Two questions

[RebellionCoach]

We just played a game and a couple of things happened that I wanted to get information on. U10 girls

1st - We had a goal called back as the player called my ball before she shot. I have heard that this is obstruction but rarely called as it wasn't done to scare anyone off and was barely audible. I have also heard that this is an old rule that is no longer valid. In what case should it be called if at all?

2nd - deliberately sitting on the ball in your own penalty area - not the GK. What is the call on this? The ref awarded us an indirect free kick, I felt that it should have been a penalty kick as it was a deliberate attempt to stop a near certain scoring opportunity, just as a hand ball would be.

[Nevadaref]

Originally posted by RebellionCoach
We just played a game and a couple of things happened that I wanted to get information on. U10 girls

1st - We had a goal called back as the player called my ball before she shot. I have heard that this is obstruction but rarely called as it wasn't done to scare anyone off and was barely audible. I have also heard that this is an old rule that is no longer valid. In what case should it be called if at all?

2nd - deliberately sitting on the ball in your own penalty area - not the GK. What is the call on this? The ref awarded us an indirect free kick, I felt that it should have been a penalty kick as it was a deliberate attempt to stop a near certain scoring opportunity, just as a hand ball would be.

Coach,
I will answer your questions in reverse order because the referee was clearly correct in #2, while he had to make a judgment call in #1 (for which there is a solid basis in the Laws of the Game). I will put LOTG (Laws of the Game) or Ad2Refs (Advice to Referees on the LOTG) after the rules I cite, so that you will know where they come from.

Question 2:
You first need to how the rules define a foul:
12.1 WHAT IS A FOUL?
A foul is an unfair or unsafe action committed by a player against an opponent or the opposing team,
on the field of play, while the ball is in play. Deliberate handling of the ball is committed against the
opposing team, not against a particular opponent. If any of these three requirements is not met, the
action is not a foul; however, the action can still be misconduct. (Ad2Refs)

From your description, it seems that the opponent committed an unsafe action (putting herself in danger of being kicked and hurt) by sitting on the ball while it was in play. Assuming that your team was disadvantaged by her action this is an offense against your team. Therefore, this qualifies as a foul.

Secondly, you must understand that there are two type of fouls: penal fouls and technical fouls.
The book descriptions are:
12.2 THE PENAL FOULS
Ten offenses are described in Law 12 for which, if play is stopped as a result, the restart is a direct free
kick (or a penalty kick if committed by a team within its own penalty area). These offenses are
referred to as penal fouls. They are divided into two groups:
1. Six actions (kick, trip, jump at, charge, strike, or push, including the attempt to kick, trip, or strike)
for which the referee must evaluate how the act was committed; and
2. Four actions (making contact with an opponent during a tackle prior to contacting the ball, holding,
spitting, deliberately handling the ball) for which the referee need only decide if the act occurred.
Referees should not punish actions that are accidental or inadvertent. In the case of the first group, the
action becomes an offense only if the referee decides that it was committed carelessly, recklessly, or
with excessive force. In the case of the second group, the action alone is an offense, no matter how it
was committed. (Ad2Refs)

12.12 THE TECHNICAL FOULS
A second group of offenses is described in Law 12 for which the correct restart is an indirect free kick.
These are referred to as "technical" fouls. (Ad2Refs)

As you can see, the offense committed against your team does not qualify as a penal foul, and since penalty kicks can only be awarded for penal fouls committed within the penalty area, the referee CANNOT award a penalty kick.

