-in. This is not part of the official Laws, and should not be used elsewhere.

Question 6: During a shot on goal that is going wide, the goalkeeper moves backwards and catches the ball just as it is about to cross the goal line outside of the goal post. The Assistant Referee automatically signals for a corner kick but then realises that the ball has not actually crossed the line when being caught by the goalkeeper. The Referee, who fleetingly sees the Assistant Referees signal out of the corner of his eye, blows and signals for a corner. However, the defending team complains to the Referee, that the ball had not wholly crossed the goal line. The Referee converses with his Assistant Referee - who acknowledges that he had made a mistake by signalling too soon, and the ball had not actually crossed over the goal line, and play should have been allowed to continue. The Referee than decides that a corner is not the correct decision. How should the Referee restart the game?

Answer 6: The Referee had stopped the game, so some form of restart is required. Once again, the 'old' dropped ball comes to the rescue. Law 8 states that a dropped ball is the correct method of restarting the game after a temporary stoppage for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Laws of the Game. In this instance, a dropped ball is the correct restart method. The dropped ball takes place on the goal line parallel to where the goalkeeper was standing on his goal line when he caught the ball in his goal area. Law 8 does not stipulate a minimum or maximum number of players required for a dropped ball. All the Referee needs to do is to ensure that the offensive team back off and simply drop the ball to the goalkeeper for the restart. Easy isn't it !!! We all make mistakes, and players are always receptive to a bit of common sense in such circumstances.

Assistant Referees should not anticipate the ball going out of play. It is always better to have a late and correct flag signal than to flag too quickly and make a mistake.

As a general rule, if the Referee mistakenly blows the whistle to stop play for whatever reason, the proper restart is a dropped ball at the place where the ball was when the whistle was blown.

Question 7: During a match, a defender falls injured to the ground near his goal after passing the ball to a colleague who is in a good position to clear the ball away. The Referee decides to stop the game immediately because of the injury. The correct restart is a dropped ball - but this gives an unfair advantage to the attacking side. Is there an alternative restart that will pass the advantage back fairly to the defending team?

Answer 7: No. The correct restart is a dropped ball at the position the ball was when play was stopped.

Experienced Referees will try to avoid situations like this, by letting play continue for a few seconds until the ball is cleared out of play, or away from the vicinity of the goal, before stopping the game. However, if the Referee thinks that the injury is serious, then he should stop the game immediately (for example - a head injury).

Law 8 does not stipulate a minimum or maximum number of players required for a dropped ball. All the Referee needs to do is to ensure that the offensive team back off and simply drop the ball to the goalkeeper or a defender for the restart.

The Referee's judgement of whether an advantage should be given to the defending team or the attacking team, depends on the situation at the time the Referee stopped play. There may be occasions when the attacking team has possession of the ball when the Referee temporarily suspends play. In such cases a proper dropped ball with both teams involved would be the appropriate method of restart. Deciding advantage is entirely a matter for the Referee's discretion.

If in the above situation, the Referee decides to award a standard dropped ball, where a player from both teams participate - and the Referee has asked the attacking player to pass the ball back gently to the defending goalkeeper - but instead, after the ball has touched the ground, the attacker volleys the ball into the net for a goal - there is not much the Referee can do, and the goal must count. The Referee has no power in this situation to force the attacking team to engage in sporting behaviour, or to instruct players not to participate in a dropped ball - but this is the correct thing to do, taking into account the spirit of the game under certain circumstances. My advice is to forget about asking attacking players to participate, just drop the ball to the goalkeeper - it will save you a great deal of trouble - and is certainly within the 'spirit of the game'. Referees' are asking for trouble giving the ball to an attacker and asking them to kick the ball nicely to the defending keeper. Whereas most players will oblige, there are some that will take advantage of such a situation. "Prevention is better than cure".

Question 8: Is the kick-off a direct free kick?

