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THUMBNAIL
Game
structure:
A soccer game consists of two halves that must be of equal length in their
prescribed duration, with a required timeout for halftime in between. In
adult soccer, the prescribed duration is 45 minutes. Local organizations
can prescribe shorter, though still equal-length halves (and therefore,
games) for youth and adult recreational games.
Center
referee as official timekeeper: The center referee acts as official timekeeper, and has
flexible discretion that is perhaps unique in team sports to determine and
extend the amount of official time remaining in the game, as will be
explored in more detail below.
Continuous,
nonstop clock:
The official clock starts at 0:00 and runs upward continuously except at
halftime, starting in the second half where it left off at the end of the
first, stopping again only at the end of the game. The following important
rules are outgrowths from the nonstop nature of the clock:
-
No
rule exists allowing clock to be stopped:
The rules give no authorization for the referee to ever stop the
official clock from running, except for halftime.
-
No
timeouts (none!): Neither players nor
coaches have any right to call a timeout, nor is the referee
authorized to recognize or call timeout on his or her own initiative.
-
Fouls
or ball out of play:
The clock does not stop for any stoppage in active play, whether it be
for a player foul or to retrieve and place a ball that has gone out
back into play.
Referee's
discretion to add time to game: Instead of stopping the clock, the referee is authorized to
add extra time to each half to compensate for time lost through:
-
attending to injuries on the field;
-
completing
player substitutions;
-
delays
in putting the ball back into active play after it goes out, whether
through deliberate time-wasting tactics, or accidental causes like
having to retrieve the game ball when it goes out and rolls down a
slope into dense brush;
-
any
other cause for interruption to active play the referee deems
sufficient.
The
amount, if any, of time to add is at the discretion of the referee, as
s/he deems appropriate. The exact language of LOTG 7 would seem to
indicate that it is mandatory for the referee to extend this discretion
for appropriate causes, but in practice the referee's decision to not
extend, or very restrictively extend time is not truly subject to
challenge except maybe in rare instances (perhaps, such as adding no time
when a severe injury stops play for 30 minutes). Most referees do not add
time for ordinary momentary delays, such as a few efficiently accomplished
substitutions or a few stray balls that must be chased, but rather only
when one particular delay or the cumulative effect of several delays
becomes substantial. Although the prescribed
length of the halves must be equal (and must be played out to at least
this length), each half (and the game) may run longer than the prescribed
amount due to this discretionary power to add time.
No
one but the ref really knows what time it is: In practice the only official clock is usually the
stopwatch in the referee's hand or a digital watch on their wrist (called
"keeping time on the field"), and there is no particular
requirement that the referee inform teams how much time remains. Even if a
publicly visible scoreboard clock is available, this at best only tracks
official time elapsed, and not official time remaining, because of
the discretionary power of the referee to add time to compensate for time
lost through delays.
Game's
only over when the ref says it is: Remarkably, the rules do not require the referee to inform anyone,
not even the assistant referees, how much, if any time s/he intends to add
to the end of the game, and no one but the referee knows when time will
run out and s/he will end of the game with the distinctive triple
signature of the whistle, tweet-tweet-tweeeeet!
Halftime
break is mandatory:
The players have a mandatory right to a halftime break, which neither the
referee nor coaches may waive, of not longer than 15 minutes. The preset
rules of the particular competition can stipulate a shorter halftime
break, which can only be altered with the consent of the referee.
Shortening
the game:
Provided both teams and the referee mutually agree before the game starts,
both halves may be shortened by equal (never uneven) stipulated amounts.
This might be done, e.g. if an afternoon game without lights might extend
at full length until after dark.
Effect
of prematurely ending the game: A game which is terminated prematurely by the
referee for any reason, such as a persistent thunderstorm, the field
becoming waterlogged by rain, or excessive spectator interference, is
considered abandoned and is a nullity unless the preset rules for that
particular competition provide that the score at the time of stoppage
stands. Otherwise, a game ended prematurely must be replayed in its
entirety, regardless of what was the score or the cause for its premature
end.
