I regularly receive phone calls asking my opinion on certain aspects of the laws of the game. My proud boast is that I have better records regarding law changes over the years than the Football Association itself
A couple of weeks ago I had a phone call from the office of Reading Football Club. I must make it clear that this was not from the management or coaching department, just in case anyone thinks that in view of their recent run of results they were looking for some help.
In the club office, no doubt after watching London Irish play at the Madejski Stadium, they were discussing the very prevalent tactic in rugby, where at line-outs, one player is lifted high to catch the ball by one or more of his team mates.
What they were wondering was, could this also be used in football? I think that they were envisaging a high corner being floated over by Darren Caskey, and Barry Hunter, one of the tallest players at the club, lifting little Sammy Igoe high above his head and everyone else's, to nod the ball down into the top corner of the net.
Sadly I had to tell them that under the laws of the game, this action would be inadmissible. In fact it would result in a caution for unsporting behaviour. You might think that they could have looked this up in the office copy of the laws of the game, LOAF as it is known to referees (Laws Of Association Football). However, they wouldn't have found it mentioned anywhere, so it is a very legitimate question.
Until a few years ago, a ruling on this type of behaviour did appear in the laws, but no longer. It has since been transferred to a second book entitled 'Advice on the Application of the Laws of the Game'.
This other book also has many other rulings and interpretations on the laws which used to be contained in LOAF. It may amaze people to know, that whereas referees can purchase a copy of LOAF which is published every year following the changes to the laws, they cannot obtain a copy of the 'Advice on the Application of the Laws of the Game'.
This booklet is given to new referees when they qualify and to referee instructors like myself. Apart from that, no one else ever receives a copy. So one of the problems referees face, is that when a ruling is removed from
LOAF without explanation, they are never sure whether the ruling still applies. They don't know whether is has been superseded or merely transferred into the second book, which of course they never see.
A classic situation arose last season when we had two non-league managers as guest speakers at the Reading Referees' monthly meeting. One of them asked why referees allow players to obstruct opponents, preventing them getting to a ball which is going out of play. The answer given was that players are permitted to impede, providing they remain within playing distance of the ball.
This used to be spelt out clearly in LOAF but no longer. It was transferred some years ago to the second book. If you now look at the law it simply says 'An indirect free kick is awarded if a player impedes the progress of an opponent'. Managers and coaches are entitled to be baffled as of course they have never seen this second book.
LOAF is often referred to as the referee's bible, but it now seems that we have an old and a new testament, one of which most referees can't consult. In the refereeing world, we have been campaigning for some time for the interpretations in the advice booklet to be returned to LOAF. Alternatively we feel that both books should be made available to everyone.
Dick Sawdon Smith