Why do games that are not tied at the end of regulation time often go longer?
One of the unique things about soccer is that during a match no one on or off the pitch knows exactly how long the match will go. That’s because the referee is the official timekeeper, and while regulations state that a match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each, with a mandatory break at halftime, they also state that the referee has discretion to add time to the end of each half for any stoppage of play. While the rules for games like hockey, basketball, and American football include provisions for stopping the clock (such as after a goal, or for out of bounds), the clock for a soccer game never stops, except for the during the halftime break. The referee is under no obligation to tell anyone how much additional time will be added to each half. The clock runs out only when the referee says so.
Quickies
Did you know …
• a “club” linesman can call the ball in or out over the touchline or goal lines, and can signal to the referee which team is entitled to possession of balls gone out of play, but they cannot signal for offside, or for fouls committed outside the sight of the referee.
Why do some referees actually stop the clock?
Strictly speaking, such referees are in violation of the Laws of the Game. This generally only happens at the amateur level. The referee has a stopwatch and, as the official timekeeper for the match, is supposed to add extra time to the end of each half for any stoppage of play. If, for example, a player is injured and it takes two minutes to get that player off the field and resume play, the referee should add two minutes to the end of the half. The referee is supposed to keep track of such stoppages in a notebook, but the simpler method is to stop the stopwatch for two minutes, thus suspending the game clock and negating the need to keep track of how long the stoppage is. The main problem with this lazy and illegal method of timekeeping is that the ref can sometimes forget to re-start the stopwatch. Also, if the clock is stopped too often or for insignificant reasons, the ref may be stuck with the dilemma of whether to call the game a bit “early” by the official watch.
Quickies
Did you know …
• aside from during the regulation halftime beak, the Laws of the Game do not permit the referee to ever stop the clock once play has begun?
Four Reasons Why the Referee Can Add Time to the Game Clock
According to the Laws of the Game, time can be added if:
• time is lost attending to injuries on the field;
• time is lost completing player substitutions;
• time is lost due to delays in putting the ball back into active play after it goes out;
• any other cause for interruption to active play the referee deems sufficient.
What if time expires before a penalty shot can be taken?
If a foul requiring a penalty shot is called before time in a half or game expires, but the clock expires before the penalty shot can be taken, the penalty shot must be taken before the half or game can officially end. In such instances, the penalty-taker gets only one touch of the ball, so they had better make it a good kick, because whether they score a goal or not, the play ends the moment ball goes out of bounds or its momentum is spent.
What is the correct procedure for a kickoff?
In a kickoff, each team must be in their respective defending half of the field and the team opposing the kickoff may not have any players within 10 yards (9.15 metres) of the ball. The ball is in play the moment it is kicked and moves forward at all; even stepping on it and causing it to bobble forward slightly is enough.
Quickies
Did you know …
• despite what any second-party clock may indicate, the game is not over until the referee give a triple blast of the whistle?
What’s the ruling if a ball hits the referee and rebounds into the goal?
The referee, like the corner flag, or a goal post, or the ground itself, is merely part of the field of play. If the ball hits the referee, play should continue just as if the ball bounced off a rock. And if the ball bounces off the ref into the goal, it is a goal!
The Seven Ways a Ball Can Be Put into Play
• kickoff
• throw-in
• goal kick
• corner kick
• free kick
• penalty kick
• drop ball
What is a “speaking captain”?
Unlike other sports, a soccer team can have more than one captain. This allowance holds over from days when substitutions were illegal and it was advisable to have more than one captain in case any one of them got injured or sent off. During a coin-toss meeting before the start of a match, when the captains and the referee are assembled near the centre of the field, if either team sent more than one captain, the referee will ask which one is the “speaking captain,” meaning which one is authorized to make binding decisions at the meeting.
Quickies
Did you know …
• a ball rolling along outside the touchline remains in play as long as part of the ball is over the touchline?
What happens at a coin-toss meeting?
Exact procedures can vary from place to place and from referee to referee, but the basics are as follows: When all the teams’ captains and the referee gather near the centre of the field, the referee makes note of the numbers (and maybe the names) of the teams’ speaking captains. Then one team’s speaking captain will be chosen at the referee’s discretion to call the coin toss. After the toss, the referee will ask the winner which end they want to defend, and then make sure everyone present is clear on which end they will attack and which they will defend at the start the game. The referee then tells the losing side that they will kick off, and the meeting is over.
Quickies
Did you know …
• on a free kick, the ball must move forward on the initial contact? Even the tiniest fraction will suffice, before a rearward pass can be made. Prior to 1997, the ball had to move its full circumference on the ground in a free kick.
Quickies
Did you know …
• during a penalty kick the defending goalkeeper
