Laws of Soccer: 2006 Edition Quiz / Test | Laws of the Game

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Except for "deliberately handling the ball", a penal foul (punished by a direct free kick) must necessarily involve contact with an opponent (the opponent's equipment, such as his jersey, is included in the meaning of "contact").

Answer: No

There are ten penal fouls which are punishable by a direct free kick, and three of them don't require you actually contact your opponent. A player can be penalized for attempting to either "trip, kick, or strike an opponent" (Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct) and even if the dexterity of the player being fouled causes the attempt to miss, the referee can still award a free kick, if that attempt causes harm in some way (for example, the player with the ball loses tempo as a result of the attempt to trip, strike, or kick, which causes the player to lose possession of the ball).

The other seven penal fouls, however, must successfully take place for a foul to be called.

2. A direct free kick has been awarded to the defense on their own penalty mark (Note: this is not a penalty kick). An opponent is standing inside the penalty arc, just outside the penalty area, when the kick is taken. The ball comes outside the penalty area, deflects off this opponent, and into the defending goal. Assuming the field is properly marked, what is the proper restart of play?

Answer: The free kick is retaken, at the penalty mark

The words "the field is properly marked" are quite the clue if you know what the penalty arc is there to do. Because the kick is being taken at the penalty mark, the penalty arc on a properly marked field demarcates ten yards from the ball (Law 1 - The Field of Play) which is the required distance that all opponents must be during a free kick (Law 13 - Free Kicks). Because the opponent is obviously infringing the required distance, the correct restart is for the kick to be retaken.

3. An attacking player, who is in his opponent's half of the pitch, is in an offside position when, at that moment, his teammate, who is in his own half of the pitch, plays a lateral (or "square") pass across the pitch. The first attacking player runs back into his own half of the pitch, and there he receives the pass. Is this an offside offense?

Answer: Yes

You may have considered the saying "You can't be offside in your own half of the pitch," when you answered this question, but that saying is only partly true. What's true is that you cannot be in an offside POSITION in your own half of the pitch, and the difference is subtle but crucial here. For an offside offense to occur, two things must happen: 1.

A player must be in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a teammate, and 2. He must become involved in active play (Law 11 - Offside). For this question, playing the ball is sufficient for "active play" to have taken place, though there are in fact three ways in which active play is defined. So ask yourself, was the player in an offside position when the ball was played by his teammate? Yes, he was behind the second to last defender, ahead of the ball and in the opponent's half of the pitch. Did he become involved in active play? Yes: and where that occurs is irrelevant. So the flag goes up for offside. (Also, the direction in which the ball is played is irrelevant and the idea that it must be played in a forward direction for an offside offense to occur is a myth perpetuated by the fact that being ahead of the ball is necessary to being in an offside position. Most players receiving a forward pass just happen to be ahead of the ball and rarely does a player ahead of the ball run backwards to receive a pass in attacking play -- very counterproductive, one would think.)

4. A dropped ball is to be taken outside the defending team's goal. The referee, in what will be the blunder of his career and comical fodder for news tabloids for weeks to come, drops the ball on his own toe, which then takes a bounce on the ground, before meandering into the goal of the defense. What is the proper restart of play?

Answer: The dropped ball is retaken from the same spot

The key to this answer is in Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play. In this situation, the requirements for a dropped ball to have legally re-entered play are almost met; all except one, thankfully. Law 8 states that the dropped ball must be retaken "if the ball leaves the field of play after it makes contact with the ground, without a player touching it" (Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play).

The referee is not a player, and so justice is done: the referee can, once he's done blushing, drop the ball again.

5. The defending team has been awarded a throw-in in their own half of the pitch. The player taking the throw decides to throw the ball back to his own goalkeeper, and on its way to the keeper, takes an unfortunate bounce and is headed towards an open goal. The keeper dives at the ball and punches it (outside the goal area, but inside the penalty area) but to no avail: the ball enters the defender's goal anyway. Also, the assistant referee has his flag up, indicating the throw-in was illegally taken. What is the correct restart?

Answer: Throw-in for the attacking team

Thankfully, this whole situation is simplified considerably by the fact that the throw was taken illegally, and by understanding a finer point in what is called the "advantage clause". That point is this: the advantage clause only applies to infringements of Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct.

The initial offense here is the throw-in which is taken illegally, and despite the fact that a goal results for the other team because of it, that goal cannot awarded by virtue of the advantage clause: this is because Law 15 - The Throw-in, is being violated here, not Law 12.

