The Soccer Drop Ball Rule

Referee Howard Webb about to drop the ball (photo © Patrick Telford, flickr.com)

A referee must sometimes stop play even when neither team has done anything wrong (such as a foul or misconduct). When this happens, the referee can restart the game with a dropped ball -- a way of restarting the game with no advantage to either team.

The official FIFA Laws of the Game define the drop ball (or dropped ball) rule as follows:

“If, while the ball is still in play, the referee is required to stop play temporarily for any reason not mentioned elsewhere in the Laws of the Game, the match is restarted with a dropped ball.”

When is a Drop Ball Awarded?

A referee can restart the game with a dropped ball following all kinds of unexpected situations, including:

• External interference: someone or something has entered the field during play (fans, parents, dogs, chickens, aliens -- just about anything, really!)

• Extra balls on the field of play

• A defective ball: if the ball suddenly explodes, the ref will restart with a dropped ball

• A player is seriously injured: if a player is injured -- and the opposing team is not to blame -- the referee may decide to stop the game. He will then restart with a dropped ball

• A spectator blows a whistle, confusing the players and disrupting play

• For any other reason not covered in the Laws of the Game (specifically, when a situation has occurred that is not covered by free kick rules)

What is the Drop Ball Procedure?

The referee must drop the ball from the position of the ball when play was stopped. If play was stopped inside the goal area, the ref will drop the ball on the goal area line (a dropped ball cannot take place inside the area).

The ref drops the ball (normally from about waist height) between two opposing players. The game officially restarts once the ball has touched the ground.

Neither player can touch the ball before it has made contact with the ground. If a player does touch it too soon, the ref will drop the ball again. If the ball leaves the field of play before a player has touched it (unlikely, but possible), the ball is dropped again.

Do you have any questions about the soccer drop ball rule? If you do, go ahead and ask in the comments section below... 

Read more about the Laws of the Game:

• The Advantage Rule
• The Back-Pass Rule
• What is Stoppage Time?