Answer 8: Yes, I suppose it is (but not in name). The only difference is that the ball must be kicked and travel forwards . A Law change in the 1997/98 season allowed players (for the first time) to score direct from the kick-off. This may sound a difficult task to complete, but I have seen it done on several occasions, particularly when the goalkeeper is standing on the edge of his penalty area, and an astute kicker notices this, and lobs the ball directly over the goalkeeper from the centre spot and into the goal. Of course, the Referee must signal for the kick-off to commence, before the players' are allowed to start the kick-off - the Referee can do this in several ways, for instance, by blowing his whistle, by a hand/arm signal or even by verbally speaking to the players. (In the United States it is generally accepted that the Referee signals for a kick-off with a whistle rather than any other signal). If a team takes the kick-off before the Referee has signalled, any directly scored goal will not count. Law 8 mandates that the kick-off is retaken if it occurs without the Referee's signal.

Question 9: Attacking team scores a goal and the Referee blows his whistle to indicate a good goal. Before the restart, an attacking player commits a second cautionable offence. This player is dismissed. What is the restart?

Question 10: As a manager, are there any considerations that I should take into account when instructing my captains which end of the field we want to attack if we win the coin toss?

Answer 10: There are several factors that you could take into consideration:

a. The location of your team spectators or the position of the technical area or changing rooms may influence your decision.

b. The direction of the wind is an important factor. You may wish to have a strong wind at your back in the first half. Most teams like to play towards the wind and 'dig-in' during the first half. At least then at half time you know what score you are up against, and the second half should be easier with the wind at your backs. But the wind may die down or change completely by second half.

c. The position of the sun is also important, especially for the goalkeepers. During an afternoon game, the sun will be higher in the first half, and you should take the option of facing the sun. The sun will drop lower in the second half, and will make it difficult for your opponents to see balls being flighted towards them. Avoid having a low sun directly in your goalkeeper's face or let your opponents face it when it is relatively lower in the second half. Even the positioning of surrounding trees, stands and buildings will effect the amount of light reaching the field from the sun. All this must be taken into consideration before deciding the best direction to attack in the first half.

d. The slope of the field of play is another important factor. Some fields have quite an incline. Players generally like to play kicking 'up the slope' in the first half. This allows them to get the worst part of the game over, and concentrate on achieving a result in the second half. Some teams seem to play better kicking up the slope, as it necessitates more of a passing game, as opposed to just lumping the ball aimlessly down the slope towards your opposition's goal, in the hope that a goal scoring opportunity will materialise.

e. The condition of the field of play should be looked at. It is not unusual for one half of the field to be in much better condition that the other half. Such factors as puddles or muddy or soft areas that are likely to get worse as the game proceeds, must be assessed. For example, if one of the goal mouths has a small puddle in the centre, and you know that the rain is not going to stop during the game, then you should try and place your goalkeeper in that goal during the first half, knowing full well, that by the time the second half starts, that goal mouth will become a marshy swamp - that the opposition goalkeeper will have great difficulty with keeping his feet in position. On the other hand, if it is likely that the weather will turn warm, dry and sunny by the second half, you may want to do the opposite. Teams generally like to let their defence cope with any problems in the first half, in the hope that by the second half, the problem will have grown for the other side.

f. Another area you may want to consider, is how far the ball will roll, when it is kicked off the field behind the goals. Some fields have long slopes or house gardens to contend with immediately behind the goals. It may be better for your goalkeeper to expend his energy in the first half, retrieving the ball each time it rolls down the slope behind his goal. The opposing goalkeeper who has already played the first half will then have to do the same during the second half - and this could turn to your advantage as he tires, or loses concentration because of the constant disruptions later in the game.

Question 11: A defender makes a 'back-pass' to his goalkeeper who feigns to pick the ball up, but stops short of doing so. The Referee has wrongly anticipated that the goalkeeper will pick the ball up, and has prematurely blown his whistle to stop the game. What should the Referee do under such circumstances?

Answer 11: There was no wrongdoing on the part of the goalkeeper and the Referee has recognised his mistake. The best way to resolve this is to use Law 18 (Common sense) and restart by dropping the ball uncontested to the goalkeeper.

