There are numerous misconceptions about the laws of the game and it is only fair to point these out here.
1) “If you raise your hands, you’re going to get sent off”
This is simply not a rule. If you ‘raise your hand’ and punch someone it is going to be considered violent conduct and you will be sent off. If you ‘raise your hand’ to appeal for offside you have not committed an offense and no action will be taken. It may sound petty but the fact is, no-one is sent off for raising their hands; they are sent off for violent conduct. The upshot being that if you push someone or put your hand on their face it may not necessarily be a red card although many commentators will say it should be, repeating the above phrase. The determining factor is whether the referee considers the conduct to be violent.
2) “daylight”
This was possibly once part of an FA directive for one season in England only. A player was only to be considered offside if there was ‘daylight’ between himself and the last (well, actually second last normally including the keeper) defender. It was, at best, a way of helping the linesman make a decision especially in mind of the view that the benefit of any doubt should go to the attacking team. In truth, the rule is that a player can be offside with any part of their body with which they can deliberately play the ball i.e. anything except their arm. The offside rule in one sentence: “The furthest forward part of a player’s body with which he can deliberately play the ball cannot be closer to the opponent’s goal line than the furthest forward part of the body of the second closest opponent with which he can play the ball at the moment that the ball is played by another teammate if the player is the next player to make significant contact with the ball.” And that doesn’t include the ‘different phases of play’ interpretation. And people say it’s difficult to understand.
3) Offensive language
A player is cautioned for exactly this: language which the referee deems to be offensive to someone. This means that if a player mutters swear words under his breath or at no person in particular, the referee may decide that no-one has been offended and take no action. If that referee does find that offensive or thinks that a player or fan was offended, he is free to caution the player. Clearly, this rule is subject to a large amount of discretion. But it is not necessarily a cautionable offense to swear. It is a cautionable offense to offend someone with language. Strangely, I am offended when people say they like the TV show The X-Factor but I doubt you’d get booked for that.
4) Passbacks
A goalkeeper may not handle a ball deliberately passed back to him by a teammate with their leg. It would appear that a player may get down on his knees and head the ball back or flick the ball up and header it back and the keeper can pick it up. But actually there is rule that a player may not take action which by design deceives the purpose of a rule. So flicking the ball up to head it back is considered to be an action which is deliberately deceiving the purpose of the passback rule. There are other circumstances when this rule comes into play.
5) The ‘whole’ ball has to cross the line.
There can be some dispute as to what counts as the whole ball. When a ball is in contact with the floor some of the ball can be directly above the line and hence not out of play but the portion of the ball in contact with the floor may have fully crossed the line. This ball is not out of play. To clarify, the whole ball means that, when viewed from directly above, the extreme point of the ball has to be completely over the line.
6) Added time
When the 4th official holds up the board displaying the added time, this is the minimum number of whole minutes to be played. If the referee has three and a half minutes left on his watch he will indicate a minimum of three added minutes and play until the time is up on his watch. Additional stoppages within this time will extend the game.
7) Another offside complication
If a defending player is down injured and not interfering with play he may still play an opponent onside, even if he rolls off the pitch. A player is not technically allowed to deliberately leave the field of play without the permission of the referee. Doing so should result in a yellow card.
8) Penalties
Following any encroachment, a penalty is retaken except if the encroachment is only by the team who is unsuccessful i.e. except if the attacking team encroach and it is missed (free kick to the defending team) or the defending team encroach and it is scored (goal stands). Also, if the ball hits the frame of the goal the taker must wait for another player to touch it before he can. And finally feinting is only an infringement if the taker has completed his run-up.
9) If the ball goes in off the referee it counts. Deal with it.
10) If a throw-in goes directly into the goal...
It is treated like a kicked ball which went over or wide i.e. an ‘own goal’ throw in results in a corner and an attacking throw in going in results in a goal kick.
