SOCCER

MIND OVER MATTER

Mental Prep — Not Just Physical Fitness — Required for Top Performance

Janette Schwark, Woodinville, Wash., is on her way to her next assignment, but before Schwark takes the field, she’ll need to flush the previous game from her memory to approach the next match with a fresh slate.

By Marc Block

While it would be improper to call a foul or punish a misconduct before it actually happened, there are many things referees can do to proactively manage a situation and be better prepared when they are required to reactively deal with a variety of events in a match.

Prepare, Perform, Reflect

We’ve heard this mantra from U.S. Soccer, but for most referees, the focus has been predominantly on perform. Lost in that focus is prepare — how “proper prior preparation prevents poor performance.”

Though preparation begins well before the first whistle, it does not stop once the match begins. Rather, preparation and performance continue as an iterative cycle throughout the match, and arguably preparation begins anew prior to proper reflection, too.

Leaving the physical aspects of preparation (i.e., fitness, warming up, stretching, etc.) to the experts to explain, this article will focus on the mental aspect of preparation: anticipation.

Prior to the match

What part of the season is it?

Early — Players, especially youth, may not yet be match-fit, leading to more substitutions and more reckless-type fouls as they fatigue. The teams may not have yet “gelled” so the cohesive passing and building up of an attack may not be there. Teams have not yet seen each other, so there is less history between them. What does this mean to the referee? If the players don’t know what is happening next, how can the referee? The referee must keep his or her head on a swivel and expect the

unexpected. Listen to the direction being given by the coaches to their players. A referee who is a player or former player can use what the coach is saying to help anticipate play by asking himself or herself, how would they react to the coach’s advice?

Midseason — Players are fit, teams know their teammates’ abilities/habits, skills and strategies are sharper, and rematches are starting to happen. The referee can review the standings. Are the two sides close or far apart? Another helpful tool could be to look at the statistics, especially the goal differential. Should the referee expect a defensive chess match (both sides have given up few goals, but not scored many either), a scoring fest (both sides have scored frequently, but also given up many goals), a game played mostly on one side of the field (a high-scoring team against a low-scoring team)? This information will allow the referee to consider the implications of his or her positioning — whether he or she can follow each play as it develops, or brace for the quick counter-attack.

End of season — In addition to the midseason concerns, what does the match mean? Is this a battle for first place or a position in the postseason tournament? If so, expect a hard-fought match, with plenty of comments from players, coaches and fans attempting to help with every decision.

Is one of the teams in a “spoiler” role, with only one side having anything at stake? If the higherplaced team is losing, will it react in a manner that will result in more fouls? If the underdog is losing, will it maintain a good level of sporting behavior or just attempt to hurt opponents since the season is complete? Proactive player management (the “gentle word”) may help minimize any misconduct.

Is this a contest between basement dwellers, both of which feel it has nothing to lose? These matches can be difficult to prepare for, as they may be nothing but fun play to ride out the season or mass mayhem by players not realizing punishments can carry into future seasons. This is especially so if it is a high school or college match and the seniors on the team do not care what happens since their playing for the team is over. Do not get lulled into a false sense of security, simply because these are not top-notch teams. Many of these matches have resulted in chaos and even abandonment because the players did not want to play.

During the match

What phase of the game are you in?

Early in the half — This phase will last longer in the first half than the second, but expect it for some time at the beginning of the second half too. The players will have a great amount of energy, therefore play will likely be quicker and fouls may be more physical. The referee must be aware of “statements” being made by tone-setting challenges. Some referees shy away from the early caution when it would have nipped things in the bud and prevented future damage to the match (and the players). This time should be used to gain an understanding of the style of play of each team. Is the style to dump and chase? To the corner and cross? Straight down the center? Develop in the midfield with probing attacks on goal? Are the teams prone to negative play, bringing the ball back to their defense or goalkeeper and resetting the play? This information will greatly assist in the referee being in the proper position.

Middle of the half — Players will have settled into the match, so the referee should have a decent idea of how the match will flow. Is the referee sensing the temperature of the match rising? This is a good opportunity to “take some air” out of the match with some well-placed calls and perhaps replace a stern look with a short conversation. Does the match need a caution to settle things down? The referee must utilize proper positioning and related skills to manage the match.

