A&H

Put your name on the ball

M

Merx

New Member
Level 7 Referee
Can anybody shine any light onto this issue for me.
I was watching an u14's game this weekend where the referee kept awarding free kicks against players saying "leave it" or "my ball".
This was said between players communicating on the same team.
In my mind this was not verbal distraction but communication and instructions exchanged between team mates.
I spoke to the referee after the game and he insisted that a player must call his name when going for the ball.
I have read FIFAs laws of the game from cover to cover and I can find no mention of a player having to call his name or put his name on the ball when calling for it.
Does this rule exist and have I missed it?
In my mind if the Ref saw this as verbal distraction he should have produced a yellow card to the offending players but he did not.
Any advice would be greatfully received.
 
The Referee Store
You are correct.

This is one of those things we are all told as young players but there is actually very little truth in.

A bit like Emile Heskey used to be an international :p
 
You can just imagine the following happening @Yacinho

Ref: Player, you can't a player a d**k when he's challenging for the ball.
Player: But ref, my names Richard!
 
I think you call it an "unwritten rule"...... i have been told players should use names so the opponents don't think its one of their players calling.
I do get players call their names when they say " Dave's ball!" not had the experience of no name calling,but if its not in the rules then there is no offence.......
 
The other point for youngsters is putting a name on the ball is better than saying mine, as you dont know who 'mine' is. A defender could end up leaving a ball for an attacker by mistake.
 
DaveMac said:
The other point for youngsters is putting a name on the ball is better than saying mine, as you dont know who 'mine' is. A defender could end up leaving a ball for an attacker by mistake.
Click to expand...

And that's where it becomes a bookable offence, I believe
 
I never did get many chances

Being called Bartholemeu the first Viscount of the prestigious house of the Reginald's of Hertfordshire..... By the time I'd put my name on it it was half time :(
 
The offence is "verbally distracts an opponent during play or at a restart" so if the opponent is not distracted there is no offence for this specific law. Note that technically the distraction doesn't have to be deliberate although as you would be booking under USB I can't think of many instances where you would book for non-deliberate distraction. Nonetheless, if a player does something ridiculous in a failed attempt to distract an opponent you can always book under "acts in a manner which shows a lack of respect for the game".
 
deusex said:
Not if the shout wasn't a deliberate attempt to deceive an opponent.
In which case it is a caution whether the defenders are fooled or not
Click to expand...

If a player shouts 'mine' on the opposite team and a defender leaves it for the attacker, there's no way on earth that I won't stop play...
 
Having just checked the book Mctavish is correct.
I am surprised at the wording. So anything said by a player that distracts an opponent is a YC?
What if a defender is distracted by a striker calling out his strike partner's name (which happens to be the defenders name as well)?
By the wording in the book that is a caution.
A defender calling for offisde must be cautioned because that's def a distraction for the striker!
The wording in the LOTG is ridiculously ambiguous!
 
deusex said:
The wording in the LOTG is ridiculously ambiguous!
Click to expand...
I agree to a certain extent but I think you also have to bear in mind that the caution is for unsporting behaviour so for me you have to conflate the two aspects - the opponent has to be distracted and the distracter has to be acting in an unsporting manner; therefore, for example, a player who twists his ankle and shouts loudly in pain thus distracting an opponent would not be cautioned as what he has done is not unsporting - I think this is why the distraction almost always has to be deliberate.
 
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