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LAWS OF THE GAME – PART 4 of 4

Continued from last month’s detailed explanation of the Laws of the Game.

Last year, the Cal South E-News ran a series of articles pertaining to the Laws of the Game.  We received several positive comments and requests for additional information.  As a follow-up, we are providing the following article which provides a more detailed explanation to the most important Laws of the Game.  Due to its length, we have broken the article into 4 sections, of which this is the final section.

SECTION 4

21. Wasting time
Any player who wastes time shall be cautioned for unsporting behavior.  Wasting time occurs whenever a player:
 - feigns injury;
 - takes a free kick from a wrong position with the sole intention of forcing the referee to demand a retake;
 - appears to prepare for a throw-in but suddenly leaves it to one of his team to perform the throw-in;
 - performs any restart in such a way that the ball is not properly put into play, thus forcing a repetition of the restart;
 - kicks the ball away or carries it away with the hands after the referee has stopped play for any reason;
 - stands in front of the ball when a free kick has been awarded to the opposing team in order to give his team time to organize the defensive wall;
 - excessively delays taking any restart;
- delays leaving the field when being substituted.

22. Celebration of goal
(a) After a goal has been scored, the player who has scored it is allowed to share his joy with his teammates.  However, the referee must not allow them to spend an excessive amount of time in their opponents' half of the field.  Neither shall he allow players to taunt their opponents.  In any of these cases, he will caution the offending player for unsporting behavior.  Referees must look beyond the behavior of players celebrating goals and consider as misconduct only those actions which are provocative, obscene or insulting, or which unnecessarily delay the restart of play.

(b) If a player removes his shirt to celebrate a goal, he must be cautioned for unsporting behavior and shown the yellow card. A player may lift his shirt, but the undershirt must not contain messages of a political, religious, commercial or antisocial nature.

23. Liquid refreshments during the match
Players shall be entitled to take liquid refreshments during a stoppage in the match but only on the touchline.  Players may not leave the field during play to take liquids.  It is forbidden to throw plastic water bags or any other water containers onto the field.
 
24. Players' equipment
(a) The referee shall ensure that each player wears the uniform properly and check that anything worn by the player conforms with the requirements of Law 4. Players shall be made aware that their jersey remains tucked inside their shorts and that their socks remain pulled up.  The referee shall also make sure that each player is wearing shinguards and that none of them is wearing potentially dangerous objects (such as watches or other jewelry of any nature).

 (b) Players are permitted to wear visible undergarments such as thermopants.  They must, however, be the same color as the shorts of the team of the player wearing them and not extend beyond the top of the knee. If a team wears multicolored shorts, the undergarment must be the same color as the predominant color.

 (c) The referee, assisted as needed by the assistant referees, shall ensure that player equipment and uniforms comply with Law 4 and will pay particular attention to any items (e.g., braces) worn by a player which are not included in the standard uniform.

25. The Role of the Fourth Official
The Fourth Official will assist the referee at all times.  He must indicate to the referee if the wrong player is cautioned or when a player who has been given a second caution is not sent off or when violent conduct occurs out of the view of the referee and assistant referees.  The referee, however, retains the authority to decide on all points connected with play.

26. Trickery (cf. Law 12 IFAB Decision 3)
A player using a deliberate trick to circumvent the text and spirit of Law 12 regarding passes to his own goalkeeper shall be cautioned for unsporting behavior and shown a yellow card.

27. Technical area
Team officials may convey tactical instructions to players during the game. However, team officials must remain within the confines of the technical area while doing so and must conduct themselves, at all times, in a responsible manner.  Only one person at a time may be on his feet in the technical area, giving instructions to the team.

The technical area may be defined as an area covering the length of the substitutes' bench plus one yard on either side and extending from the front of the bench up to a distance of one yard (one meter) away from the touchline.  It is recommended that markings be used to define this area, but the absence of such markings does not relieve team officials from the obligation to behave responsibly.

28. Reckless challenges
Referees should take stringent measures against players moving their arms and elbows without due care, by applying the sanctions available to them under Law 12.

29. Simulation (Law 12, IFAB Decision 5)
Any simulating action anywhere on the field, which is intended to deceive the referee, must be sanctioned as unsporting behavior.

A number of specific actions may be considered cautionable as unsporting behavior.  These include faking an injury or exaggerating the seriousness of an injury and faking a foul (diving) or exaggerating the severity of a foul.

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*References throughout to the male gender in respect of players, referees, assistant referees, fourth officials, and others are for simplification and apply to both males and females.

**Decisions made during play depend entirely on the opinion of the referee, who forms his judgment at the time of the incident.  Coaches are requested to inform their players of the points specified above and to ensure that every game is played sportingly.