End of game — If the game is a blowout, how is it being received by the losing side, or rubbed-in by the winning side? Will the teams be simply playing to run out the clock, or are players looking to send a

QUICKTIP

After awarding a penalty kick, it

is a sound mechanic to retreat to the edge of the penalty area

nearest the touchline. In most instances, any player wanting to question the call or create problems will first go toward the penalty spot to find the referee. They then must turn and come toward the referee. This time allows the player to settle down and the referee to advise the player not to continue toward him or her.

SIDELINE

NCAA Clarifies Hand Ball, Offside Position

The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee met virtually in June and discussed the handball rule — opting to align the rule with the IFAB Laws of the Game. The committee determined that not every contact of the ball to a player’s hand or arm is a violation. Officials should judge a player’s hand or arm position in relation to their body movement in a particular situation. A player should be judged on whether the hand or arm is being used to contact the ball away from his or her body. The IFAB indicates that it is a hand ball when the hand or arm is extended to make the body unnaturally bigger.

In a separate clarification, the committee determined that the hands and arms of all players are not considered when judging if a player is offside. The upper boundary of the arm in line with the bottom of the armpit for purposes of determining whether or not the player is in an offside position.

TOOLS

Quiz Announcement

Are you rules-ready for the 2021 season? Test your NFHS rules knowledge by taking the annual soccer officials quiz, prepared by the editors of Referee. The 20-question quiz — available to download or take online — is available at Referee.com.

TEST YOURSELF

In each of the following you are given a situation and at least two possible answers. You are to decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS, NCAA or IFAB rules/Laws.

Solutions: p. 81.

1. The officiating crew arrives at the site approximately 15 minutes before the match. During the pregame field inspection, A1 uses abusive language toward one of the assistant referees. a. A1 is cautioned for the language. b. The officiating team ignores the comment since the match has not started. c. A1 is ejected and team A must play short one player. d. A1 is ejected and team A starts the match with 11 players.

2. Sixty minutes into the match a storm begins and, in the opinion of the referee, the field becomes unplayable. The referee suspends the match. The score is 2-0 in favor of the home team. a. The home team is declared the winner since the match is in the second half. b. The game must be replayed because it was suspended prior to the end of the match c. The game is resumed at the 60th-minute mark the next day when the field is playable. d. The game is declared a no contest since it did not reach the 70th minute.

3. A1, the goalkeeper, saves a shot on goal and appears to be injured. The referee stops play to check on the status of A1. A1 gets up and is not seriously hurt and can continue to play. The referee restarts play by: a. Indirect free kick for the defense since the goalkeeper had possession at the time of the injury. b. Drop ball where the goalkeeper was injured between two teams. c. Drop ball to the goalkeeper at the point where the play was stopped. d. Direct free kick for the defense at the point of the injury.

4. A1 is inside the penalty area on the left side and moving toward the goal. A2 is in the goal area on the right side of the goal and attempts to distract the goalkeeper. A1 shoots and scores. a. Disallow the goal and declare A2 offside and restart the match with an indirect free kick for the defense. b. Allow the goal since A2 did not interfere with play and was merely in an offside position. c. Disallow the goal, caution A2 for being in the offside position, restart with an indirect free kick for the defense. message for the next meeting?

Is the score tight? Look for the leading team to try to waste time, while the trailing side complains about the tactics. The referee must make sure the match keeps moving and attempt to keep the losing side calm. Is a caution needed for the time wasting? Does everyone simply need reminding that you will add time, so don’t bother wasting it or worrying about it being wasted? In a high school or college match, a good tactic is to stop the clock when time-wasting tactics are being used. This sends a message to the teams this tactic is not acceptable. Expect desperation moves such as lunging tackles, simulation tactics (especially in the penalty area) and long balls.

How exhausted do the players appear? Tired players do foolish things and tired players react poorly and may foul excessively. The referee’s job is not complete as he or she must work through to the final whistle. Get to the area of the offense quickly, talk with the players, manage the entire match and don’t “phone in” the final minutes. This is what the referee has trained for!

