Team celebrates...other team scores on kick off

Your link is bad. Deadspin has the video of the incident you mentioned here, and also video of the exact same thing happening just a week earlier.

I haven't done it personally, but it is definitely a story I hope to tell in a "Best Story Of Your Week" one day in the future. If a team is dumb enough to have all players involved in a team celebration and off to the edge of the field, they deserve for this to happen. That said, the shitstorm that would follow the quick goal may not make it all worth it.

I don't see why you would get docked marks in an assessment. You shouldn't deny the team the right to kick off just because the players aren't "in position", they only need to be in their own half.

 

Unfortunately, the only lesson the opposing team will learn from this is to celebrate exclusively on the opponent's half.

 

Except for the re-start of the game took place with more than 11 players on the field and AR1 significantly out of position for the re-start. Also, could be grounds for a protest. Likely not a successful one but potentially problematic nevertheless.

 

Newbie question here. What do you do when whole team celebrates? Yellow card the team?

 

We've seen this type of video before. Silly actions by the scoring team, yes, but something that a referee should not allow to take place. You do yourself no favors in the match and I don't see allowing the kick-off when the entire team is on the touchline as sporting.

As far as what to do if this happens to you. First, I don't see any effort by the CR to get the team to end their celebration. Work with your AR to encourage the team to get going again. If they don't want to and continue to celebrate, you inform them time will be added for their misbehavior. If you're going to caution someone, who? One would hope you have enough control and respect that day to get things going without plastic, but if you have to I would look for a good scapegoat -- someone who leaves the pitch to celebrate or does something truly excessive.

Sorry to be such a party pooper. I know it is cute to dream about restarting quickly in this situation but giving up a goal is too harsh a punishment for this behavior.

 

It's hard to tell, but in both videos, it doesn't seem like either referee blows their whistle to restart the game.

 

I think the key here is that you should not let the re-start to occur until all the players from both teams are on the field, all the players are on their respective half, the ARs are in position, and any outside agents, bench personnel, and substitutes are off the field. In addition to that, you shouldn't bury your nose in your book and start recording the goal until you have verified that all of these things have occurred. Once done recording the goal, the ball should be placed at the half line for enough time for the referee to make eye contact with both assistants (and the fourth, if applicable) before he signals for the kick off to take place. At no point am I going to be actively taking part in letting a quick re-start happen; I might encourage the goal-scoring team to hurry it up, but I'm not going to take the ball and run with it to the half-line, for example.

If all of these conditions are met, then I've done my job, and if the team is still celebrating and out of position, that's their fault.

That said, I don't think these conditions were met in this example, or the one in Mozambique. In this one, there were still team personnel on the field, there may have been players off the field, and the AR was busy and out of position when the re-start was allowed. In the one in Mozambique, the referee runs after the player with the ball to get him to throw it to the other team, and then apparently blows the whistle the millisecond the ball hits the ground (if he blows it at all). In both these cases, I think the referee is playing far to active a role in encouraging the quick restart.

Proactive refereeing can avoid this situation fairly easily. In both of these cases, the referee hangs out near the mid-line, watching the celebration from afar. This means that he's going to have players from the kicking team in his ear saying "blow the whistle, blow the whistle!" which puts him in a tough spot if they are properly lined up. If instead he goes to where the players are celebrating and starts aiding the AR and the 4th in getting the players back in their positions, he avoids that problem and gives himself time to make his way back into position for the kickoff before signaling it.

 

While I can understand that a referee may want to think "Hey, these guys are idiots for celebrating like they did, so I'll look the other way when a KO isn't taken correctly", but that isn't OK.

The first goal had more than 11 players on the field, making the re-start null.

In the second re-start, it appears the ball didn't stop completely before the initial player kicked it.

Also, don't see where either ref blew the whistle to restart match.

Now, the reality is that the ref shouldn't let the other team restart in the manner they did. If you think the celebration is getting excessive, tell the players to get back to playing. If they delay, then caution them.

I just feel that you open yourself up to so many issues when you let a play go on like these refs did, and there was no reason to let the other team start like that.

