When a player is cautioned and the referee stops the clock, when is the time restarted?

The time is restarted when the ball is put back into play because this aligns with the Laws of the Game established by FIFA and adopted in youth soccer and high school competitions. When a referee stops the clock—often for a player being cautioned or after any stoppage—they do so to maintain accurate game time.

The game resumes only after play is appropriately restarted, which typically involves throwing in, kicking off, or restarting after a stoppage due to fouls or other reasons. This approach ensures the integrity and flow of the game, emphasizing that the clock should only run during active play.

In this context, options that involve subjective decision-making like permission from a coach or serving a penalty do not directly relate to the official procedure for restarting game time, as these actions depend on specific game scenarios and rules, further highlighting the necessity of the ball being in play as the clear trigger for resuming the match clock.