Following my game on Saturday I hung around to watch the second half of a game on a nearby pitch. Fairly competitive but nothing out of the ordinary until the final whistle. With the game almost over two players collided (there was a foul in there too) and the referee blew his whistle for full time. Brief 'handbags' between the two players involved then escalated in to a full 30 man brawl. My feeling was that the brawl might have been avoided had the referee awarded a free kick, allowed the kick to be taken then blown for full time. What are your thoughts? Do you blow the final whistle right on cue or do you try to manage the end of the game?
The final whistle?
- Thread starter OIREF!
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Kes
I'll Decide ...
If the foul took place before the whistle goes then yes, the referee should have administered any appropriate sanction, and allowed the FK to be taken before calling time on it. What if the offence had been in the penalty area? He'd have had to allow the penalty kick so the same follows for anything else. 
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Not quite. I'd perhaps have acknowledged the foul by calling it but the game is not extended to allow the taking of a free kick. Only a penalty kick.He'd have had to allow the penalty kick so the same follows for anything else.
Correct procedure for me is blow for foul. And then separately blow for full time.
In the interest of making the decisions clear you could as sole arbiter of time allow the FK to be taken.
I'm not sure the blowing of full time or not would have stopped the melee. Allowing the FK to be taken post melee if you weren't quick enough to bin the game from it being taken might have caused further issue.
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Anubis
RefChat Addict
Always manage for me.
Of course its not in law but being the timekeeper is, so my games end with the ball out of play or in a dead area.
Based on what you post, I can see me giving the free kick, cautions if needed, make sure everything calm, then simply blowing for time up.
Of course position on the pitch and score would be in my thoughts.
Sounds like one you would best manage according to the management of the game.
Kes
I'll Decide ...
I know the extending of time to allow a penalty to be taken is actually mentioned in the LOTG, but logic dictates that you'd surely apply the same principle where a FK was involved(?) It seems pretty clear that the post-whistle melee developed purely because the final whistle had been blown and the expected sanction (ie FK) wasn't applied. The game expects that to happen whether specifically covered in the Laws or not. The same way in which you'd still show a card for any misdemeanour that took place after the whistle but whilst still on the field.
Logic doesn't dictate anything with lotg, apparently.
If the game were to be extended for free kicks then it would have been easy to add and free kicks to the provision for penalty kicks. I take from that it is only intended for PKs.
I agree, it's might be better for management to allow it to be taken. Lots of variables to consider such as position on pitch. If it's an attacking free kick, I'm likely ending the game.
AAnd as you pointed out, anything in the melee can be sorted post final whistle. Blowing the whistle does not mean the referee can't administer the sanction..
Blow for foul, issue caution, blow for full time.
Even in a different order. You could blow for Full time and then issue the caution before collecting your fee and popping home but that way is likely to cause you a problem in management.
The ball is out of play when you've blown for a FK. So by your exact standards, that's an acceptable time to finish the match?
Anubis
RefChat Addict
yes.
did you see the part saying, posiition on the pitch and score would be in my thoughts
92:58, playing 3, 3-0, left back is tripped, thats us, good night
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The ball doesn't have to be in play to blow the final whistle...
Of course. But @Anubis had stated that he would only be blowing the FT whistle in those two cases: ball out of play or in a dead zone. Don't blame me for someone else making up rules!
Anubis
RefChat Addict
Anubis
RefChat Addict
Petty yet predictable squabbles over a peep aside, if anyone on here does this, can they explain?
ten secs to go, 3-0, ball booted to Narnia for a goal kick...
yet instead of simply blowing for time, some refs wait 30 sec for gk to go retrieve ball, place it, move it to other side, point arms to where they plan to kick it...then soon as ball is kicked, they blow! Is there a point/anything to be gained?
ten secs to go, 3-0, ball booted to Narnia for a goal kick...
yet instead of simply blowing for time, some refs wait 30 sec for gk to go retrieve ball, place it, move it to other side, point arms to where they plan to kick it...then soon as ball is kicked, they blow! Is there a point/anything to be gained?
Kes
I'll Decide ...
Nothing to be gained at all.
It happens because some referees are operating under the misapprehension that the ball has to be in play before the final whistle is blown.
I'm not quite sure what we're arguing about here?
Your initial insinuation was that it's OK to blow for full time whenever the ball is in a dead area or out of play. The fact that it's considered out of play following a FK, combined with the above statement implies that you would happily blow for FT after any FK, regardless of the location. Or the alternate interpretation is that you didn't consider that a FK being awarded makes the ball dead, in which case you're saying that you would never blow for FT at the award of a FK.
Either way, the point is that's an overly simplistic way to judge if it's appropriate to end the game. I appreciate you also went on to say that you would consider location/score etc, but given that statement directly contradicts the line above, I think it's reasonable to clarify if you understood the full consequence of what was being said?
Anubis
RefChat Addict
Nothing to be gained at all.
It happens because some referees are operating under the misapprehension that the ball has to be in play before the final whistle is blown.
ah, I did just think of a maybe to justify it
Am sure I heard this before, the ref feels responsible for the match ball being returned so rather than go knee deep in a peat bog after navigating a wire fence, they let the gk do it instead
I can answer this one, because I've asked the same question before, had an answer and don't really buy it.
The argument is that by blowing when the ball goes out, it suggests you extended time to allow for the shot - which is fine if it's wild and goes nowhere, but causes some issues if it results in a goal, penalty, RC etc. By letting the ball go dead, be retrieved, put back into play and then blowing a few seconds later, you imply that time hadn't run out by the point of the shot, so it was fully legit to let that play conclude.
Anubis
RefChat Addict
with you on that one, nevermind not buying it, am not even window shopping it or giving it a glance on Amazon. Ridiculous.
one
RefChat Addict
I have, more than once, blown full time on a 50/50 or a throw in which I didn't know which way. In those cases it actually helps match control because if the player expecting a call their way doesn't get it, it could cause issues. If I do feel allowing a restart after full time helps a 'smoother' end to the game, I would do it but that would be a rare occasion (eg after a goal scored).
This is not a one size fits all. Do what helps you best but don't forget fairness. And as always hindsight is 20-20.
This is not a one size fits all. Do what helps you best but don't forget fairness. And as always hindsight is 20-20.
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Back to the OP. All day, every day, give the FK, apply the sanction, allow the FK to be taken, give it 10 or 20s for abrupt amnesia to take hold of the player's wee minds. Blow for full-time. It's like magic, everyone goes home in one piece. Sod the 'PK exception stuff' talked about by @JamesL ... the extra few seconds was added because of that last instance of 'time lost' I only just remembered. The amount of time added is largely arbitrary anyway
Let's be clear here BC I am advocating resuming play or variation of.
I was disagreeing with the notion that the laws require a game to be extended for the taking of a PK so therefore this must apply to FKs as well.
The problem I foresee with your 10-20 seconds is that is plenty long enough for someone who remains aggrieved to exact revenge and cue more mass brawling.
If there's a fight or chance of a fight, and time is all but done, we're going home with less paperwork in my world.
I would however be blowing for the FK to be taken, immediately followed by the FT whistle so that no more play actually occurs. And obvs all misconduct will be dealy with accordingly.
