Stephen Smith is a senior county referee officiating from grassroots up to semi-professional level. He also operated as a linesman for Premier League reserves and FA Vase games. By day he is a university administrator. He also writes a blog for Weekend Wonders on the life of a referee.

How can a player legally thwart a Delap throw-in?
Ray Neath, via e-mail
There’s not a lot anyone can do. Rory Delap’s throws are perfectly legal and the only legal response I can think of is to try to put him off.
We occasionally used to see a player penalised for jumping right in front of an opponent taking a throw-in, but now the law has changed and opponents have to be at least two yards from the throw-in taker.
That’s in order to give him room to take it, but it means that opponents can now jump to try to stop the ball or distract the taker as long as he’s at least two yards away.

I doubt that this would distract Delap, so it might be worth keeping that extra player in the box.


"Deano! Look, there's a burger van over there!"

Can a player legally check his run when taking a penalty?
Chris McDonald, via e-mail
The law says a player can “feint” in order to “confuse opponents”. However the law is very vague about what that means, saying “If, in the opinion of the referee, the feinting is considered an act of unsporting behaviour, the player must be cautioned [booked]”.

So trying to confuse the goalkeeper isn’t considered unsporting, but I can’t think how the penalty-taker could feint his run-up in an unsporting way.

If a player faints (rather than feints) in order to confuse the goalkeeper, he gets an Oscar, not a booking.


The Portuguese Winker slots the ball past Wigan's Chris Kirkland

What is a keeper legally allowed to do when facing a penalty before the ball is kicked?
James Evans, via e-mail
At the moment the ball is kicked the keeper must be on the goal line, between the goal posts and facing the kicker.

Until then he can technically do what he wants but the referee will want to see the keeper in place when the taker starts his run-up, otherwise it could be off-putting to the taker and it gives the referee something else to have to look out for.

Before and during the run-up the keeper can move along his line, and I don’t see why he can’t wave his arms around.

After all, if the taker can feint his run-up in order to confuse the keeper, it’s fair that the keeper has the chance to confuse the taker.

The referee’s opinion regarding unsporting behaviour comes into play again, as in any situation during a game, so making funny noises, for example, may be a step too far.


A rare moment caught on camera: An Alex Manninger penalty save

Can you please explain the rule of treating a player when he's injured? It seems like they get treated on the pitch then taken off the pitch when they're ok, just for them to wait to be able to come back on - appears to defeat the object of speeding the game up. Makes no sense to me.
Charlie Campbell, via e-mail
It makes no sense to me either. I was at a Premiership game recently where a player was stood up at the side of the six-yard box and about four yards from the goal line.

The referee called the physio over, who treated the player’s leg as he remained standing, then the pair walked off the pitch and walked immediately to the touchline, then without further treatment the player ran back on the field without the referee’s permission.

That’s unacceptable and is upsetting for lower-league referees to see, because we know that allowing this in our games would result in a very poor mark from an assessor and seriously jeopardise the chance of being promoted to a higher league at the end of the season.

The referee should only stop the game because of an injury if he feels it’s serious, in which case he’ll call the physio on straight away.

If the game isn’t stopped, the physio should only be called on when the referee has been convinced by the player that the injury is serious.

Even then, the player shouldn’t be treated but the physio should “assess the injury and arrange the player’s safe and swift removal from the field of play”.

In fact, the law states that “a player is not allowed to receive treatment on the field of play”.

It seems to me that the idea of allowing players to be treated on the pitch then making them walk off only exists because the law says that an injured player must be removed.

The fact that he should be removed before receiving treatment (not after) has been overlooked.

The law is clear that treatment can only be given on the pitch when a goalkeeper is injured, when a goalkeeper and an outfield player have collided and both need attention, and when “a severe injury has occurred, eg. swallowed tongue, concussion, broken leg”.

In reality, what tends to happen at lower levels is for referees to allow treatment on the pitch if it seems to be serious.

After all, referees are there to oversee fair play and not to assess the severity of injuries.

It may be the possibility of litigation from top clubs that causes top referees (presumably with the FA’s support) to allow treatment on the pitch.


"Don't worry we'll have a day of pampering tomorrow and you can get your nails done!"