Therefore, the only possible restart is for the throw-in to be retaken by the attacking team. And what if the throw was taken legally, you ask? Well, the offense committed by the goalkeeper, namely "[touching] the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate" (Law 12) is subject to the advantage clause, and the goal would be awarded.

The goalkeeper would not be cautioned for attempting to stop a goal by illegal contact of the ball with his hands, however, since a goal cannot be scored from a throw-in without having first touched another player (Law 15).

In fact, his handling of the ball allowed the goal to be scored. And if the keeper had missed the ball completely? Again, that goal cannot be scored, and the ball would be over the goal line for a corner kick. And in the case where the goalkeeper punches the ball and successfully keeps the ball from entering the goal, an indirect free kick is awarded to the attacking team from where that offense occurred. Again, no goal has been prevented by this handling, so no card is necessary.

6. An attacking player in possession of the ball is moving quickly towards his opponent's goal, being chased down by only one defender. This defender, in realizing he is about to be passed, puts out a leg in an attempt to trip the attacker (the ball is obviously not within playing distance). The attacker simultaneously falls to the ground, and play is stopped on account of this. However, the assistant referee closest to the play indicates that he saw no actual contact between the attacker and the pursuing defender; he claims the attacker is guilty of simulation (diving). What is the proper course of action for the referee?

Answer: Dropped ball; cautions (yellow card) for both players

First off, let it be said that when an assistant referee is witness to crucial information that affects the referee's decision, his opinion can be considered by the referee and the restart adjusted accordingly. The assistant referee is not there just to call offside and the ball in and out of play (Law 6 - The Assistant Referees).

The referee does, however, retain full and final authority concerning all decisions related to the game. (Law 5 - The Referee). Let's dissect this situation piecewise, first by determining what each player is guilty of, and how this affects the restart: The attacker is guilty of simulation, the restart for which is an indirect free kick (it falls under "committing any other offense, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player"). Simulation is considered a form of "Unsporting Behavior", which is a cautioning offense. You may be thinking that, because the defender did not make contact with the opponent, he cannot be penalized for a foul.

But this is not true: his attempt at tripping his opponent is as much a foul as if he had actually succeeded in doing it. The restart for this is a direct free kick, and because the foul is committed for blatantly tactical reasons (the ball was determined to be out of playing distance) this is also "Unsporting Behavior", which warrants a caution. He is not sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, because this foul is not what ruined the opportunity; the attacker's dive is responsible. This answers the question of what discipline needs to be administered, and leaves only two possible choices. What is the restart, then? The Q&A Section of the Laws of the Game under Law 5 - The Referee, states that, when two offenses are committed simultaneously by two opposing players, the restart is a dropped ball, from where it was when the offenses were committed (Q&A 5.14).

7. Play is occurring in the defender's penalty area. A defender is knocked to the ground inside the penalty area (not as a result of illegal contact) and places two hands on the ground to brace himself for the fall. After the defender falls to the ground, an attacker in possession of the ball deliberately kicks the ball into the hand of the fallen defender, and the ball deflects off this hand and back to the feet of the attacker. What is the proper course of action for the referee?

Answer: Indirect free kick for the defense; caution (yellow card) for the attacking player

First off, it has to be said that what the LOTG consider a "handball" is not what most people consider it to be. In the Laws it is defined as "deliberately handling the ball (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)" (Law 12). So you must ask, is the defender's handling of the ball deliberate? No, and how can it be? Him placing his hands on the ground in anticipation of hitting the ground is involuntary, and besides that, the ball was kicked into his hand after he placed them there: this eliminates the penalty kick as an option, since the defender has not committed a foul. Now, can there be any punishment for the attacker? Sure there can. What he has done is an obscure form of simulation: by deliberately kicking the ball into the opponent's hand, he is trying to deceive the referee into believing a foul has occurred, namely, deliberate handling of the ball by the defender. Because simulation is a cautioning offense, the referee may stop play to administer this caution, and the restart is an indirect free kick for the defense.

8. Play is happening in the attacking end of the field. An attacker is standing in an onside position level with the second to last opponent (the goalkeeper in this instance) waiting for an attacking opportunity. As the ball is about to be passed to him, the last defender, as a part of normal play, leaves the field of play over his own goal line, and not even a second later, the ball is played forward to the attacker by his teammate, who is now standing beside the last opponent (still the goalkeeper) on the field of play. The attacker receives the ball and puts it into the goal. Is this a properly scored goal?