Yes, these players were idiots for their excessive celebration, but that doesn't excuse the ref from being 'above' the fray and keeping the game in-line.

 

The only thing I would add is that the clock is running. Sure, the ref might be able to add time (most of the games I ref don't allow time to be added due to tight scheduling), but the celebrating players are choosing to use their time by celebrating on the sideline. The other team is choosing to use their time by setting up for the kick off. There is no rule that says the scoring team gets a "celebration period". And it isn't much different than a quick free kick or corner kick. You don't have to necessarily wait for the defense to get in position on those kicks either.

So if the whole team is on their side of the field, outside the center circle, and the ball is stationary on the center mark, then the conditions are correct for a kick off. I can't see that any team officials are on the field, and having the AR in position isn't a condition of Law 8.

That being said, I would usually wait for the other team (especially the keeper) to be in position on a kick off. But there may have been something about this game and these teams that made this the right call for the ref.

 

Agree with a lot of what you said, @BTFOOM but question on the goal. If the additional players on the pitch are for the team that conceded the goal, per FIFA the goal would stand -- yes? Maybe I'm missing something in your hypothetical.

 

Yes, that is true there is not an allowable period for celebration in the LOTG. However, tradition does allow for some celebration to occur. What the referee needs to decide is what is excessive. This is also why you add time after a goal.

This is much different, as it is a ceremonial restart. There is no such thing as the right to a quick restart on a kick-off.

Again, I agree by the letter of the law. However, what is to be gained by allowing the KO instead of at least attempting to get the players back from their celebration?

 

I don't get it. Why would any thinking referee ever do this?

 

See, I learn something new most every time I come here. I did not think that a kick-off could take place with outside agents on the field.

Also, I'm curious as to whether you refs think either/both of these celebrations were 'excessive'? IMHO, I don't see where either one went on too long, involved some pre-meditated group activity, or went to far from a normal goal celebration.

 

I don't see the number of players specifically being called out in Law 8, but I could be wrong. Of course no referee should willingly allow a restart with too many players on the pitch; what to do when a goal is scored and there are too many players on the pitch assumes the referee didn't realize that beforehand or, found out during active play and allowed play to continue. So your original point is well taken.

I don't see it as particularly excessive or out of the norm. I would certainly step in to ensure it doesn't take too long, though. This isn't even as bad as the other example we saw recently, where the team went to the touchline to do a song-and-dance routine.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, even if the celebration reached that level, there are mechanisms in place to address that behavior that are within the referee's authority and don't involve a team conceding a goal under nefarious conditions.

 

Here's the full match, the 2-goals situation is at 91' 12"

Aftermath or shitstorm or whatevah, this is an international match. The referee team must be ready for any eventuality. It is to be expected even at regional tournament level. Nearing the end of regulation time, nearing the end of added time, a tied score and one team advances. Why would a referee not prepare for such situation with a higher level of heightened awareness?

In this situation, there is at least one white substitute on the field, the assistant on line 1 probably did not maintain order when the substitutes entered the field. And then there was the red team celebrating in the assistant-corner. The subsequent restart has several other learning opps as well. As does the end of the match.

 

I think you're right on the outside agent front. Technically, there is nothing in the laws that I can think of that prohibits re-starting play with an outside agent or team official on the field, and the goal would stand if they are not affecting play and the goal is scored by the other team.

However, there is one thing in this play that I do think technically should have prevented the re-start by law: one of the players on the defending team is off the field of play when the kick is taken. The LotG specify that a kick off can only be taken with all players on their own half of the field of play. So this requirement was not met.

And in any case, allowing this to happen is a massive failure in the application of law 18, to the point that it would likely affect future assignments of the referee.

 

The referee can always permit a player to leave the field of play. I don't think that does make the restart technically improper -- the provision is about players being on their own side of the halfway line.

(I'm not defending the action, mind you -- I think it is shockingly ill-advised to have restarted in such a way. But I don't think it is technically impermissble just because a player was outside the FOP.)

