2016-17 LOTG Outline summary of Law changes

Law 01 – The Field of Play
• Artificial and natural surfaces may not be combined on the field
• Competitions may determine field size for their competitions (within Law)
• All commercial advertising on the ground must be at least 1m (1yd) from boundary lines
• Logos/emblems of FAs, competitions etc... allowed on corner flags (no advertising)

Law 02 – The Ball
None

Law 03 – The Players (new title)
• A match may not start/continue if a team has fewer than 7 players
• Substitutes may take a restart but must first step onto the field
• Clarifies situation when a player is sent off before/after kick-off
• Direct FK (or penalty) if a substitute/team official interferes with play
• If something/someone (other than a player) touches a ball as it goes into the goal the referee can award the goal if the touch had no impact on the defenders
• If a goal is scored with an extra person on the field and referee has restarted play the goal stands and match continues

Law 04 – The Players’ Equipment
• Any tape or other material on/covering socks must be same colour as the sock
• Player losing footwear/shinguard accidentally can play on until next stoppage
• Undershorts must be colour of shorts or hem; team must all wear same colour
• Electronic communication with substitutes is forbidden
• Player can return during play after changing/correcting equipment, once equipment has been checked (by referee, fourth official or AR) and referee signals

Law 05 – The Referee
• Decision can not be changed if play restarted or referee has left the field (HT+FT)
• If several offences occur at the same time the most serious is punished
• Referee can send a player off from pre-match pitch inspection onwards
• Referee can only use RC + YC after entering the field at start of the match
• Player injured by RC/YC foul can be quickly assessed/ treated and stay on field
• The equipment a referee can or may be allowed to use
• Diagrams of referee signals included (from Guidelines section)

Law 06 – The Other Match Officials (new title)
• More details about the duties of the assistants, AARs, fourth official
• Diagrams of assistant referee signals included (from Guidelines section)

Law 07 – The Duration of the Match
• More reasons for additional time (e.g. medical drinks breaks)

Law 08 – The Start and Restart of Play
• All restarts included (previously only kick-off and dropped ball)
• Ball must clearly move to be in play for all kicked restarts
• Ball can be kicked in any direction at kick-off (previously had to go forward)
• Referee can not ‘manufacture’ outcome of a dropped ball

Law 09 – The Ball in and out of Play
• If a ball rebounds off a match official it is in play unless it has wholly passed over a boundary line

Law 10 – Determining the Outcome of a Match (new title)
Kicks from the penalty mark:
• Referee will toss a coin to choose the goal (unless weather, safety, etc.)
• Player temporarily off the field (e.g. injured) at final whistle can take part
• Both teams must have same number of players before and during the kicks
• Clear statement of when a kick is over
• Kicks not delayed if player leaves the field; if not back in time kick is forfeited

Law 11 – Offside
• Halfway line ‘neutral’ for offside; player must be in opponents’ half
• Players’ arms not considered when judging offside position (including goalkeeper)
• Offside FK always taken where offence occurs (even in own half)
• Defender off the field only ‘active’ until defending team clear ball or play stops
• As above for attacker returning; before that re-entry point is the offside position

Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct
• Foul with contact is a direct FK
• Advantage for a RC – indirect FK if offender then gets involved in play
• Change of wording for handball so that not every handball is a YC
• Some DOGSO offences in the penalty area are punished with a YC
• Attempted violent conduct is a RC, even if no contact
• Striking on head/face when not challenging an opponent is a RC (unless negligible)
• Offence against substitutes, team officials, match officials etc. is now a direct FK
• Foul off the field penalised with a direct FK on boundary line (penalty in own penalty area)

Law 13 – Free Kicks
• Difference between ‘stopping’ a FK and ‘intercepting’ the ball after FK taken

Law 14 –The Penalty Kick
• Indirect FK + YC if wrong player deliberately takes the penalty
• Indirect FK if ball kicked backwards
• If ‘illegal’ feinting occurs it is always an indirect FK (and YC)
• Goalkeeper YC if infringes and PK is retaken

Law 15 – The Throw-in
• New wording makes it clear that ball must be thrown with both hands

Law 16 – The Goal Kick
• If GK kicked into own goal it is a corner kick to opponents
• An opponent in the penalty area when the goal kick is taken can not play the ball first

Law 17 – The Corner Kick
• If CK kicked into own goal it is a corner kick to opponents

US Soccer Bylaws 531-9

Policy 531-9—Misconduct Toward Game Officials  

Section 1.  General  

Misconduct against referees may occur before, during and after the match, including travel to or from the match.  Misconduct may occur also at later times when directly related to duties of a game official as a referee.  

Section 2.  Rule Application  

(A)  This policy shall supersede any inconsistent rules of Organization Members that pertain to assaults or abuse upon Federation referees, assistant referees, the manner and means of hearings, appeals, and rehearings in matters pertaining thereto.  

(B)  Nothing in this policy rule shall be construed to restrict or limit any league,  event/tournament or Organization Member from applying equal or greater restrictions to anyone not listed in section 4(a)(1) of this policy (i.e., a spectator associated with a club or team).  

