Home Forums Club House Ask The Ref Can you call a foul after the ball is out of play

Here's the situation... U11 Girls (if that makes a difference).

Ball heading toward the sideline. A1 & B1 both charging for it. The ball goes out as A1 starts a slide toward the ball. Contacts the ball and B1 at least a foot out of bounds. B1 goes down. CR calls "throw in".

This happened at the feet of team B's parents who went nuts.

I'll readily admit maybe it wasn't a foul. I wouldn't have complained if it had been called a foul however. Or maybe it was a foul, but since it happened off the field, nothing could be done (maybe a card if it was serious enough)?

So it got me thinking, if it WAS a foul, how do you restart it?

An offense can be committed whether it is inside the field of play or outside the field of play. If the player leaves the field of play as part of play and commits an offense against another player, play is restarted with a free kick taken on the boundary line nearest to where the offense occurred. Appears from the restart given by this ref, he/she did not believe an offense was committed.

This is part of the "updated rules" and I completely agree, again, with Final Word.
And also, at a U11 game, I'm not carding a player unless it was extremely reckless using excessive force.

My question is, if A&B are both charging for the ball, why is B already a foot out of bounds when she begins the slide?

Just to add:

�If the player is already off the field of play, play is restarted with a dropped ball

�If the player leaves the field of play to commit the offence, play is restarted with an indirect free kick from the position of the ball when play was stopped.

Other than a brief description and what Anon points out about starting a slide while already out of bounds sometimes we need more context here. For example, yes it's true that we should not have to pull out a card on a small sided field but we have no feel for how experienced the players are or what level GU11 they play. Or whether it was a Cup Game Or just a recreational game.

Since this happened during a dead ball and near the parents it can get a little crazy at times and we as referees have to take this in to account. To specifically address the original question this is not a foul because it did not occur while the ball is in play or on the field. It is clearly misconduct and can be handled appropriate to the age level. The offender is a young girl so you have to be careful how you handle it in spite of the fact that some parents might want her sent off. A very careful word to the player with perhaps more words to the coach to sub her off or saying "Coach, your player needs a break" will suffice in this situation for the most part unless the player's skill was high enough to prevent it but chose not to. This is highly unlikely at this age. Since the player left the field to commit the offense I say an IDK.

Just to follow up, this was a select game (not rec), but I wouldn't call these girls "high level". I don't feel there was anything malicious on A's part (despite the parents reaction), just that the girls are still learning how to control their bodies.

To answer PP's question, A began her slide as the ball was on the line, she contact B and the ball a foot out.

CR did not feel it was a foul, I was wondering what would happen if he thought it was (or if the fact the "incident" happened outside the field of play factored into the decision).

So A & B were charging for the ball towards each other or along side each other?
If the ball was on the line when she began the slide, I say play on.
I can't imagine this kid sliding anymore than a foot so it wasn't like her intent was to hurt player B but merely to play the ball which was still in.

I think the ref handled it correctly. And yes, if the ball is not in play and the players are not on the field, no foul, just misconduct. But if players are on the LINE absolutely a foul can be called.

I agree with LIRef here. We need to make the calls based on age and skill levels. Just this past weekend I was in the middle of a BU-11 game. The score was tied at 2, and late in the second half, the visiting team believed they scored the winning goal. Problem was as the attacker was on the ground, he pushed the ball into the goal with his hand, and I was in position to waive this off. The coach of coarse from 50 yards away believed the ball was already in the goal when his player touched it. I explained to the coach I was only 5 yards away and saw the play clearly. I also advised him that due to the age and skill level, I would not caution his player for the infraction. He then understood where I was coming from and accepted the call.

Even though an offense can be committed on or off the field, free kicks and pk’s Can only be awarded for offenses that occur when the ball is in play.
If an offense occurs when the ball is out of play (like the above description) correct course of action would be deciding if a yellow or red card is required, followed by a restart with a throw in.

Would that be a judgment call or is it a rule ?

Not sure what you exactly mean. Firstly, there are no “rules” in soccer it is referred to as “The Laws of the Game. Law 12 covers Fouls and Misconduct. A foul can only happen on the field of play by a player while the ball is in play and committed against an opponent. If a player hits or strikes a teammate it cannot be a foul it would be misconduct and would receive a red card for violent conduct.

This is why when substitutions are made the proper procedure is for the player to come off the field and only when he crosses the touchline is the substitute allowed to then step on the field and the moment the player steps on the field he is no longer a substitute. When the player coming off the field crosses the touchline he is no longer a player. Why is this important? Because only a player can be charged with a foul with the above criteria. A substitute that commits an offense can not be charged with a foul because he is not on the field of play. So an offense by a substitute is referred to as Misconduct.

Now as far as a judgement call the referee is supposed to call what he or she sees based on the LOTG. It is based on the facts of the situation and it is ITOOTR (In the Opinion Of The Referee) based on the Laws of the Game.

Does that answer your question?