There are a couple of rule interpretation changes for 2017 that are outlined on the newsletter link. In addition, the latest NISOA Interpretation states that if
a red card is issued during a substitution, the team will play short REGARDLESS of the player/substitute definition during that process.
Misconduct During Substitutions
Posted: 03 Apr 2017 05:23 AM PDT
Todd Abraham
Todd Abraham, NISOA Senior Director of Instruction
By: Todd Abraham, NISOA Senior Director of Instruction
I received a question about how to deal with misconduct during substitutions as a result of the recent note about substitutions and reporting into the game. In the case where the game was stopped at a legal substitution opportunity and the referee beckoned the substitute A12 onto the field to replace player A6. Player A6 then commits violent conduct before leaving the field of play. The referee ejects player A6 and shows a red card. How many players should Team A be permitted to play with after this incident?
This is another area where the NCAA Soccer Rules and IFAB Laws of the Game are different. The Laws of the Game require that a player leaves the field before the substitute enters so there are never more than 11 players of record on the field at any time. The time associated with substituting may be considered when adding time at the end of a period (often referred to as injury time). The NCAA timing procedures are different in that there is no provision for adding time at the end of the period.
Should time be wasted, then the clock must be stopped at that point in time. To avoid time wasting (and frequent clock stoppages) during substitutions, as well as to maintain game flow, the NCAA has decided to allow substitutes to enter the field before the player comes off.
Since that is the case, there may be more than 11 players on the field (when the ball is not in play) during substitution situations. Any of those players may be cautioned or ejected as players during that short time. If either the incoming player (A12) or the exiting player (A6) is ejected the team will be required to play with one fewer field player.
Denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (Rule 12.5)
Where a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a deliberate handball offense the player is sent off wherever the offense occurs.
Where a player commits an offense against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offending player is cautioned and shown a yellow card unless: The offense is holding, pulling or pushing or The offending player does not attempt to play the ball or there is no possibility for the player making the challenge to play the ball or The offense is one which is punishable by a red card wherever it occurs on the field of play (e.g. serious foul play, violent conduct etc.) In all the above circumstances the player is shown a red card and ejected.
Kickoffs and restarts (Rule 8.2/13.2)
The ball may now be kicked in any direction (previously, it had to be kicked forward) on a kickoff. Additionally, the ball must now visibly move (previously, just had to be touched) to be put in play.
Restart position on offside (Rule 11.2)
The restart shall be with an indirect free kick taken from the initial place where the player was judged to have created an offside offense. Therefore, the restart is at the position when he either (1) participates in play (2) interferes with an opponent or (3) gains an advantage by being in that position.
This means that a restart may be in the player’s own half of the field if s/he was in an offside position (in the opponent’s half) then returned to his/her half of the field to receive the pass. The offside offense occurs when the player participates in play which may be in his/her own half of the field. The AR mechanics is to remain with the second to last defender, never moving past the half-way line and indicate the offside infraction when the offensive player touches the ball. It is the referee’s responsibility to indicate the correct position for the restart.
Additionally, if a player is an offside position and a teammate is onside, the AR should continue to “wait and see” aligning with the second to last defender, then the ball as it is player past the defenders. When the AR judges that the offside attacker plays the ball, the flag should be raised and the restart is where the attacker has been judged to be participating in play (not where the defenders where when the long ball was player). This means that the restart may be much closer to the defending team’s end line than in the past. For example, a defense is playing an offside trap at the halfway line. The opponents play a long ball to a player who was in an offside position and is not played by that player (who started in an offside position) until the penalty area requires a restart at the penalty area, not the halfway line.
