USSF Memo 2006

[CecilOne]

MEMORANDUM 2006

Julie Ilacqua
Managing Director of Referee Programs

Alfred Kleinaitis
Manager of Referee Development and Education

UNITED STATES SOCCER FEDERATION, INC.
The 2006 Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) took place in Lucerne, Switzerland on 04 March 2006. The amendments to the Laws of the Game made at the meeting and the various instructions and directives are listed below.

1. AMENDMENTS TO THE LAWS OF THE GAME AND DECISIONS OF THE BOARD

Law 4 - The Players' Equipment
Basic Equipment

Present Text
The basic compulsory equipment of a player is:
[followed by a list of items]

New Text
The basic compulsory equipment of a player comprises the following separate items:
[followed by a list of items, unchanged from the present text]

Reason
Adding ". the following separate items:" ensures that the basic equipment must consist of individual garments and therefore a player's jersey and shorts may not be joined together in any way.

USSF Advice to Referees: This new language is intended to exclude the so-called "one-piece" uniform and must be strictly implemented by referees.

Law 10 - The Method of Scoring Competition Rules
Present Text
When competition rules require there to be a winning team after a match has been drawn, only the following procedures, which have been approved by the International F.A. Board, are permitted:
[followed by a list of tie-breaking procedures]

New Text
When competition rules require there to be a winning team after a match or home-and-away tie has been drawn, only the following procedures, which have been approved by the International F.A. Board, are permitted:
[followed by a list of tie-breaking procedures, unchanged from the present text]

USSF Advice to Referees: This is a technical change intended to include "home-and-away" ties with regular match ties as qualifying for a tie-breaking procedure, based on competition authority rules.

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct
Cautionable Offenses
Present Text
A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:[list of seven offenses)
New Text
A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
[offenses 1-4 unchanged from the present text]
5. fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in
[offenses 6-7 unchanged from the present text]

A substitute or substituted player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following three offenses:
1. is guilty of unsporting behavior
2. shows dissent by word or action
3. delays the restart of play

USSF Advice to Referees: The above revision accomplishes three things. First, it adds a minimum distance on a throw-in to the reasons for cautioning a player for "failing to respect the required distance" (previously, this misconduct was categorized as "unsporting behavior"). Second, it clearly indicates that substitutes and substituted players can be cautioned and shown the yellow card. And third, it indicates the cautionable offenses which are specific to substitutes and substituted players.
Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct
Sending-off Offenses
Present Text
A player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
[followed by a list of offenses]
A player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.

New Text
A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offenses:
[followed by a list of offenses, unchanged from the present text]

A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off and shown the red card must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.
USSF Advice to Referees: As with cautionable offenses, this section of Law 12 was modified to confirm that substitutes and substituted players can be sent off and shown the red card. None of the listed reasons for the send-off were excluded, but referees are advised that a substitute or substituted player sent off for any violent action, regardless of when, where, or how committed, should be reported as having been shown the red card for violent conduct.
Law 14 - The Penalty Kick
Infringements/Sanctions
Present Text
If the referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and, before the ball is in play, one of the following situations occurs:
The player taking the penalty kick infringes the Laws of the Game:
. the referee allows the kick to proceed
. if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken
. if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick to the defending team

New Text
If the referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and, before the ball is in play, one of the following situations occurs:

The player taking the penalty kick infringes the Laws of the Game:
. the referee allows the kick to proceed
. if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken
. if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick, from the place where the infringement occurred, to the defending team

Reason
To be consistent with the other infringements

USSF Advice to Referees: This change confirms the guidance provided last year that the indirect free kick restart should be taken where the infringement occurred in cases where the ball does not enter the goal and the kicker infringes the Law.

Present Text
A team-mate of the player taking the kick enters the penalty area or moves in front of or within 9.15 m (10 yds) of the penalty mark:
[followed by four bullet items]

New Text
A team-mate of the player taking the kick infringes the Laws of the Game:
[bullet items 1-2 unchanged from present text]
. if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and restarts the match with an indirect free kick, from the place where the infringement occurred, to the defending team

Reason
To be consistent with the other infringements. Bullet point 4 is covered by bullet point 3.

USSF Advice to Referees: The above changes incorporate the specific statement as to the location of the indirect free kick restart and recognize that the present text, bullet point 4, was nothing more than a special case of the situation in bullet point 3. The phrase "infringes the Laws of the Game" is intended to refer only to infringements of Law 14.

Present Text
A team-mate of the goalkeeper enters the penalty area or moves in front of or within 9.15 m (10 yds) of the penalty mark:
[followed by three bullet items describing the correct referee actions]

New Text
A team-mate of the goalkeeper infringes the Laws of the Game:
(followed by three bullet items unchanged from the present text]

Reason
To be consistent with the other infringements.

USSF Advice to Referees: The phrase "infringes the Laws of the Game" is intended to refer only to infringements of Law 14.

The proper actions to take when the requirements of Law 14 are violated were summarized in a table in USSF's position paper "Penalty Kicks and the 2005-2006 Law Changes" published June 13, 2005.

Law 17 - The Corner Kick Procedure
Present Text (bullet item 3)
. Opponents remain at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play

New Text
. Opponents remain at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the corner arc until the ball is in play

Reason
To be consistent with Law 1

2. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR REFEREES, ASSISTANT REFEREES AND FOURTH OFFICIALS
Delaying the restart of play
New bullet point 6

Present Text
Referees must caution players who delay the restart of play by tactics such as:
[followed by a list of five bullet points describing specific ways a player might delay the restart of play]


New Text
Referees must caution players who delay the restart of play by tactics such as:
[followed by a list of five bullet points unchanged from the present text]
. provoking a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball after the referee has stopped play

USSF Advice to Referees: This new bullet point reflects the results of an experiment approved by the IFAB for certain competitions in 2005. The behavior which is the focus of this instruction includes attempts by a scoring team to take possession of the ball from the opponent's goal and players who attempt to gain control of the ball at a stoppage, in either case in a manner which, in the opinion of the referee, would provoke the opposing team. Referees should attempt to anticipate and forestall such offenses, saving the caution for the most flagrant cases where the offending player is unwilling to desist in the provocation. If the caution is unavoidable, it must be reported for delaying the restart of play.


The IFAB agreed that the amendments made to the Laws of the Game should enter into force prior to the 2006 FIFA World Cup on 1st June, instead of on 1st July 2006. The instructions and directives are introduced with immediate effect.

USSF Advice to Referees: Note that, unlike prior years, the Law changes are effective on June 1 instead of July 1. As in prior years, however, the new additional instruction described above is in effect immediately.

[Nevadaref]

All that was done this year was a little cleaning up of the language in certain places of the LOTG. There is absolutely nothing in this year's memo which changes the way the USSF has been instructing its referees to call the game prior to its issuance.

IOW I felt that it was a waste of paper this year.