Question 12: As the ball speedily approaches the touchline, the Assistant Referee raises his flag prematurely to indicate a throw-in. The Referee who is some 30 yards away blows his whistle to stop play. The Assistant Referee then looks quizzically towards the Referee. On approaching the Assistant Referee, the Referee learns that the ball had not actually gone out of play. How should the game be restarted?

Answer 12: Law 8 states that a dropped ball is the correct method of restarting the game after a temporary stoppage for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Laws of the Game. In this instance, a dropped ball at the place that the ball was when the Referee stopped play, is the correct method of restarting play.

A dropped ball must be "dropped," and not thrown down by the Referee. He should hold the ball in the palm of his hand at waist level and at the appropriate moment, pull his hand away from beneath the ball and let it drop to the ground naturally, making sure that the players do not play it until it has hit the ground. If the dropped ball leaves the field of play without having been touched by the players, the ball must be dropped again where it was previously dropped. Referees are advised to be wary of the ball ricocheting up quickly towards their face, or other more sensitive body areas! Drop the ball and move away swiftly..............

Question 13: What action should the Referee take if the two Captains refuse to shake hands during the coin tossing ceremony at the start of a game.

Answer 13: None. The Captains are under no obligation to shake hands. The Referee can take no action, but will just need to get the game started as soon as possible.

Question 14: In cases of offside and place kicks, is a player standing directly on top of the half way line deemed to be standing inside his half of the field of play?

Answer 14: Use common sense, as there is no offence.

Question 15: While playing in a game recently an incident occurred and the game had to be re-started with a "dropped ball". The referee called for two players, one from either side, and held the ball between both players and issued the normal warning "you can't touch the ball until it hits the ground". He then proceeded to throw the ball up over his own head and wave play on
Is that within the Laws of the game?

Answer 15: As far as the Laws themselves are concerned, the only mention of a dropped ball is in Law 8, The Start and Restart of Play.

"A dropped ball is a way of restarting the match after a temporary stoppage that becomes necessary, while the ball is in play - for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Laws of the Game. "
That's about it.

BUT, as far as the dropped ball procedures are concerned, the Referee drops the ball at the place where it was located when play was stopped. The Referee should not bounce or throw the ball up in the air. The ball should simply be released from no more than waist level and allowed to fall to the ground. There is nothing in the Laws to say that there has to be two players. You can have more than two players, one player or no players at all.
This particular Referee should not have thrown the ball over his head. This was obviously done in an attempt to generate some humour - but it looks like it may well have backfired on him. He should not have taken this action.

Many thanks to Niall for this interesting question.

Question 16: Can a player be offside from a ‘dropped ball’ situation?

Answer 16: Play restarts when the ball touches the ground so normal offside (Law 11) rules apply as soon as the ball is in play.
It is important to judge offside at the precise moment when the ball is actually played and not before play has actually started or when it is received.
Offside is when a player has received the ball in an offside position and is:
interfering with play or
interfering with an opponent or
gaining an advantage by being in that position

In the case of a ''dropped ball, the players themselves who are involved in the 'dropped ball' cannot be offside before the ball is dropped. It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position and you cannot be offside if the ball is out of play.

For example - if an attacking player involved in a 'dropped ball' taken in his opponents’ half is standing nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent he cannot be offside just because he is standing in this position (because the ball must be IN play before any player can be offside.)

If the ball is dropped correctly (i.e. it touches the ground before either of the players touch it) and the defending player touches it first and it goes towards the attacking player - the attacking player cannot be offside, because the ball has not been played to him by one of his team mates.

If following the ‘dropped ball’, it deflects to an on-side colleague of the attacking player, who then passes it directly back to the attacking player who remains standing nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent - then he is deemed to be offside because he had gained an advantage by being in that position.

