Loopholes in the Laws

[ReyesIsMyMate]

hey there!

this is my first post on the ref's forum. as i am not a ref, this will not be surprising.

With all the fuss being made over the past few seasons of players taking advantage of the ever-changing offside rule (ruud van nistelrooy), and not forgetting Cruyff's penalty where he layed it off to the side for his team mate to score, I was wondering which other rules have these 'loopholes' or 'interpretation gaps' which could benefit being clarified, or which i could just exploit in a match :D

being an u19 player, i would like to learn the rules of the game as thoroughly as possible, maybe moving onto reffing later on.

i know as refs giving players ammunition to use against the ref, including he tricks of the trade, is sacriligious, but iwon't tell anyone.

thanks!

[Caesar]

The Laws Of Associated Football aren't tax legislation. They're short, to the point and very simple and straightforward. They therefore do not have any hidden gaps of note. In addition, there is the specific clause that players cynically attempting to circumvent the Laws by being inventive are cautioned for Unsportsmanlike Behavior.

The examples you cite are merely examples of players playing the game in an unconventional way, which throws off their opponents. The advantage comes from the fact that the opposition are unprepared, not because they've figured out a 'magic key' that allows them to avoid the restrictions that the laws are designed to impose. Take Cruyff - everyone knows you don't have to shoot from a PK, but it was just acting outside convention that gave Neeskens the goal. It wasn't a cunning way around the laws - it was just doing something people weren't expecting.

You can't beat the Laws. Just think outside the box in the way you approach the game. Tactics, not technicalities, win matches.

[Gary V]

The goalkeeper in the penalty area can never be sent off for denying an obvious goal via handling. People have argued, what if she got the ball from a pass-back or picked up the ball a second time? Still no red card, restart with the IFK. That's because of the specific wording in Law 12 regarding DOGSO.

Is that a "loophole"? Some people would think of it as such, that the player is "getting away" with something by taking advantage of a point in the Laws. However, IFAB has had 6 or 7 years now to correct the wording if they didn't want it to say what it says, and they have not done so. Contrast this with other cases where quick decisions were promulgated to correct an oversight in the wording, when enterprising players invented questionable tactics to get around the Laws.

Players taking quick free kicks, feinting, dummy runs, a simple tap to effectively change an IFK into a DFK - I agree with Caesar, these things should be regarded as playing, sometimes unconventionally, within the structure of the Laws.

[ref47]

try reading the law, the q&a's to the laws of the game, any advice to referees your country's association provides, follow discussion forums like this one. heck, in no time, you might just take that ref course for your first level certification, because you will know the laws better than 90+% of the players, most coaches, and almost all the parents/fans.

[karps]

try reading the law, the q&a's to the laws of the game, any advice to referees your country's association provides, follow discussion forums like this one. heck, in no time, you might just take that ref course for your first level certification, because you will know the laws better than 90+% of the players, most coaches, and almost all the parents/fans.Great suggestions. In fact, take the ref training course NOW. Refuse to take the test if you don't want a license, but you will be amazed how much you learn AND how much you will look at referees differently.

[GKbenji]

I brought up a similar topic (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101577) a while back. While there may be loopholes in a literal reading of the Laws, there are almost no loopholes when it comes to actual practice.

However, since then somebody pointed out a "loophole", and a big one. Law 8 talks about teams choosing which goal to attack, and Law 10 outlines the method of scoring. But the Laws never explicitly say which team gets credit for a goal when the it crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar! It is implied you get a point when you put the ball in the net you're attacking, but it's not in the book.

Next time you get scored on, take advantage of this to argue that your team should get credited with a goal! Good luck! :)

[Gary V]

It is implied you get a point when you put the ball in the net you're attacking, but it's not in the book.

Next time you get scored on, take advantage of this to argue that your team should get credited with a goal! Good luck! :)
And, by literal reading of the Laws, once your opponent has committed a foul they can't score for the rest of the game. If your team also fouls, you might as well go home, because the score is determined.