<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'><P>Hi all,</P>
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<P>I won't be able to attend tonight since I'm out of town on a business trip. This situation came up in a game that I AR'd this past weekend so I'll be interested in understanding the interpretation and application of this part of the advice to referrees, particuarly section b of the Note.</P>
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<P>Here's what I saw (as I recall it now):</P>
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<P>* I was positioned near 15-18 alongside the 2nd last defender</P>
<P>* Ball was in play near middle of field width around 25 yards or so from goal.</P>
<P>* Defender was in middle of field around 15 from goal.</P>
<P>* Goalie was around 5-10 yards from goal, also near middle of width (maybe slightly closer to me).</P>
<P>* Ball was kicked along ground towards goal, goalie, and defender.</P>
<P>* Defender was moving forward towards ball and away from goal</P>
<P>* Goalie was charging towards ball.</P>
<P>* When ball and defender were near 18, goalie was around 16 and starting to get low to ball, defender clearly (to me at least) plays the ball toward the keeper with a slight direction change using a textboot inside of the foot pass towards the goalie.</P>
<P>* Bang-bang goalie picks the ball up, looking surprised.</P>
<P>* I raised my flag and CR whistled and awarded IFK.</P>
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<P>Reading the Advice, I do believe that the defender intentionally played it towards the keeper. I do not feel that they intended to timewaste-- unless one takes the view that any play back to the goalie is a time waste and that's clearly not the intent of the advice. I discussed what I saw after the game with other refs (without specific reference to this Advice) and it seems that others would have raised the flag too.</P>
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<P>So here are the questions I would ask tonight if I were in town:</P>
<P>* If the call is situational and not applicable here because it was bang-bang, where is the threshold at which it becomes a foul?</P>
<P>* Does it ever become a foul if it isn't timewasting?</P>
<P>* What if a player wants to kick it back to the keeper not as a timewasting but because a punt is much stronger? (That seems wrong too).</P>
<P>* Why is b) a NOTE to Advice, not even in the Advice or rules itself?</P>
<P>* If the foul is only timewasting, should only the CR and not the AR call it? (assuming CR has asked ARs for help with fouls).</P>
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<P>If someone can summarize the outcome of tonight's discussion, I think it will be helpful to many of us.</P>
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<P>Eric Hamilton</P>
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<P>----- Original Message -----<BR>From: AYSO45@aol.com<BR>To: ayso45-refs@ayso45.org<BR>Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 10:43:34 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific<BR>Subject: [ayso45-refs] USSF Advice to Referees: 12.20 BALL KICKED TO THE GOALKEEPER<BR><BR>The following is taken from the USSF 2007 Advice to Referees. For the complete 79 page document, please visit: http://www.ussoccer.com/Referees/Laws-of-the-Game.aspx 12.20 BALL KICKED TO THE GOALKEEPER A goalkeeper infringes Law 12 if he or she touches the ball with the hands directly after it has been deliberately kicked to him or her by a teammate. The requirement that the ball be kicked means only that it has been played with the foot. The requirement that the ball be "kicked to" the goalkeeper means only that the play is to or toward a place where the ‘keeper can legally handle the ball. The requirement that the ball be "deliberately kicked" means that the play on the ball is deliberate and does not include situations in which the ball has been, in the opinion of the referee, accidentally deflected or misdirected. NOTE: (a) The goalkeeper is permitted to dribble into the penalty area and then pick up any ball played legally (not kicked deliberately to the goalkeeper or to a place where the goalkeeper can easily play it) by a teammate or played in any manner by an opponent. (b) This portion of the Law was written to help referees cope with timewasting tactics by teams, not to punish players who are playing within the Spirit of the Game. We will discuss this on Wednesday night... scott <BR>_______________________________________________ ayso45-refs mailing list ayso45-refs@ayso45.org To change your subscription options or to unsubscribe from this list: http://lists.ayso45.org/listinfo.cgi/ayso45-refs-ayso45.org </P></div></body></html>