Anticipating play and being in good position goes a long way in helping a referee control a match and make the proper decisions so that the game is played safely and fairly. Marc Block, Marlton, N.J., is a USSF National Referee Emeritus, Instructor and Assessor. He was the state high school rules interpreter in New Jersey. Block is also a video referee communicator. 

IFAB Introduces 2021-22 Law Changes

By John Van de Vaarst

The IFAB introduced several Law changes for the 2021-22 season. These changes deal with the VAR/ VMOs and the video operating room (VOR), the field of play, the ball, player equipment, duration of the match, offside and fouls and misconduct. These changes provide clarity to the Laws and definitions for officials.

The field of play measurements were clarified to indicate that when there is a difference between a metric measurement and imperial units, the metric units are authoritative. Another change to Law 1 deals with the goals. The language has been amended to indicate that “the goalpost and crossbar must be the same shape, which must be rectangular, round, elliptical or a hybrid of these options. It is recommended that all goals used in an official competition organized under the auspices of FIFA or confederations meet the requirements of the FIFA Quality Programme for Football Goals.”

Play 1: During the pre-match warmup, the referee notices both goalposts are elliptical and the crossbar is rectangular. Both goals are the same. The referee does not permit the match to be played. Ruling 1: The referee is incorrect. In the event a goal or both goals do not meet the requirements of Law 1 but are still structurally sound and safe, the match shall be played and the referee must report the instance to the authority responsible for the match.

The text in Law 2 has been amended to indicate that “all balls used in matches played in an official competition organized under the auspices of FIFA or confederations must meet the requirements and bear one of the marks of the FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs.

Law 7 was modified to emphasize that allowance for “time lost” refers to “playing time” only. This permits the referee to adjust the time so it is longer than the additional time displayed by the fourth official when there is a stoppage near the end of a period.

ANDBALL!?!? H

The ball is in a position to create a hand ball situation. Here are questions to consider:

Did the defender push the attacker in the back prior to the ball arriving, causing the hand to extend?

The hand extended is clearly making the body unnaturally larger. If the ball makes contact with the hand, it is a hand ball.

Does the ball just miss the hand and is played with the chest, which is a legal play?

Does the ball miss the hand and hit the shoulder area, which is legal?

The assistant referee is observing the play very closely to determine if any of the above possibilities occur.

No Hand Ball

Hand Ball

CASEPLAYS

Heads Up

Play: A1 plays the ball forward. A2 is in an offside position near B3. A2 and B3 attempt to head the ball and miss. A4, who was not offside, runs forward and gains possession of the ball. Ruling: A2 attempted to interfere with play and therefore offside must be called (NFHS 11-1-4a; NCAA 11.2; IFAB 11.2).

Return to the Match?

Play: At the end of a postseason match, the score is tied. A winner must be decided by kicks from the penalty mark. Team A had a player ejected during the match. Which players are eligible to participate? Ruling: In NFHS, team A must use all five kickers who have not participated in the first five kicks (Sample Tie-Breaking Procedure). In NCAA, team B has the option to reduce the number of kickers by one (7.1.1.1b). In IFAB, team B must be reduced by one kicker (10.3).

Outside Force

Play: The ball is rolling along the touchline and a substitute thinks the ball crossed into touch and picks up the ball. Ruling: In all codes, the referee must stop play and award a drop ball to the team that had last touched the ball at the point where the substitute touched the ball (NFHS 9-2-1c; NCAA 9.3.2; IFAB 8.2).

Back in Action

Play: After a temporary suspension of play, the match is restarted with a drop ball for team A — the last team to play the ball. The ball is in the defensive area of the field approximately 20 yards from the goal. A1 takes the drop ball and plays it in the direction of the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper does not touch the ball and it enters the goal. Ruling: The match is restarted with a corner kick (NFHS 9-2-6; NCAA 9.3.3; IFAB 8.2).

Play 2: The fourth official displays five additional minutes of playing time at the end of the period. At 4:35 into the added time, an injury occurs and the referee allows play to continue beyond five additional minutes. Ruling 2: The referee’s decision is correct. The referee is authorized to allow for longer playing time than the additional time displayed by the fourth official.

Language has been added to Law 11, Offside, to provide additional information on how to judge if a player is in an offside position: “The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered. For the purposes of determining offside, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit.” This means the shoulder is not part of the arm and the shoulder is used for determining offside.