 

Heck I'm still feeling kinda guilty from last week when I said "The ball's in play" to a JV girls striker standing over a free kick while everybody else was milling around, whereupon she said "Oh. Really?" and drilled it into the net. Even though I think the fact that her team was down 3-0 with little apparent hope of scoring had absolutely nothing to do with it. I really do. Well, not consciously at least. But I still feel a little bad about it. Well, not really. But I'm still thinking about it, so that's something at least. Right?

 

I am surprised you see this, since this is one of the elements I looked for before posting above. At 1:32:05 there are 13 players on white's side of the pitch. The extras are player in red warm up jacket near the sideline and blue bibbed sub in cluster of teammates (i.e. #7) closest to midfield.

To those concerned about the referee not blowing his whistle to correctly re-start play after white's goal, the only whistle I hear in this entire segment of the match (on just the re-starts of play after each goal) is the one that halts play just prior to the award of the caution to red for delaying the restart or unsporting for holding onto the ball. I can't imagine that on white's restart he just allowed them to kick it off without the whistle

 

I see a #16 (think it's 16) who is off the field at the moment the kickoff occurs, and immediately after steps on to it.

Of course, I'm parsing the language more than it was ever meant to parsed, and I don't think that this is protestable or anything. But what I'm reading in the laws does give some concrete backup to the common sense idea that the kickoff should not be taken until all the players are on the field.

 

Let me preface my remarks to indicate that I did not watch the match, before or after the "incident" other than to figure out the timing of the incidents , but I would argue that it is quite different from a FK or CK. First, it is an international competition. There's a higher level of scrutiny and care expected and required in terms of game management from the referee crew. Second, as others have pointed out, the celebration is not excessive in terms of temperament or length. The goal is scored at 1:31:38 and the re-start is at 27 seconds later. Third, the match is in the waning moments. The 2nd half is restarted at 48:12 thus regular time ends at 1:33:12. Goal is scored at 1:31:38 so before added time there are less than 2 minutes remaining. Now some would argue that because there is not much time that this type of gotcha maneuver should be condoned. I argue that it is an opportunity for the referee to impose himself on the situation and be proactive to insure a proper restart. Protocol and common sense for this and any higher level game is that both teams are ready for the re-start of play. This is a ceremonial restart. It should be treated as such.

All valid points, with the exception that proper protocol for game management has been omitted. AR position is not a condition, but what is one of the points required of the referee prior to whistling for the kickoff? Confirm that his assistants are at the ready position? I know this is an international competition and the ATR does not apply (go ahead Billy, give it to me!), BUT here's the protocol per the ATR for those keeping score at home:
"8.2 The Start of Play
Before starting a period of play, the assistant referees should indicate to the referee that
the requirements for starting play are met at their respective ends of the field: the
correct number of players, a properly uniformed goalkeeper, and the absence of any
outside agent. Calling out to captains or goalkeepers to see if they are ready is never
necessary nor recommended even if the referee is acting alone or with only club
linesmen."
For those wordsmith within our midst, I know that it says "Before starting a period of play". You could take it at the strictest of interpretations and take the position that it therefore does not apply in this case. I argue that the properly trained referee will follow this procedure for each and every kickoff.

We agree on the first sentence. Have difficulty with the second. I hope you are not insinuating some type of makeup call to make "things right". Did he allow a similar situation to develop in favor of white earlier in the game? If so, then the question was asked about earlier about an impact on an assessment, two of these incidents in the same game= FAIL!

 

I see where you would thing so (regarding #16) but he was out of the game at the time of the goal. He does not step back in.
We agree on common sense application. It is the AR's responsibility to insure proper numbers on the field. ARs don't unfurl flag until you've confirmed player count and absence of outside agents. Referee don't re-start play until your ARs are both ready--flags unfurled/thumbs up!

 

I'm sorry. There is truly nothing to discuss here. If anyone of us tried this in one of our matches, our assignor would be on the phone to us before we changed shoes at our car after the match.

And you wonder why we have a hard time doing our jobs?