Temporarily
suspending game:
The referee may temporarily suspend a game instead of terminating it. A
game that is temporarily stopped e.g. to try to wait out a passing storm
is not necessarily abandoned after any specific amount of time, but rather
becomes so by the referee's surrender of the possibility of waiting it
out.
If
the first two halves end in a tie: Soccer games are allowed to end with a tie score. However,
the preset rules for a particular competition may provide that ties be
resolved through using either of the following, or even both ( (a),
followed by (b) if the tie still persists):
-
a
mini-game of two overtime periods of equal prescribed length (usually
stipulated much shorter than regular halves) is played in its
entirety, and not as sudden death;
-
a contest of alternating penalty kicks is held (see FAQ
supplement)
-
in
some competitions, sudden victory ("golden goal") overtime
is played. NOTE: this means of breaking ties has been tried on
an experimental basis in FIFA competitions, but is not yet officially
sanctioned by the Laws.
If
time expires before penalty shot can be taken: If a referee calls a foul before time expires for
which the referee must award a penalty shot (and not merely a free kick)
and the time remaining in the (half or) game then expires before the
penalty shot can be taken, the (half or) game cannot end until the penalty
shot has been taken and completed. In such time-expired penalty kicks, the
attacking team only gets the one touch of the penalty kick itself, even if
the shot rebounds off the goalkeeper back into the field, so only the
kicker and the goalkeeper participate. The (half or) game is over when
either the ball goes out of play or its momentum is spent, having either
scored a goal or not.
COMMENTARY:
COACHING
POINTS
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Track
time mainly with your own stopwatch, not by asking the referee: Coaches should have a stopwatch
to independently track passage of time during a game, and should only
infrequently ask the referee about time, mainly to check that they are
reasonably in sync with the referee. Occasional requests about time
remaining from players and on-top of it coaches are expected by refs, but
too-frequent requests can become pestering and make the coach appear to
refs as ill prepared and disorganized. Asking once in the middle of the
half and once with about two or three minutes to go is about right.
Referee's
response to "how much time" may be approximate and cryptic:
Soccer referees are often inclined to give only approximate answers to
questions about how much time is remaining, so 'three minutes' may mean +
or - to the nearest 30 seconds. Also, such a question may be answered not
with how much time remains, but rather with how much time has elapsed.
This reflects that referees are accustomed to discretionary latitude in
deciding when the exact appropriate moment has arrived to end a half or
game and how much extra time will be extended for delays, and these types
of answers tend to help preserve that discretion.
Determining
how much "additional" time the referee intends to allow:
Referees are often inclined to play their cards close to the chest about
letting anyone know just how much additional time past the proscribed time
they intend to allow. This tends to discourage a team that is ahead in a
close game from being falsely encouraged, by any seeming commitment by the
ref to end the game at a certain time, to incrementally step up delaying
tactics. There is no requirement in the rules that referees disclose or
commit their intentions to coaches, players or anyone about discretionary
additional time, so this matter cannot be forced upon a recalcitrant
referee. See questions 7.04 and 7.05, suggesting productive ways and
moments to ask referees about their intentions for adding extra time.
Ref
may be under practical constraints against extending time; have extra game
balls approved:
If your game is part of a succession of consecutive games scheduled on a
particular field on a particular day, the practical ability of the referee
to add discretionary time may be constrained, particularly if there are
only short breaks scheduled between games or they are running behind
schedule. You can minimize a significant source of time leakage by seeking
the referee's approval, before the game, for multiple (specific) game
balls to be used, so that a new ball may be readily substituted rather
than having a player chase the old one down an embankment, across an
adjacent road, or into the woods. Most referees who are receptive to this
will likely be agreeable to having one or preferably both teams designate
one or more non-players to both have the extra balls immediately ready and
to act as ball-chasers for long strays. To the extent this works out,
referees are more likely to take the initiative to discourage players from
running off after strayed balls and delaying the game, accidentally or
deliberately.
Make
sure your ref knows how long halves last for your age group before the
game starts:
This sounds at first silly, but referees may often do successive games for
different age groups and be mixed-up about exactly which particular age
group is on the field or what the proper time length is for that age
group. So, politely ask your ref before the game to make sure what length
halves s/he is contemplating, and gently suggest a correction if you get
the wrong answer. This prevents surprises by way of unintentionally
abbreviated or extended halves when you and your players expect something
different.