Play 3: At the moment of last contact on a pass from A1 (PlayPic A), A2 (wearing number 3) has her arm beyond the body of B3 (wearing number 10) — the second to last defender. B3’s body remains closer to the goaline than A2’s body. The assistant referee raises the flag and rules A2 offside. Ruling 3: Incorrect decision. When determining if a player is offside or not, the player’s arm cannot put the player in an offside position.

Play 4: At the moment of last contact on a pass from A1 (PlayPic B), A2 (wearing number 5) has her shoulder just beyond the body of B3 (wearing number 10) — the second to last defender. B3’s arms extend beyond A2’s shoulder. The assistant referee opts to not raise the flag and rules A2 is not offside. Ruling 4: Incorrect decision. Despite B3’s arms extending beyond A2’s shoulder, the hands of all players are not considered when ruling on a possible offside infraction. Instead, A2 is offside since A2’s shoulder is beyond B3’s body.

There are several changes to Law 12, Fouls and Misconduct, that help clarify the Law and how to interpret it. The first deals with spitting. The

A B

new language reads “a direct free kick is awarded ... if a player bites or spits at someone on the team lists or a match official.” 12.1 dealing with hand ball offenses has been significantly restated. For example, the wording in dealing with handball has had several items deleted from the language and the new language is more concise while still clearly explaining a hand ball incident. The change was made so officials understand that not every contact with the hand or arm by the ball should be considered a hand ball. Also, accidental hand ball creating a goal-scoring opportunity has been amended.

It is an offense if a player:

• Deliberately touches the ball with a hand/arm moving the hand/ arm toward the ball. • Scores in the opponent’s goal directly from a hand/arm, even if accidental, including the goalkeeper. • After the ball has touched a hand/arm, even if accidental, immediately scores in the opponent’s goal. • Touches the ball with a hand/arm when it has made the body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made the body unnaturally bigger when the player’s body movement occur s for that specific situation. By having a hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of the hand/ arm being hit by the ball and being penalized.

Play 5: A1 plays the ball and the ball accidently touches his hand. A1 takes two dribbles and scores for an apparent goal. The referee rules no infraction occurred and allows the goal to stand. Ruling 5: Correct decision. Since A1 continued to play after the accidental touching, A1 is not guilty of an infraction since the goal was not scored directly as a result of the touching.

Play 6: A1 receives an errant pass from A2. The ball takes an unnatural bounce and accidently touches A1’s hand, which is extended outward away from A1’s body. The referee whistles and rules A1 has committed a hand ball. Ruling 6: Correct decision. Because A1’s hand is outstretched, A1 has made her body unnaturally bigger.

Not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offense.

Another portion of Law 12 has been adjusted to describe when an indirect free kick is to be awarded for attempting to circumvent the law. “An indirect free kick is awarded if a player:

Initiates a deliberate trick for the ball to be passed (including from a free kick or goal kick) to the goalkeeper with the head, chest, knee, etc., to circumvent the Law, whether or not the goalkeeper touches the ball with the hands; the goalkeeper is penalized if responsible for initiating the deliberate trick.”

In addition, “the goalkeeper is cautioned if responsible for initiating the deliberate trick.”

The language for restarts after fouls and misconduct has been clarified to deal with certain situations. Replac e with, “if the referee stops play for an offence committed by a player, inside or outside the field of play, against an outside agent, play is restarted with a dropped ball, unless a free kick is awarded for leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission.”

Lastly, there are two new Glossary entries: • Offensive, insulting or abusive language/action(s): Verbal or physical behavior which is rude, hurtful, disrespectful; punishable by a sending-off (red card). • “Video” match officials (VMOs): These are the VAR and AVAR who assist the referee in accordance with the Laws of the Game and the VAR protocol.

This article is a summary of the Law changes for the 2021-22 season. Every official should review the Laws of the Game on a regular basis to ensure he or she is very knowledgeable of the Laws and prepared for any situation that may occur during a match. John Van de Vaarst, Cape May, N.J., is a NISOA National Clinician, National Assessor and former State Level USSF Referee and Assessor. He is Referee’s soccer coordinator. 