Almost, Sir Alex!
Whenever you apply advantage in a game you have to consider the football skills needed to fashion a goal-scoring opportunity from your shout of “Advantage, Play on”, coupled with the double-arm signal which, when given on the run, makes you sound like a neutered tomcat. You also have to consider in which part of the field play is operating, and for an advantage to have any chance it needs to be the attacking third of the field. Consider also whether it would affect your control for the rest of the game. So there is plenty to think about.
Let us consider this scenario. Play is in the final third of the field, and a defender makes a reckless challenge on an opponent for which a yellow card would be shown. If you apply advantage do you need to mentally note the perpetrator’s number so that you can return in the ensuing dead-ball time to administer it? And secondly, you ask yourself if is it a gold-plated advantage with a goal the likely outcome. If your answer is no to either of those questions, then I would strongly suggest that you do not apply advantage and that you award the free kick. Players would forgive you if a goal were not scored, but would not forgive you if the reckless challenge went unpunished. This could seriously affect your control.
You must consider where you are on the field of play. If a central defender is fouled twenty yards from his own goal but retains the ball, is that an advantage? I would suggest that it is merely possession, and should you choose to apply advantage and another tackle comes flying in and fells the defender, then match control would be lost and a mass confrontation may ensue with several cards being the outcome of dubious practice.
I have already stated that in my opinion you should not apply advantage unless you are in the final third of the field, but consider this. One team is attacking and the whole team except their goalkeeper is in their opponents’ half of the field. A defender intercepts a pass, then punts the ball into his opponents’ half where a team mate, in his own half when the ball was played, runs onto the ball and has a clear run to his opponents’ goal. I would suggest that this is an excellent time to apply advantage, even though the play was nowhere near the last third. This, though, is the exception to the general rule.
We now move on to the ‘unspoken’ advantage where a petty foul was committed and you do not want to spoil the flow of play. The Premier League boys seem to have their own unofficial signal, which is to point at the ball for a couple of seconds to show everyone that they have seen it. This unspoken advantage could be a precursor to a real advantage at the next stage of play. I am sure we have all done it, but the time lapse is so short. At this point you can only think, “Petty foul, he still has possession, I can bring it back for the initial foul and give the free kick if I need to”. Having said that, there is always a danger that a second more robust tackler may come flying in that could seriously affect your control. The players would then accuse you that it was your fault as the referee, you caused that situation because you should have given a free kick earlier, and so on. Are you being brave or foolhardy in that situation?
I would say that early in the game you might ‘test the water’ for about fifteen minutes and give the free kick until the players have confidence in your decisions. For things like throw-ins, be pedantic and insist they are taken from the right place. Then when the petty foul happens which is not an advantage but you want to maintain the flow, shout, “Seen it, fella, seen it”, and I think the players will accept it and realise what you are trying to do to benefit the game for all of them.
You may go through a whole game without a sniff of a real advantage, but always be looking for it. Do not penalise a team by not applying the law on advantage.
Be aware of the difference between possession and advantage.
Be aware of the individual ability of players to capitalise on your decision.
Be aware of where you apply it on the field.
Source: Keith Goulding Secretary Worksop RA
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