Don Clark Memorial Quiz Answers

January 2012

1) A keeper races out and knocks the ball out of play for a throw. He then quickly picks the ball up and carries it with him as he runs back into his penalty area before releasing it to the opposition. Do you intervene?

Show him a yellow card for delaying the restart. You are not there to help him defend his goal – if he comes out of his area to clear the ball, there is no reason for you to hold up play, or allow him to, while he retreats. 

2) A defender sends a back – pass shirt and a striker races on to it. The keeper dives and gets both hands to the ball. The striker wants the keeper sent off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity – but the keeper says it’s just an indirect free kick. What do you award?

It's an indirect free-kick for the handling of a deliberate back-pass. It's not a red‑card offence because a keeper is allowed to handle the ball in his own area: his only offence is handling the back-pass.

3) A striker staggers his penalty run up to try to fool the goalkeeper into diving early – but the keeper doesn’t even flinch. So the taker has a re think, stops, and walks back to start his run again. Do you let him?

No. It's clearly unsporting behaviour: show him a yellow card, making it very clear that a penalty run-up needs to be one uninterrupted movement. Restart with the original penalty kick.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/series/you-are-the-ref