We present a selection of 'Myths' that will undoubtedly be repeated many times
before the season is through... and what should be done about them!

WHO NEEDS LINES TO PLAY?

Some people would have you believe that lines on a soccer field
are optional! Actually... they are not! There is even a whole Law
devoted to the field of play, and lines and markings are a major
portion of this Law.

So... what do you do if there are no lines on a field that you are
scheduled to referee on, or the lines show some major deficiencies?

Common sense tells us that our soccer fields in Kelowna are
not likely to be marked to FIFA standards... but that same
common sense should tell us when the markings are good
enough to play... or not, as the case may be.

No visible lines of any kind - Politely decline to referee the game.
Any suggestions that you don't need lines should be answered
with "Coach, if you want me to ignore Law 1, is it OK if I also
ignore Law 11 and 12? Suggest that the home team contact the
appropriate people to line the field. Make an appropriate
comment on the game sheet as to why you did not referee the
game. Call or email your assignor to let them know also.

Partial lines - Goal lines, touch lines half way line and penalty area are the absolute bare minimums. Without them, the game
can only be refereed on the honour system' - and this is not
recommended. If you have those lines, and others like the centre
circle, penalty arc, goal area, corner arcs are missing - you can
probably get by without those, depending on the level of the
game. It is still your decision though, and it should be brought
to the attention of the home team.

Incorrect markings - Corner arcs that are 1 foot in radius, centre
circles that are six yards from the centre mark, penalty marks
that are 8 yards from the goal line - are ALL OUT THERE. Check
the field before the game, so that you are aware of them, and will
know what to do when those markings come into play.

Question - if the penalty mark is 8 yards from the goal line -
where do penalty kicks get taken from?

If you answered - 12 yards from the mid-point of the goal line
between the goal posts... you have been reading that Law book
again... haven't you! Keep it up!

The 50/50 Challenge
This is usually the claim made after a 'bone crunching' tackle that leaves
the victim flat out and requiring the attention of the coach or team medic.
Often when a card is produced by the referee, 'It was a 50/50 ball ref!' is the
explanation heard. There is no foundation in the Laws of the Game, or even
in the 'Spirit of the Game' for this. The only true 50/50 occurrence in a game
is the coin toss, and after that, everything is either fair or unfair, as judged
by the referee.

You can't play the ball while on the ground
Often, a player will fallto ground, and then kick or attempt to kick the ball whilst
down there. This will often be quickly followed by cries of "Hey! They can't do that!".
And the question we must ask ourselves is "Why not?" Again, nothing in the Laws
to make this an illegal move, unless it happens to involve tripping or kicking an
opponent, or playing in a dangerous manner.

"Leave it" or "My ball"
We often instruct players to 'Put a name on it', meaning that they should yell
something like "Fred's ball!" or "Leave it Johnny". This may be good advice to
eliminate any confusion over their intentions, but is not a requirement of the Laws.
If there is no doubt about who is saying "I've got it!", and to whom they are saying
it, then no offence has been committed. If, in the opinion of the referee though,
the call was a deliberate ploy to distract an opponent, then this would have to
be judged as 'Unsporting Behaviour', and penalized with a caution to the
offending player. These are rare calls though.

Deliberate Handball is an automatic card
Not so. Deliberately handling the ball results in a direct free kick (or penalty kick)
to the opposing team, unless the referee decides to apply the 'advantage clause'.
Handball that is not deliberate should be 'no call'. The reason we sometimes
see cards produced on a 'handball' is usually because of an advantageous
opportunity that was taken away from the opponent by the deliberate use of hands.
And of course the colour of the card will reflect what kind of opportunity was denied,
a goal or obvious goalscoring opportunity being the most serious.

Shirt pulling is an automatic card
Pretty much the same as handling the ball - it depends on what is taken away
from the opponent. Of course, most shirts are pulled when the player has been
beat by the opponent, and therefore tend to stop breakaways etc, where the card
is certainly justified.

Throw-ins have to be 'near perfect' to be legal
The taking of a throw-in is not a 'skills competition' where we are asked to judge
and give marks and disallow a large number of throws. The basic requirements
of a throw in are simple - the thrower faces the field, uses both hands, throws the
ball from behind and over the head and has part of each foot on the touchline, or on
the ground behind the line. These requirements are met by the vast majority of throw-ins,
although not all of them 'look' perfect. It is no benefit to anyone to disrupt the game by
awarding throws to the opponent for supposed 'foul throws'. And yet we hear
appeals for this at all levels of soccer.