(C)  This policy shall not apply to players, coaches, managers, club officials, or league officials while participating in Professional League Member activities.    

Section 3.  Terms and References 

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As used in this policy --   

 (1) “Referee” includes the following:  

(a)  all currently registered USSF referees, assistant referees, fourth officials or others duly appointed to assist in officiating in a match. (b)  any non-licensed, non-registered person serving in an emergency capacity as a referee (under Rule 3040). (c)  any club assistant referee.  

(2) “Hearing” means a meeting of at least three neutral members, one of whom is designated or elected to serve as chairperson.  The hearing shall be conducted pursuant to guidelines established by the Organization Member.  

(3) (a) (i) Referee assault is an intentional act of physical violence at or upon a referee.   (ii) For purposes of this policy, “intentional act” shall mean an act intended to bring about a result which will invade the interests of another in a way that is socially unacceptable. Unintended consequences of the act are irrelevant. (b)  Assault includes, but is not limited to the following acts committed upon a referee: hitting, kicking, punching, choking, spitting on, grabbing or bodily running into a referee; head butting; the act of kicking or throwing any object at a referee that could inflict injury; damaging the referee’s uniform or personal property, i.e. car, equipment, etc.  

(4) (a) Referee abuse is a verbal statement or physical act not resulting in bodily contact which implies or threatens physical harm to a referee or the referee’s property or equipment. (b)  Abuse includes, but is not limited to the following acts committed upon a referee:  using foul or abusive language toward a referee that implies or threatens physical harm; spewing any beverage on a referee’s personal property; or spitting at (but not on) the referee.  

Section 4.  Jurisdiction and Hearings  

(A)  General  

(1)  When any amateur or professional player, coach, manager, club official or game official assaults or abuses a referee, the original jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter shall vest immediately in the responsible Organization Member which is affiliated with the Federation. (2)  When an allegation of assault is verified by the Organization Member the person is automatically suspended until the hearing on the assault. (3)  The Organization Member must hold a hearing within thirty (30) days of the verification by the Member of the abuse or assault or, if applicable, the thirty-day 

35  

period provided by subsection (B)(3) of this section.  If the Member does not adjudicate the matter within that period of time, original jurisdiction shall immediately vest in the Federation’s Appeals Committee to adjudicate the matter, to which the same provisions as to the term of suspension shall apply.  (4)  Failure to hold the initial hearing shall not rescind the automatic suspension.  

(B)  Events and Tournaments  

(1)  In the event an assault or abuse of a referee occurs in an event outside the alleged offender’s home state, the referee shall (A) immediately notify the Event/Tournament Chairperson, and (B) forward a copy of the game report and his/her comments on the incident to the Event/Tournament Chairman. (2)  The Event/Tournament Chairperson shall have the right to immediately convene a hearing at the site of the Event/Tournament, at which the alleged offender, the coach of the alleged offender when the offender is a player and the game official should be present.  Information presented at this hearing shall promptly be relayed to the alleged offender’s Organization Member President by the Event/Tournament Chairperson, both orally and in writing; however, failure to provide written information shall not restrict the offender’s home Organization Member from taking action with regard to any referee abuse or assault. (3)  Final jurisdiction shall vest with the alleged offender’s home Organization Member.  A hearing shall be held by that Organization Member within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the initial report of the abuse or assault on a referee.  

Section 5.  Penalties and Suspensions  

(A)  Assault  

(1) The person committing the referee assault must be suspended as follows:  

(a) for a minor or slight touching of the referee or the referee's uniform or personal property, at least 3 months from the time of the assault; (b) except as provided in clause (i) or (ii), for any other assault, at least 6 months from the time of the assault: (i) for an assault committed by an adult and the referee is 17 years of age or younger, at least 3 years; or (ii) for an assault when serious injuries are inflicted, at least 5 years. (2) A State Association adjudicating the matter may not provide shorter period of suspension but, if circumstances warrant, may provide a longer period of suspension.  

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(B) Abuse   

The minimum suspension period for referee abuse shall be at least three (3) scheduled matches within the rules of that competition.  The Organization Member adjudicating the matter may provide a longer period of suspension when circumstances warrant (e.g., habitual offenders).  

Section 6.  Appeals  

A person who is found to have committed abuse and/or assault may appeal to the Appeals Committee by following the procedures of Federation Bylaw 705 within ten (10) days from receipt of the decision of the Organization Member.  

Section 7.  Procedure for Reporting Assault and Abuse  

(A)  Procedures for reporting of referee assault and/or abuse shall be developed and disseminated by the National Referee Committee to all Federation registered referees. (B)  Referees shall transmit a written report of the alleged assault or abuse, or both, within 48 hours of the incident (unless there is a valid reason for later reporting) to the designee of the Organization Member and the State Referee Administrator.  For tournaments or special events, the referee shall transmit a written report to the tournament director on the day of the incident and to his home state SRA within 10 days of the incident. 