However, playing in a dangerous manner is a technical foul and is the first one listed in the Ad2Refs book:
12.13 PLAYING IN A DANGEROUS MANNER
Playing "in a dangerous manner" can be called only if the act, in the opinion of the referee, meets three criteria: the action must be dangerous to someone (including the player himself), it was committed with an opponent close by, and the dangerous nature of the action caused this opponent to cease his active play for the ball or to be otherwise disadvantaged by his attempt not to participate in the dangerous play. Merely committing a dangerous act is not, by itself, an offense (e.g., kicking high enough that the cleats show or attempting to play the ball while on the ground). Committing a dangerous act while an opponent is near by is not, by itself, an offense. The act becomes an offense only when an opponent is adversely and unfairly affected, usually by the opponent ceasing to challenge for the ball in order to avoid receiving or causing injury as a direct result of the player's act.
Playing in a manner considered to be dangerous when only a teammate is nearby is not a foul.
Remember that fouls may be committed only against opponents or the opposing team.
In judging a dangerous play offense, the referee must take into account the experience and skill level of the players. Opponents who are experienced and skilled may be more likely to accept the danger and play through. Younger players have neither the experience nor skill to judge the danger adequately and, in such cases, the referee should intervene on behalf of their safety. For example, playing with cleats up in a threatening or intimidating manner is more likely to be judged a dangerous play offense in youth matches, without regard to the reaction of opponents. (Ad2Refs)

Therefore, the referee was clearly correct to award your team an indirect free kick from the spot of the foul.
I'll add that if the referee felt that this action was done deliberately as a defensive tactic to deprive your team of its attack, then a (yellow card) caution for unsporting behavior (UB), in addition to awarding the IFK, would be appropriate.

Cautionable Offenses
A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
1. is guilty of unsporting behavior ...
(LOTG, pg.26)

12.28.1 UNSPORTING BEHAVIOR
The following specific actions are considered cautionable as unsporting behavior. A player who:
• Commits a penal foul in a reckless manner
• Commits a penal foul while tackling for the ball from behind without endangering the safety of an
opponent
• Commits a tactical foul designed to interfere with or impede an opposing team’s attacking play ...
(Ad2Refs)
(I truncated both of those rules after reaching what was applicable.)


Now let's tackle Question #1. Here is what I found in the book:
Two sections I quoted above are also appropriate here:
Cautionable Offenses
A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
1. is guilty of unsporting behavior ...
(LOTG, pg.26)

Furthermore, 12.28.1 UNSPORTING BEHAVIOR continues and includes:
• Verbally distracts an opponent during play or at a restart

As I said above, this one is purely a judgment call. The referee needs to decide if your player calling for the ball was an attempt to deceive her opponent into thinking that one of her teammate's was calling her off, thus making the defender unfairly cease play, or whether it was communication directed at a member of her own team, so that she could get a clean shot.
I would judge this based upon the proximity of the other attackers and defenders, the age of the players, and their reactions. (Maybe even the score, too. Is the scoring team winning in a blow-out?) Personally, I have never called this. But I did know that it was in the rules, and if I ever felt that a situation truly met the criteria, I would confidently call it.
In that case the proper procedure is to caution the player guilty of the unsporting verbal tactic and award an IFK to the opponent, since it clearly is not a penal foul and must therefore be a technical foul.

I will also provide for you a clip from the 2004-5 National Federation of High Schools Soccer Rule book on this action:
12.8.1 Situation D
Player A is waiting to receive a ball in the air. Opponent B, who is behind A, shouts "I'll take it" in an obvious attempt to deceive A into thinking B is a teammate calling for the ball. RULING: Stop play, caution B for unsportsmanlike conduct and restart with an indirect free kick by Team A at the spot of the ball.

As you can see it is a real rule. So, even if you disagree with the referee's judgment on the play, I suggest that you just take it as a tough call against your team.
I'll conclude by saying thanks for your interest in learning the rules better. I applaud your effort. Well-informed coaches help make the game better for both their players and the referees.
Lastly, I am also quite impressed that you had a referee for a U10 girls game who has such quality rules knowledge. The vast majority of referees for that age/level of play are parents who are total beginners and barely know enough to direct a game.
Might I be so bold as to suggest that the next time you see this referee you give him a big smile and thank you for taking the time to come out and work your match.

Good post, coach, and keep learning.