QUESTIONS
Back
The
referee timekeeping practices are deeply seated traditions in soccer that
many traditionalist aficionados of the game actually love, cherishing the
heightened suspense it engenders in close games. Others detest them as
arbitrary, unfair relics badly in need of rules changes. Fortunately, most
soccer referees enjoy deserved respect for fair timekeeping and exercise
of this discretion. In practice usually the 'additional time' usually
involves no more than two or three extra minutes, or less.
The
rules described herein are based on FIFA rules, which are used in most
international, amateur, and youth soccer competitions, other than NCAA ,
various high school associations, and a few anomalous local amateur soccer
leagues. The rules of these other bodies track FIFA rules in a majority of
respects, but may differ on details like timekeeping. There is nothing
anomalous to FIFA rules by using a scoreboard clock rather than a handheld
stopwatch, so long as the clock runs continuously and it is the referee
who decides how much discretionary time to add and when it is the
appropriate time to end the game. It's possible that there may be a
long-term trend favoring eventual rules changes toward using officially
stoppable public scoreboard clock but, even if so, the economics of youth
and amateur soccer in most places may help provide strong inertia for
existing, traditional timekeeping rules for quite awhile.
Purists
will cringe but many referees for amateur soccer in fact choose to do this
in preference to formally 'adding' time in the manner the rules
contemplate, figuring the net effect to be the same as adding additional
time to a running clock, and easier to keep up with. This is not something
to worry much about, and more likely reflects conscientiousness than
ignorance on the part of the referee. The only problem is that if they
stop their watch too often too early for too small causes in retrospect,
they may be stuck with the dilemma of whether to call the game a bit
'early' by their watch.
You
can sometimes get good information simply by asking, but it may be best to
pick your moments well:
a)
Wait for some sort of clear break to the normal flow of the
game, most optimally at least midway along in the second half, such as a
goalkeeper change by the other team or the third time a ball has rolled
down an embankment and has to be chased. Simply ask: 'ref, are you
considering adding time for this ?' Unless the referee's answer hints a
willingness to tell more, it might be wise to refrain from adding 'how
much?'
b)
When there are perhaps two or three minutes left in the
prescribed length of the game (according to the coach's stopwatch), that
is a good time to ask politely: 'ref, please how much time is left and
will you be adding any?' They'll tell you what they'll tell you ;=), and
accept what you get (or don't) gracefully. The last thing you want to do
is to inadvertently irritate the ref while attempting to relieve your
suspense.
Your
best counter-tactic is choose some appropriate opportunity when your
opponent is actively engaging in obvious delay in putting the ball back in
play is to politely ask the referee whether time is being added. A common
throw-in delay tactic you will likely encounter which can present you a
good opportunity to do so goes as follows. A first player unspeedily
retries the ball and then holds it for several seconds along the touch
line, as if contemplating a suitable target to throw it in to. Following
this, the first player then hands the ball to a second player who has
slowly trotted over to the touch line, to then actually make the throw.
Most refs have seen this ploy before and recognize it for what it is, so
the moment when the first player hands the ball to the second player is a
good one to politely ask: 'ref, would you consider adding extra time?'
It's unwise to encumber your polite request with extraneous barbs toward
the opposing players such as the tempting but poisonous 'they should get a
yellow card for that'. Many refs do not react well either to barbs against
opposing players by coaches or to their requests to give opposing players
yellow cards, even if the rules seemingly call for a card. Remember that
you are pleading for the ref to use their discretion to intervene for you
in the interest of fairness under the rules. Referees frequently adopt a
shell of seeming superficially unresponsive as a defense mechanism against
being ruffled by criticism or lobbying from the sidelines, even when
sympathetic to your request. It's imperative to not alienate the referee,
so stay polite even if you feel ready to explode inside.
a)
deliberately kicking balls out of touch with great
force, necessitating lengthy retrieval of the only readily
available game ball;
b)
shielding the ball near a touch line or corner
with their body and making no attempt to advance the ball from such
position;
c)
kicking long clears to empty space;
d)
playing keep-away with no attempt to score.
