What is the restart if the ball is out of play and the referee determines it should have been in play?

When the ball is out of play and the referee determines that it should have been in play, the appropriate restart is a dropped ball. This situation typically arises if the ball goes out of play due to a stoppage for an injury or if the referee stops the game for any reason that didn't involve a foul or a violation of the Laws of the Game. A dropped ball procedure allows the game to resume fairly, as it provides both teams with an opportunity to contest possession in the vicinity where the ball became inactive.

The concept behind the dropped ball is to restore fairness, especially when the stoppage was not caused by a foul by either team. The referee drops the ball at the location where it was when play was stopped, and it must be touched by one player from each team before it can be played again. This ensures that neither team is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged when play resumes.