Hi, I've been watching all the Copa America games and something that just happened in the first half of the Peru vs. Venezuela puzzled me. A Peru player and a Venezuela player went off the field to get treatment for injuries on the far side (opposite the 4th official side). Play was restarted and eventually the Peru left back gained possession and was comfortably dribbling down the left side (the 4th official side). All of a sudden, the referee blew the whistle to stop play and jogged to the opposite side. I don't speak Spanish, so I have no idea what was going on. But he gave a yellow to the Venezuela player who had re-entered play after getting treatment for injury. (At least I think that was him). I think he probably re-enter play without permission, so the referee gave the yellow. But the restart didn't make sense. He restarted the game by giving a indirect free kick for Peru WHERE he stopped the game. coincidentally, I've also been reading "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game" and I just got past the section on "Restarts for Misconduct" (Section 12.25). It states in part: "If play is stopped solely to deal with misconduct committed by a player on the field, the proper restart is an indirect free kick taken from the LOCATION OF THE MISCONDUCT (SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY LAW 8 and LAW 13)." The rest of Section 12.25 listed three other conditions, but none fit this scenario and I looked at Law 8 and Law 13 and I don't think they applied for this situation neither. Am I being paranoid or did this referee restart the game at the wrong spot? -Footballer
It was a dual foul. Both players got carded for dangerous play though he couldn't give the Venezuelan player a card as he was stretched out hurt and carted off the field. Once he re-entered the game he shown the card.
Didn't see it, wasn't there, but I hope this was not what the referee did. The referee must deal with misconduct before the restart, which, under the scenario described, would have been while play was stopped for the injury, even if the player receiving the caution (not for playing dangerously since this is not cautionable but it could be unsporting behavior) were unconcious. Once play was restarted after the injury, the referee may not then stop play when the player re-entered the field, to deal with the earlier misconduct. Therefore, the referee probably had some other reason for stopping play, and some other reason for cautioning the player, or, at least, one would hope for the referees sake that he did. Sherman
I'm with Sherman on this. No card for dangerous play and even if there was a cardable offense for an unconcious player, it has to be given at next stoppage which was the stoppage for injury. If it was the same player that was taken off for injury, one would assume the card was for re-entering without permission keith
And, I forgot this, the restart would be an IFK where the ball was when play was stopped as per Law 3
I think we are agreeing that any card must be given before the game restarts but you can't give a card to an unconsious player. This is when I think it is appropriate to show the card to the team caption, pointing to the injured player. It happened this way in a world cup game here in the US and makes sense, even though I don't know of any written justification for the procedure.
Though common parlance, we don't actually "give" a card, but rather, after we caution or send-off a player a card is shown, as a means of comunicating to all that we have taken action for misconduct. There is no requirement that he player be concious. Sherman
I've certainly questioned whether certain players were conscious or in control of their higher mental functions given their actions in matches.
If a player is unconscious, he probably won't be returning to the game. If he isn't returning to the game, why give a caution? If the referee is thinking in terms of accumulative cautions, then a word with the captain that the player will receive a caution should suffice. It just looks bad to card somebody on the ground, while the back is turned, while nursing an injury, or while unconscious. The referee certainly won't win any friends that way!
However, to properly caution a player (before showing the card), he should be conscious. That's the point of a caution, to warn the player that if that kind of behavior continues, he'll be sent off. Granted, if a player who deserves a caution is unconscious, you'd probably ask whoever was carting him off the field to inform him that he's been cautioned for XXX when he wakes. Given that the use of cards was invented to make sure everyone knows who was cautioned, it is the proper mechanic to show the card, even if it seems unnecessary. It shouldn't be an issue in the game - any good coach/trainer/physio will sub him out and have him recover to come back another day. But if you want to have everything nice and proper ... As for the restart in the original question, that's the exception to the general "rule" that I keep forgetting. I had to look it up again, in Law 3. Generally for an action committed by a player on the field, the restart is at the location of the incident. (For actions by non-players or those which occur off the field, the location of the restart - dropped ball - is at the location where the ball was at the time of stoppage.) This is the one case, specifically written into the Law, where the restart is an IFK at the location of the ball. Assuming that play was stopped solely for the infraction of Law 3, of course.