If during a 'dropped ball' a second attacking player (not the one involved with the 'dropped ball’) is standing in an offside position, he is not deemed to be offside just because he happens to be standing there. But if that second attacker (after the ball touches the ground and is in play), becomes involved in active play (i.e. the ball is deflected or passed to him directly by his college involved in the ‘dropped ball’) then he is deemed to be offside because he has interfered with play or interfered with an opponent or had gained an advantage by being in that position.

There is nothing to stop the second attacker standing in this offside position so long as when play starts during the 'dropped ball' (i.e. the ball touches the ground) he is passive and does not interfere with play. Remember that, interfering with an opponent also includes: (a) distracting the goalkeeper by standing in front of the goalkeeper: (b) distracting a defender by making that defender uncertain as to whom he should mark: (c) purposefully pulling a defender out of position, thus preventing that defender from providing cover during an attack.

Law 11 states that: There is no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from:

a goal kick or

a throw-in or

a corner kick

Therefore the second attacker above is offside if he receives the ball directly from a colleague involved in a 'dropped ball'.

 Thanks to Mark Michael for the interesting question above.

Question 17: Am I right in saying that when you win the toss at the start of the game, you automatically get the kick off and the loser chooses which end his team will take?

Answer 17: No. Law 8 (The Start and Restart of Play) states:

"A coin is tossed and the team that wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match. The other team takes the kick-off, to start the match."

This was changed in Season 1997/1998. Before then, the team that won the toss decided either to take the kick-of, or to chose ends. The idea of winning the toss, is to give the winner the advantage to choose which end to play. This is useful if the sun is high in the first half, but low in the second.
There is no advantage in taking the kick off first.

Question 18: Should a Referee go into the teams' changing rooms and give them a talk before a game? Some Referees introduce themselves in a loud voice and then talk to players about jewellery, tolerance of dissent, offences 'on or off' the field of play, advantage and attacking free-kicks around the penalty area etc.


Answer 18: Some Competition Rules at the top levels may require Referees to go into the changing rooms to check footwear and jewellery etc. But as a general piece of advice, it is probably better not to say too much to the players before a game about how they should behave. The more you say, the less flexibility you have in varying your control during the game. If you 'set your stall out' at the beginning of the game "by saying this and by saying that…..", then you will have to live up to your words on every degree of your instructions/warnings. By saying nothing specific about how the game should be played - you can allow yourself to adjust to the nuances of the game. For example, if you tell the players that you will act strongly against anyone who swears, and a player during the game lets out a very loud swear word when an opponent accidentally steps on his toe - will you act strongly against this player, or will you understand that he is in extreme pain, and the swearing if a release of anguish, and not something done on purpose by this player to spoil the game?

Nevertheless, this does not mean that a Referee should say nothing to players before a game. For example - if you know that there is a history of complaints from nearby residents at a particular ground, or if there are young children playing nearby, then you can say something to the Captains like: 

"Please ask your players to keep the language down". 

This does not mean that you will discipline every incident of swearing - but it imparts a clear message to the teams that they should be more particular about their language. 

As a rule of thumb, the more you say to the players before the game, the more chance that it will rebound on you. But this does not mean that you cannot be civil to the players, and discuss the time of day with them in a friendly way whilst waiting for the kick off.

Question 19: The Red team score a goal and were still jumping for joy and hugging each other, whilst their goalkeeper is some 30 yards from his goal. The Blue team takes the place kick, and after the first pass, they take a long shot and score a goal. Is this move correct?

Answer 19: The only requirement is for the teams to be in their own half. What they do there, is up to them. The goal is legal and should be allowed to count. An astute Referee would encourage the Red team to get in position as soon as possible - and not to prolong their goal-scoring celebrations.

Question 20: With the away side leading 2-1, there was a bit of a melee in the centre circle - as the away side committed the original foul, the Referee applied advantage, and the home team raced into the penalty area. When the Referee glanced back, he saw about six players together pushing, and in the early stages of a fight. The Referee looked back at play, and saw the ball in the back of the net. The Referee dealt with three offenders who he had seen throw punches in the melee, by sending them off for violent conduct. When the Referee had dealt with that, he seemed had a problem in how to restart play. The home side was shouting for a goal - the away side claimed foul play - the ball had been punched in the net according to them. What would you all have done regarding the re-start of play.

