Question for Refs

[MD4Sports]

QUOTE(stevescarb @ May 4 2007 - 08:33 AM) 826451424[/snapback]A game ends when the ref blows the final whistle. The question is when should the ref blow the final whistle?

 

When he feels like it.

 

Very few refs will end a game on an attack... Seen it done... I've never done it. The ref is supposed to be managing the time for subs, injuries, and other stoppages, but they rarely actually repay the game for every second of stoppage. Because of the inherent inaccuracies of time keeping, It is customary to allow an attack to end before announcing end of play. If a goal is scored the ref can allow a few seconds after the ensuing kickoff before the final whistle, but all of this is at the discretion of the ref.

 

If a contest situation has limited the ref's discretion and the ref plans to end time at a certain point no matter what, a smart ref will manage this situation by announcing the remaining time to the players. you feel slighted because the whistle sounded on your attack but if the ref had said "Ten seconds" and then blown the whistle accordingly, you would have still been bummed out but you would have accepted the call more easily.

 

 

I'm a high school and Ussf ref so I think I can clear up your confusion.

 

Many people here are confusing Fifa/Ussf timing rules with high school. They are totally different. Fifa/Ussf rules state the clock never stops and time is added at the discretion of the referee for substitutions, injuries, deliberately delaying the game, etc. Hence the term "stoppage" time. The ref here has great discretion as to when to end the game. Most would not end it for a serious attack if that would make a difference in the game.

 

High school however is completely different. The clock is stopped for goals, injuries, cards, and penalty kicks. It may also be stopped by the ref is he feels that time is deliberately being wasted. When time is up, the game is over, period. The only exception is a penalty kick, which if called in the last second of the game, will still be taken. So in high school, the game should end when the time is up, no matter the situation with the pk exception. This is why they keep the official clock on the scoreboard at state. There is no "stoppage" time in high school since you actually stop the clock for the above situations. It is not customary in high school to allow an attack to end before stopping play. When the clock says zero, game over.

 

This is how it is supposed to be. I grant that you will see refs that do not adhere to the timing rules. I'm sure that is the main reason the state tournament has an official timer and the official time is kept on the clock. /cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" />

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Simply put - you add time if FIFA sanctioned; you never add time in high school.

[Whitey]

Arguing about the rules is useless. We know there is a difference in High School and FIFA when it comes to time. The problem is not in understanding the rules but in applying the rules. For those who are "sticklers" and laud the State's use of an "official" clock as if that is a perfect answer to the inconsistencies by the refs during the season in their management of the clock, I know better. I have attended and participated in many State tournaments and know that many mistakes are made in the area of clock management. I have seen refs blow their whistle to hand a yellow card, walk over to the player to issue the yellow card and argue with the coach about why they are handing out the yellow card only to have an assistant to yell at them and tell them that the clock is still running. It was then that he crossed his arms over his head and the clock was finally stopped. I have seen PK's at the State and the clock never stopped during the taking of a PK. I have seen a ref raise his crossed arms over his head to signal a clock stoppage for an injury and the clock keeps running. I have seen the start of the half last year at one of the girl's games and everyone in the stand is yelling to start the clock and after about a minute and a half they finally got the attention of the clock operator to start the clock.

 

So, what it boils down to is based on the original question, "Is is ok when a player who is winding up to take a shot to stop the game?" Technically speaking in High School the game is over when time runs out. Whether managed on the field by the ref or an official clock at the State managing time is not precise in soccer that any ref could argue that time had truly expired before someone got off a shot. When a a ref does such it is very poor judgment and they deserve the fire they get from the coach, players, and fans when they show such bad judgment.

[MD4Sports]

QUOTE(Whitey @ May 5 2007 - 10:44 AM) 826452338[/snapback]Arguing about the rules is useless. We know there is a difference in High School and FIFA when it comes to time. The problem is not in understanding the rules but in applying the rules. For those who are "sticklers" and laud the State's use of an "official" clock as if that is a perfect answer to the inconsistencies by the refs during the season in their management of the clock, I know better. I have attended and participated in many State tournaments and know that many mistakes are made in the area of clock management. I have seen refs blow their whistle to hand a yellow card, walk over to the player to issue the yellow card and argue with the coach about why they are handing out the yellow card only to have an assistant to yell at them and tell them that the clock is still running. It was then that he crossed his arms over his head and the clock was finally stopped. I have seen PK's at the State and the clock never stopped during the taking of a PK. I have seen a ref raise his crossed arms over his head to signal a clock stoppage for an injury and the clock keeps running. I have seen the start of the half last year at one of the girl's games and everyone in the stand is yelling to start the clock and after about a minute and a half they finally got the attention of the clock operator to start the clock.

 

So, what it boils down to is based on the original question, "Is is ok when a player who is winding up to take a shot to stop the game?" Technically speaking in High School the game is over when time runs out. Whether managed on the field by the ref or an official clock at the State managing time is not precise in soccer that any ref could argue that time had truly expired before someone got off a shot. When a a ref does such it is very poor judgment and they deserve the fire they get from the coach, players, and fans when they show such bad judgment.

 

 

 

For Fifa/Ussf I concur that the referee has been granted and should use discretion when ending the game. For high school, I disagree. There should be no judgment in high school soccer timing if you are following the rules properly. Not applying the rules properly should result in the "fire" of which you speak. Certainly you can point out timing errors in many games. Excepting overtime situations, you have 80 minutes to take your shots and score goals, not 80:30, 81, 82 , etc.

 

A referee's goal is to be as objective as possible; to me that means following the applicable rules as closely as possible. If you extend the time for a shot to be taken, you are misapplying the rules, not to mention being grossly unfair to the defending team and/or affecting the outcome of the game.