h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If one of the last two defenders has left the field of play during the move, he is still considered to be playing the striker onside. Logic being playetrs could just step off the pitch to play players offside otherwise.

Oh, and for todays, not a backpass, in the same way that a sliced clearance isn't.

My son (who is considering giving up refereeing as a result of this madness) says that this decision is in line with the way that rule has been interpreted in USA for about 15 years

Furthermore, IF the goalie had knocked the defender unconscious he would apparently STILL have been considered "active" until the ref acknowledged that he needed medical assistance???

I think as long as he's been on the field at some point in the move, he's considered active.

Yes, that's right - the ref has to rule the player inactive by giving them permission to leave the field of play, otherwise they are active.

That's right - remember Dublin coming back on the pitch and knocking the ball in when Given put it down ?

This latest one - no free kick.

The answer:

Keith Hackett's answer
The referee can only penalise a DELIBERATE pass back to the goalkeeper. In this instance the ball was passed back to the centre-half and it is perfectly permissable for the centre-half to dummy an opponent without touching the ball and for the goalkeeper to become involved and collect as clearly shown in the drawing, inside his penalty area. Therefore the game would continue with Cech allowed to clear his lines. Be aware also that on the backpass law if the player uses his head, chest or knee to pass the ball back, then this is perfectly OK.
It is only the DELIBERATE pass back to the goalkeeper by the FOOT that is penalised. This law change was introduced to reduce negative play and it has, in my opinion, been a huge success."

And the next one:

Question
A defender commits a bad foul. Although not with the excessive force that endangered the safety of the forward, nevertheless it is deserving of a yellow card. But with an excellent goalscoring opportunity for the attacking side you play an advantage and will caution the defender later.
But before the ball goes dead the same defender immediately commits another bad foul. Again it is not with excessive force that it endangers the safety of an opponent, but again deserving of a yellow card.
What would you do in this situation?

I say send him off for to bookable offences. Show him the yellow card twice in succession followed by the red.

Stop play - send him off two yellows - persistant foul play.

Yup. Two yellow cardable offences - early bath.

Yeah. I can't disagree with that.

And I pretty much pre-empted Mr Hackett in the last one.

B

Well, there is another way of looking at it - a yellow card is essentially a warning, basically saying "if you do that again, you'll get a red card" - so, if the player hasn't yet been given a yellow card, he's not been warned in this way and therefore he can't be given a yellow card for a "repeat offence" (i.e. persistent foul play) since he hasn't been warned about foul play by an original yellow card yet...

I think the answer should be that the defender should be sent off for two yellow card offences, but I'm not convinced that the rules/laws allow for it.

I can't disagree with that

Lordy, here's todays...

"With the score 10-10, France's 11th penalty taker fails to score. Italy's 11th penalty taker is the next to step up. If he scores his team win 11-10. The kicker runs up but stops in his run-up, the French goalkeeper dives to his left but too soon. The kicker then takes another step and blasts the ball off the post and in.

You blow your whistle for the kick to be retaken and you caution (yellow card) him for his unsporting behaviour - stopping in his run-up. He then completely loses it and appears to be pulling you onto a head butt, when a French player reacts instinctively and comes to your assistance with a right-hand punch that knocks the enraged player to the ground.

The Italian captain runs up, bends over his unconscious team-mate and agrees he must be red-carded and sent off, but insists the French player who threw the punch must also be sent off. Then he further informs you, as all 11 players have taken a kick, his number one kicker will now take the re-taken penalty.

The French captain laughs and points out the Italian player who had taken the penalty had failed to score and had been sent off, and so the kick must stand as a MISS. "

I reckon this is actually pretty clear-cut. Send both violent players off, and continue the sudden death shoot-out with the Italians' number one kicker. I suppose part of the issue is whether the Italians are unfairly advantaged by this, to which my response would be 'sod the French'.

B

Both sent off. Eleventh round of penalties is null and void, we move on to the 12th with the (possibly revised) first choice takers as 10-a-side.

So you're saying that the French miss would also be retracted? That can't be right, can it?

B

I don't think the round's valid if it can't be completed. But then I suppose you could get sent off on purpose if the opposition had scored. Hmm. No, I can see why that would be wrong. But you can't have the first penalty taker taking the 11th penalty becase then it buggers up the ten-a-side shoot out the second time through.

My head hurts.

Confusion or alcohol related?

Confusion- I only had five Red Stripes last ngiht, and it wasn't affecting my ability on the Wii, was it?

No, I guess not