Answer 20: Law 9 – (The Ball In and Out of Play) states that "the ball is out of play when it has wholly crossed the goal line…" Therefore, in the above question, the ball had travelled over the goal line between the goal posts, and was therefore out of play before the Referee realised what was happening, and before he had time to stop play.

So let’s consider the possible restarts:

a. Place Kick?: Because the Referee did not actually see the goal being scored and he had Club Assistant Linesmen on the touchlines, the Referee was correct in not allowing the goal to count. A place kick is therefore not the correct restart. If there were Assistant Referees available, then they could be consulted as to the legality of the goal.

Note: - Law 5 states: "The decisions of the Referee regarding facts connected with play are final."
"Decision 3 - Facts connected with play shall include whether a goal is scored or not and the result of the match."

b. A Dropped Ball?: Law 8 – (The Start and Restart of Play) states that "a dropped ball is a way of restarting the match after a temporary stoppage that becomes necessary, while the ball is in play". Because the Referee did not stop play when the ball was in play, a dropped ball restart cannot be used.

c. A Free Kick?: Because the ball had already wholly travelled over the field of play boundaries, and the Referee did not stop play whilst the ball was still in play - a free kick cannot be awarded. Also, because the Referee did not see the alleged handling of the ball by an attacking player, he cannot award a free kick to the defending team in its own penalty area. Also, the Referee cannot award a free kick on the ‘say-so’ of a Club Assistant Linesman.

d. A Penalty Kick?: Because the Referee did not see the ball being handled by an defending player, he cannot award a penalty kick to the attacking team. Also, the Referee cannot award a penalty kick on the ‘say-so’ of a Club Assistant Linesman.

e. A Corner Kick?: Because the Referee had disallowed the goal, and he did not personally see who touched the ball last before it travelled over the goal line and under the net, a corner kick can not be awarded.

f. A Goal Kick?: Because the Referee had disallowed the goal, and he did not personally see who touched the ball last before it travelled over the goal line and under the net, a goal kick can not be awarded.

In the case of the Corner Kick and the Goal Kick restarts - under normal circumstances, and depending on the responsibly the Referee gave the Club Assistant Linesmen at the beginning of the game – the Club Assistant Linesman could assist the Referee in deciding on awarding a Goal Kick or a Corner Kick. But because the Referee had already decided NOT to award the goal - involving the Club Assistant Linesman at this stage would be tantamount to Referee suicide!

So?

g. Use Law 18 – Common Sense:   In complex (no-win, no-Law ) situations such as the one depicted this scenario, the Referee needs to 'think quickly on his feet'. The most important thing is not to award the goal under these circumstances. The restart is a secondary consideration, and because the Referee has been honest - the restart should not favour one team or the other.

Therefore, in my opinion – I would restart play with a dropped ball in the centre circle.
The second best option is to give the benefit of doubt to the defending team and award a goal kick.

Postscript: If the ball was in play when the Referee stopped the game – and if the Home team started the fight – restart with a direct free kick to the Away team, at the place where the incident took place.

If the ball was in play when the Referee stopped the game – and if the Away Team started the fight – restart with a direct free kick to the Home team at the place where the incident took place.

If the ball was in play when the Referee stopped the game – and if the Referee did not know which team started the fight – restart play with a dropped ball at the place where the ball was when the Referee stopped play.

Question 21: If a player taking a kick-off, handles the ball before it has been touched by another player - what is the correct restart?

Answer 21: Even though Law 8 does not specifically mention handling as a separate offence, the Referee should punish the more serious offence of handling the ball and award a Direct Free Kick to the opposing team.

Question 22: What are the protocols for organising a 'minute's silence?" before a game? I presume that both teams stand around the centre circle. Also what do I do if one or more players fail to observe the silence correctly?

