A few minutes before the end of the second half, Team A, which is leading by one goal, is awarded a throw-in. A Team A player slowly walks to the touchline, picks up the ball, and excessively delays taking the throw-in. What action does the referee take?

THE DECISION

The referee blows the whistle, signals with their hand/arm for the throw-in to be taken and counts down the five seconds with a raised hand. If the ball is not in play by the end of the five seconds, the referee awards the throw-in to the opposing team from the same position as the original throw-in. The offending player is not cautioned, unless they then excessively delay the taking of the throw-in by the opposing team.