Answer: Yes

This situation is covered in the Q&A Section of the LOTG, and in fact answers this question directly (Q&A 11.3). The fact that the last defender left the field of play does not put the attacker in an offside position. For the purposes of determining offside position, the defender is considered to be standing on the goal line where he left the field of play.

Therefore, the attacker was ALWAYS level with the second to last opponent, and is not guilty of an offside offense: Hence, the goal is properly scored. If the defender deliberately left the field of play in order to abuse such a loophole (which is in fact closed) he would be cautioned for unsporting behavior (or deliberately leaving the field of play without the permission of the referee -- choose your poison!)

9. Play is happening in the attacking end of the field. As an attacker is about to take a shot on goal with no defense in his way (including the goalkeeper) a substitute of the defending team, who is standing off the field of play, throws an object at the attacker before he can take his shot at goal. The attacker is knocked down and play is stopped. After sending off the substitute for violent conduct, what is the proper restart?

Answer: Indirect free kick for the attacking team, from where the ball was when play was stopped

The penalty kick restart can only take place if the offense committed is a foul, and for a foul to have taken place it must be committed by a "player", which, under Law 3 - The Number of Players, is strictly different from a "substitute" or a "substituted player". So sadly, a penalty kick cannot be awarded due to the fact that the perpetrator is a substitute. So are we forced to rule this as "outside interference" and do a dropped ball, giving the opponents the opportunity to stand in front of the ball when they were once caught flat on their feet and yards behind by the attackers? No, and here's why: When any object is picked up by a player, substitute or substituted player, that object is considered an extension of their hand, as illustrated in a specific scenario detailed in the LOTG Q&A Section (Q&A 12.4). So, for example, a player that takes off their own boot and throws it at the ball as it is about to enter their own goal is guilty of deliberately handling the ball, and also for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, which will earn them a red card.

The same applies here; by throwing the object onto the field, the substitute has extended their arm onto the field of play, thus entering the field without the referee's permission and not in accordance with the proper substitution procedure in Law 3 - The Number of Players. This infringement we may punish by "an indirect free kick at the place the ball was located when play was stopped". At least now the attackers have some space to work with, I suppose.

10. A corner kick is being taken by the attacking team (redundant, I guess). The ball is kicked into play and gets lost in a sea of players. At this time, an attacker, whose back is to the play and to the ball, is given a two-handed push by a defender and falls to the ground backwards. He puts his hands down to brace for the impact, when the ball finds a way out of the sea of players towards the falling attacker. Still unable to see the ball, the motionless arm of the attacker deflects the ball into the goal. The defender who pushed the attacker is sent off for serious foul play. What is the restart of play?

Answer: Kick-off for the defense (i.e. a goal is awarded to the attacking team)

Remember that for a "handball" to be a foul (and hence play stopped for a free kick) that it must be "deliberate" as stated by the LOTG. If you find yourself a dictionary and look up the word "deliberate" you 'll see words along the lines of "premeditated", "think about", "plan", etc. Now, read the situation carefully: the attacker, before being pushed, cannot see the ball, and is unaware of its location in the mass of bodies surrounding it.

He cannot see it prior it being pushed: his back is to the play.

His putting his hands down is a proven involuntary reaction to falling to the ground. As the ball is headed towards his hand, he is still incapable of knowing where it is, as he cannot still see it, plus his hands are in a position to deflect the ball only because of his involuntary reaction, which is a result of the foul being committed against him by the defender. So, throughout this situation, the attacker is completely unaware of the position of the ball, and how do you deliberately handle a ball when you don't know where it is? Answer: you can't.

Therefore strictly speaking, there is no foul being committed by the attacking player. Hence the advantage clause is applied (pushing an opponent is an offense under Law 12) and the goal awarded. And no, there are no exceptions such as "If the player whose hand touches ball gains advantage, you have to give a free kick anyway no matter how accidental it is." Non-deliberate handling of the ball is a non-foul. Period. Mind you, if the attacker had seen where the ball was headed before being pushed, and was looking at the ball as he hit the ground and extended his arm, this would have to be viewed as deliberate. The restart would be the dropped ball. (Also, although that long spiel about where the dropped ball would take place if that were the right answer looks like a decoy, that is in fact where the ball would have to be dropped, as per Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play.)

Source: Author crazychessman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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Laws of Soccer: 2006 Edition Trivia Quiz

This is a quiz about the rules of soccer, based on FIFA's Laws of the Game 2006. It will focus more on how to apply them to certain situations rather than simply reciting what the laws are.

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