US SOCCER BYLAWS AND POLICIES

http://www.ussoccer.com/referees/resource-center/administration

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Circular No.3: Additional Guidance on Law 11 - Offside (Videos)

To all football associations, confederations and FIFA
Circular no. 3
Zurich, 17 July 2015 SEC/2015-C051/bru
ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON LAW 11 – OFFSIDE

Dear Sir or Madam,

Following requests from a number of football associations and confederations regarding offside, The IFAB would like to provide additional clarification and/or guidance relating to the definition of the offside offence of ‘interfering with an opponent’ and also to the definition of ‘save’ in the context of offside (Laws of the Game, p. 110).
This clarification follows detailed deliberations between our Technical Sub-Committee and the Technical Advisory Panel, which consists of refereeing experts from all the confederations.
Please be informed that this clarification replaces any non-IFAB instructions or guidance received previously with respect to this matter. We trust that this clarification will ensure a higher uniformity in the application of Law 11.
1. “Interfering with an opponent”
Clarification
In addition to the situations already outlined in the Laws of the Game, a player in an offside position shall also be penalized if he:
• clearly attempts to play a ball which is close to him when this action impacts on an
opponent or
• makes an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball

Guidance
• ‘clearly attempts’ – this wording is designed to prevent a player who runs towards the ball from quite a long distance being penalized (unless he gets close to the ball).
• ‘close’ is important so that a player is not penalized when the ball goes clearly over his head or clearly in front of him.
• ‘impact’ applies to an opponent’s ability (or potential) to play the ball and will include situations where an opponent’s movement to play the ball is delayed, hindered or prevented by the offside player.

However, just because a player is an offside position it does not always mean that he has an impact. For example:
• if the ball is on the right-hand side of the field and an ‘offside’ player in the center of the field moves into a new attacking position he is not penalized unless this action affects an opponent’s ability to play the ball • where a player tries to play the ball as it is going into the goal without affecting an opponent, or in situations where there is no opposition player near, he should not be penalized

2. “Save”
Clarification
Law 11 outlines situations when an offside player is penalized by becoming involved in active play and these include (p. 110):
• “gaining an advantage by being in that position” means playing a ball i. that rebounds or is deflected to him off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent having been in an offside position ii. that rebounds, is deflected or is played to him from a deliberate save by an opponent having been in an offside position A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent, who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save), is not considered to have gained an advantage.

As indicated in the last sentence a ‘save’ can be made by any player and is not limited to the goalkeeper. Therefore, The IFAB wishes to clarify that: A ‘save’ is when a player stops a ball which is going into or very close to the goal with any part of his body except his hands (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area).

NB: This clarification is consistent with the use of the word ‘save’ in Law 12 – Offences by the Goalkeeper (p. 122).

Additional information: change of FIFA Quality Program logos Unrelated to Law 11, we would like to take this opportunity to mention the change to the FIFA quality marks on footballs (p. 16), which was not part of the previous correspondence. This change is already reflected in the printed editions of the Laws of the Game 2015/16, which you received recently.

Thank you for your attention and please feel free to contact us should you have any questions or inquiries.


Yours sincerely,

On behalf of the Board of Directors
Lukas Brud Secretary

_____________________________________________________________

VIDEO #1

"Interfering with play" and "Gaining an advantage from that position" are both out. What's left? "Interfering with an opponent", so let's break it down.

Did the player in the offside position, ‘clearly attempts’ to play the ball? 

'Clearly attempts' – this wording is designed to prevent a player who runs towards the ball from quite a long distance being penalized (unless he gets close to the ball). YES. 

What's next? how close?

How ‘close’ is important so that a player is not penalized when the ball goes clearly over his head or clearly in front of him. YES 

Finally, did he impacted the opponent's ability or potential ability to play the ball? 

‘impact’ applies to an opponent’s ability (or potential) to play the ball and will include situations where an opponent’s movement to play the ball is delayed, hindered or prevented by the offside player. I CAN'T TELL WITHOUT A DOUBT. 

Decision: Play continues.

VIDEO #2

Offside, for interfering with an opponent. Red #10 in an offside position made a clear action within playing distance which impacted the ability of the goalkeeper to play the ball.

VIDEO #3

This is a tricky play and to get it right you need to break it down into manageable chunks!
White #9 was in an offside position when White #7 took a shot on goal.
Blue #14 made a goal-line "save". After the "save" White #9 challenges Blue #4 for the ball but he is unsuccessful. "Gaining an advantage by being in that position" is out. Why?
“gaining an advantage by being in that position” means playing a ball i. that rebounds or is deflected to him off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent having been in an offside position ii. that rebounds, is deflected or is played to him from a deliberate save by an opponent having been in an offside position. In this play White #9 did not touch the ball.

So, what's next?

White # 9 from an offside position clearly attempts to play a ball which is close to him, this 'obvious action' clearly impacts on the ability of the opponent to play the ball.

Decision: OFFSIDE "interfering with an opponent".