They can't sub on our possession
Again, not true. This is a 'courtesy call' that most referees will make in divisions
where the subs seem to be requested on just about every stoppage by one or
both teams, so that no one feels that the other team is taking advantage by
using the opponent's restart to make a sub. The only requirements in the Laws
are that substitutions take place - at a stoppage in play, and with the permission
of the referee. So the higher up the divisions you go, and usually the subs become
less frequent, they should be allowed at any stoppage with the referee's permission.

You can't sub on a corner kick
Some leagues will specify that subs can only be made on certain restarts (throw-in,
kick off etc.), but they usually also state that subs can be made at any time at the referee's
discretion. If a team chooses to sub on their own corner kick, and perhaps lose the
momentum of of their attack, what gives the referee the right to say no?

HANDBALL!!!
	Hey Ref! That was a handball! Didn't you see it? The defender gained an advantage! He didn't call it! He must be blind! Or he doesn't know the rules!

Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it?

The fact is, this is in a game from the 2002 World Cup, Germany v USA. The score was 1-0 for Germany
at the time, and many people would say the German defender Torsten Frings has clearly committed a
'handball' on the goal line, preventing a goal by USA.

Or has he?

The real facts:

• There is no such thing as 'handball' in soccer. (That is in a different sport -called Handball!)
• The referee was Hugh Dallas (Scotland) - one of the best in the World.
• He DID see the play.
• In his opinion, the contact did not constitute 'handles the ball deliberately' (Law 12).
• He allowed play to continue.
• On reviewing the game, FIFA backed up Mr. Dallas in his 'non-call'.

This is a perfect example of how 'handling the ball' is supposed to be called, (or not called).

How often do we hear 'Hey ref, that was a handball'?

Technically, there is no such call as 'handball', and this is where a lot of the confusion arises. Law 12 (or rule
12 in indoor), states that one of the penal offences (fouls) is 'handles the ball deliberately'. No matter how hard
you look, you will see no reference in the Law to 'gaining an advantage' by handling the ball, although that is
sometimes the appeal that gets made. It's pretty straightforward - if it's deliberate, it's a foul, anything else and
play should continue. "But it was in the penalty area", is another comment often heard. Still doesn't matter,
unless it's deliberate of course.

So how do referees know if it is deliberate, without being mind readers? One guide they use - did it look like
'ball to hand' or 'hand to ball'? The latter is the one that needs to be called.

The real question that needs to be asked, is why there are any 'handballs' called that apparently should not
be? One reason is that inexperienced referees find this is an easy call to make, and one that few people argue
with. The referees who get this call right, however, can often be heard to say "No intent, keep playing", and that

is the key - if there was no intent to handle the ball deliberately, we should keep playing.

High Kicks
	Wooaahh! There's a high kick Ref! Come On Ref! You gotta call those!

Well actually the Ref doesn't have to call this!

At least, not against the goalkeeper! The red player could probably get called for something, but
that's another discussion.

There is no such thing in soccer as a 'high kick', at least not as a foul. There are, of course, lots of
'high kicks', and many people wonder why they are not being called when it is so obvious. A look
at the Laws of the Game will help with the answer. The closest thing you will find is under Law 12,

Under Technical Offences -

An indirect kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player, in the opinion of the referee:
• plays in a dangerous manner

Now that can cover an awful lot of things, including some 'high kicks', but not all of them.

One of the first things to consider is the phrase 'in the opinion of the referee'. We all have different
opinions on many things, and calls in a soccer game are no different in this respect. But, no matter
what the people on the side lines think or say, it is for the referee to decide what is dangerous,
'in his opinion.'

Which is all fine, you say, but how do they decide that? Isn't all play dangerous to
some degree? Yes, but here are some examples of things that are dangerous that
should not get called in a game:

• a goalkeeper dives to save the ball, and he collides with the foot of the goalpost
• a goalkeeper dives at the feet of an opponent who is about to take a powerful shot
• from a corner kick, a defender rushes towards the post to head the ball away, colliding
..with the goalpost as he does so
• a defender, anxious to clear the ball, follows through on his kick and almost connects with
a team mate's head in the process
• a forward dives to head the ball into the goal, colliding with the goalpost as he does so.

Why should these not be called? Simply put - they are not fouls, they are not unfair acts,
and they have had no effect on the opponent. Play should be stopped if a player got injured
doing any of these, of course, but no foul has been committed.

And hopefully, there endeth a few more 'Myths of the Game'