Answer 22: When you get to the ground, tell the captains/managers as soon as you can, that you intend to have a '1 minute silence' before the kick off.
When you get onto the field of play, do the preliminaries first - in other words toss the coin and meet the captains in the middle before the game starts. Aim to do this a little bit earlier than usual to allow for the minute's silence. In other words, still aim to kick off at the correct time.
The players will already know the protocol, so all you need to do is stand on the centre circle line (not on the centre spot) and give your whistle a few sharp peeps. This will draw the players towards the centre circle (believe me, they will come!). Even if SOME of the players forget the occasion, the majority that remembers it, will soon pass the message around.
When they are all there (or almost there!) give one sharp (but not too loud) blow on your whistle.
Keep an eye on your watch (but don't make it look too obvious, because don't forget, you too are observing the minutes silence).
During the minute's silence, don't forget to give a few thoughts to why you are doing it.
When the minute is up, give a quiet respectful peep on your whistle, and then you are ready to kick off.
If you ever have the unfortunate experience of players (or spectators) not observing the minute's silence, then all you can do is give them the respect they deserve and completely ignore them. Their actions will speak for themselves.
So apart from the usual Law 3 stipulation where you can send off a player before the match starts if he commits a sending-of offence (for example, uses offensive language), you do not have any power to make the '1 minute silence' compulsory (unless specifically mentioned in the Competition Rules. But I have never personally come across this).
If you do send a player off before the start of the game, that player can be replaced by a named substitute in accordance with Law 3.

Question 23: A player on the field of play gets a head injury, and whilst the ball is "still in play", the Referee stops play. Name 9 possible types of restarts that the Referee could make? 

Answer 23: 
1. Dropped Ball 
2. Direct Free Kick 
3. Indirect Free Kick 
4. Penalty Kick 
5. Kick off for 2nd half 
6. Kick off for goal scored 
7. Kick off for 1st period of extra time 
8. Kick off for 2nd period of extra time 
9. First kick of Kicks From The Mark 
10: Match abandoned and kicked off in new game.

Question 24: How long should a Referee allow for a missing team to turn up before the kick off, before abandoning the game and going home?

Answer 24: There is no set time that a Referee can use to make this judgment. Each scenario is different, and the Referee will have to consider a number of factors before making a decision. For example, he can allow longer time on a pleasant sunny day, than on a cold wet day. Older players can wait longer than younger players. The type of facilities available to players can also have an effect. A nice warm and dry waiting room is much better than a leaking cow shed! Every one in attendance at the game will have other things to do later on in the day, so consideration should be based on common sense, and the individual circumstances on the day. It is not unusual in the lower levels of football, for a Referee to wait up to 45 minutes when the circumstances were suitable. Yet on another occasion, on a freezing cold day, a Referee may abandoned the match after 15 minutes have passed, following the scheduled kick of time. As a rule of thumb, if the missing team does not turn up within 30 minutes of the kick off time, then this would be a reasonable amount of time to allow the team to turn up, or to make a phone call. 
In all such circumstances, the Referee should try and get the cooperation of the home team, by asking them to try and contact the missing team.

Question 25: Two captains come up for the coin toss, and I didn't think anything of it, as both players are the regular captains. The game kicks off, and I then see one of the captains who tossed the coin, sitting in the technical area, as he is a substitute.  Does the person who tosses the coin have to be on the field of play at the kick off? 

Answer 25: You don't need to have Law for this, (apart from Law 18 Common Sense!)

To have a substitute (Captain or not) taking part in the coin-tossing ceremony is clearly not within the Spirit of the Game. There is no reason for a team to do this, apart from undermining the Referee's authority.

Whilst we as Referees, can often find solutions (within or outside of the Laws) to enhance the game, there are occasions such as this, when we need to seriously consider the damage that can occur to the image of the game, if we allow such nonsense to prevail.

The end of Law 8 - Start of Play page.

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