Applying Advantage

[LoewenBoy]

A referee friend without Internet access asked me to post the following scenario:
Player "A" from the Red Team dribbles in the penalty area of the Blue Team, with only the keeper and one Blue Team player to beat. Player "Z" from the Blue Team engages in a shoulder charge with Player "A". The charge is considered to be a foul (although only barely), but in the process the ball falls to Player "B" on the Red Team who is in a more advantageous position than Player "A" because 1) Player "B" is closer to the goal, 2) the goal keeper is not near Player "B", leaving Player "B" with an open net.
Question from my friend: "Should a penalty have been called or was applying advantage the correct call?"

[refmike]

Call the advantage (or just wait a second or two to see if anything developes). If a shot is taken within that time, let it happen. If it takes more than that, call the foul for the PK. If the shot is taken and misses, you cannot recall the foul.

[LoewenBoy]

Call the advantage (or just wait a second or two to see if anything developes). If a shot is taken within that time, let it happen. If it takes more than that, call the foul for the PK. If the shot is taken and misses, you cannot recall the foul.
Exactly what was called. Shot was missed (on an open goal). The coach evidently screamed for the PK, arguing there is no advantage to allowing a shot. My friend spoke to him at game's end noting, in his opinion, there is more advantage taking a shot on an open goal, same angle as a pk, and CLOSER, than it is to call a pk and have a shot taken with a keeper in the way. :D Coach still wanted the PK.

Of course, the other team wanted a foul the OTHER way.:D

[Wahoo]

Exactly what was called. Shot was missed (on an open goal). The coach evidently screamed for the PK, arguing there is no advantage to allowing a shot. My friend spoke to him at game's end noting, in his opinion, there is more advantage taking a shot on an open goal, same angle as a pk, and CLOSER, than it is to call a pk and have a shot taken with a keeper in the way. :D Coach still wanted the PK.

Of course, the other team wanted a foul the OTHER way.:D

Of course he did.
And if the whistle had blown, with the shot following going into the net only to be disallowed.... he'd have been clamoring for a PK.

It's hard to believe, but sometimes not everyone is happy with the calls a ref makes --- even if they are right.

[LoewenBoy]

It's hard to believe, but sometimes not everyone is happy with the calls a ref makes --- even if they are right.
After 22 years of doing this I just chuckle whenever I hear people comment. My favorite from this past weekend was a Mom yelling at her 18 yr-old son (playing select) to stay onside...on HIS half of the field. They poor kid ran past me muttering "shut up, mom". I just had to laugh.:D

[HoldenMan]

General advice is not to call advantage in the PA....
...unless it's a blindingly obvious one! Seems like this was the 'blindingly obvious one'

Though was it a DOGSO foul? If so then I would've called the penalty (down under if you apply advantage you cannot send off for DOGSO) unless it was a wide open goal WITHOUT the keeper to beat.

I had a situation last Sunday...bloke foulled about 25yards out. Breaks free, nobody anywhere near him. 'Advantage! Play on!" Taps it, lines it up, shoots, goes a milewide. A teammate says "Oi! Where was the advantage in that ref!"

One of those moments where you're left standing there thinking 'you've got to be kidding me....'

[Wreave]

Generally in the PA, the conventional wisdom is to apply Advantage, but not to call/signal it.

The ref in the example made the right call. The fouled team does NOT get two bites at the apple. It's the ref's decision which bite is going to be tastier. It's a catch-22 situation that can only be relieved by mature coaches and players.

In the example, if the ref had blown the whistle with the ball settling at the feet of Red-B, then the PK had been missed or saved, there would have been an uproar.

Or in a worse situation - but one that happens frequently - the ref blew the whistle without consideration for advantage, but Red-B was shooting or had already shot prior to the whistle, and it was clear to all that the ball had not gone in the goal before the whistle, and the ball went in... then the PK was missed/saved, it would be a nightmare. That particular scenario happened to a ref friend of mine in a tourney this summer - the foul was obvious but he was just a little too quick with the whistle. The losing team protested the game to no avail.

That having been said, once you get to a certain point in player development, it's a rare advantage that's better than a PK. So the thing to keep in mind is:
1. Allow Advantage sparingly in the PA.
2. Avoid calling/signaling Advantage, but rather just allow a very fast 1-2 seconds for a shot.
3. If you're whistling the foul, do so QUICKLY prior to any subsequent shot.

[HoldenMan]

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I will point out that a shot being fired off does not NECESSARILY mean that the advantage has been realised...so in some cases it is right for you to go back to the foul AFTER the shot has gone off ;-)

More often than not you wouldn't, but sometimes there is. When would you?

1)When the person who receives the ball from the foul is in a less advantageous position - at an acute angle, or has defenders in the path. They MAY be able to score a goal, but there's clearly less of an advantage than before the foul (or that what a free kick would give)

2)If it's the same person retaining the ball (ie stumbling after a trip and regaining his footage) then consider what happens in the time it takes him to retain his feet. That defender sprinting across - has that extra second or two enabled the defender to block the shot or challenge the ball?

3)If the ball is bouncing awkwardly or is otherwise not too easy to control. If it's easy to control, there's no reason why they can't control it, and they don't - tough luck. If it isn't all of the above, or they don't really expect the ball to appear where it does, then you can wait to see if they somehow manage to get a hold of the ball and pull off a miracle shot. If they get hold of it well, play on. If you can see they don't - then you could see that the foul has put them in less of an advantage by forcing the player to have to try and control an awkward ball - then you can go back to the foul.

These are all exactly the same considerations we use in the middle of the park. How often do you see a player foulled, you think there's not much chance for advantage, but you hold your whistle for a second or two just in case? Sometimes he breaks through the defenders, finds space, then makes a bad option and tries to run through more. Tough luck, keep playing. Or maybe as he's breaking through another defender will come in and challenge and he never has space - or he miscontrols it in the tackle and can't quite run onto it fast enough (not that it's the challenge that causes him to miscontrol it) - you'd go back to the foul Exactly the same here, let's not get hung up over the fact that it's a shot.

Look at what happened - was an attack retained? Was it retained with no loss of advantage in terms of space, field position or control (the aforementioned awkward ball)? If you decide to delay your whistle just in case they fluke something, and they fail - why did they fail? Did they get a hold of it, somehow manage to have a clean crack at goal? Or was the ball or position just too awkward, or did the second or two wasted in the foul allow the defence - or the keeper - to find a slightly better position to block the shot?

To further mix the pot, just because they manage to send a shot blasting inches past the crossbar doesn't necessarily mean the advantage was realised (ie it doesn't have to be a COMPLETELY screwed up shot for there to be no advantage) - but it probably does (also think about what decision you're trying to sell here - but don't chicken out of the right one!).

However, if they're still in good position, the defence hasn't gained an advantage, they've got their balance, and the ball's easy to control - and they stuff it up anyway? Well, like I said before - just like in the middle of the park. Keep playing!


Having said all that you also want to balance between waiting to see if something happens, and making a snap decision to prevent accusaions of being indecisive or giving the free kick/penalty because the other team screamed for it...