Only
(a) above truly constitutes the type of time loss through delay which the
rules authorize the referee to compensate for with additional time. The
rest are considered legitimate forms of active play, in the course of
which the pursuing team could, with skill and effort, regain possession.
However, for (b) (shielding) to be legitimate, the player must keep the
ball within playing distance (about two or three steps) while shielding,
or else this would constitute illegal obstruction (impeding) for which the
other team should be awarded an indirect free kick.
No,
because the rules require the halves to be of equal prescribed length.
Before too joyously contemplating the referee terminating (abandoning) the
game and rendering it a nullity that must be replayed entirely from 0-0,
you had better check your league's or tournament's rules for letting
partial results stand or when games can be merely suspended and later
resumed (e.g. tomorrow morning).
Although
the default rule is that any game prematurely terminated is an abandoned
nullity (you don't get the official win), you should check your league's
or tournament's preexisting rules for when the results of a partial game
officially stand, since these can modify the default rule on the
consequences of abandoned games.
Not
really, s/he should really bring the teams back on the field to finish the
half rather than illegally unbalance the halves and risk subjecting
players to needless late second-half fatigue. However, it's not worth
making much of a stink if the referee insists on doing this the wrong way,
unless there's some truly large disadvantage to your team in doing so.
Even then, the referee can effectively accomplish the same thing by adding
discretionary time, It may only be in uncommon situations that you may be
able to persuade league or tournament authorities you were prejudiced
enough by such a first-half timekeeping error to overturn the outcome of
your game because the first half was a bit short, even though it was
improper. And, the ref may be irked with you the second half.
NO!
This is highly improper, and you have legitimate reason to appeal to
league or tournament authorities if you're behind by one goal in a game
that matters. Remember that you will win nothing on the field by
persisting in arguing with a stubborn referee who refuses to change his or
her mind, and they may warn or throw you out for dissent. So, your first
priority is to politely win an admission that they ended the game after
only a 30 minute second-half, so you are not arguing against the referee
as a judge of fact (e.g. they claim it was 35 when you know it was 30),
because you can't win the latter argument.
Soccer
is unlike basketball, where a shot that leaves the shooter's hand before
time expires is considered good even if it goes in after time expires. In
soccer the ball is dead the moment time expires (except for penalty
shots), no matter that it was on its way toward an inevitable goal from
the shot but had not yet traveled across the goal line when the referee
blew the final whistle. However, in practice this rarely happens, in part
because very few referees (especially the good ones) will blow the final
whistle while an imminent scoring opportunity is underway. They can always
find justification in some earlier delay to add discretionary time.
Instead they will wait until just after the opportunity dissipates with no
goal to blow the final whistle. If a goal is made on the play, most
referees will wait until after the ensuing kick-off and at least several
more seconds have gone by to blow the final whistle ending the game.
Referees tend to show a natural preference for waiting for a suitable
moment of inconclusive, non-goal threatening play to end a game to avoid
any unnecessary appearance of unfairness in when they choose to blow the
final whistle. Note, however by contrast that in NCAA play, which
authorizes using an official, stoppable clock in lieu of time extension,
time may in fact run out in mid-shot.
No,
time is not automatically extended in a half or for the game just because
of a hard foul or to take a direct free kick. However, in practice if the
foul is egregious and occurs close enough to the opponent's goal that the
resulting free kick constitutes a good scoring opportunity for the team
awarded the kick, many referees may use their discretion to add enough
time for at least the kick itself, and perhaps some brief follow-up
attack. Regardless of whether they decide to extend time for the offended
team to take the free kick, the referee may still decide to give the
offending player a yellow card if that is appropriate.
©
1998 jointly in the following individuals: Jim Geissman, David Graham, Jim
MacQueen, Connie Matthies, Jim Meinhold, Chris Mohr, Gary Rue, Ken Smith,
Dave Teetz, Ron Tremper, who are together known pseudonymously as the
SOCCER-COACH-L LOTG COLLECTIVE
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