fourth official assists with administrative duties surrounding the match. Stationed pitch-side, he is responsible for assisting with substitution procedures during the match. He has the authority to check the equipment of substitutes before they enter the field of play. He supervises the replacement of game balls. He must indicate to the referee when the wrong player is cautioned because of mistaken identity or when a player is not sent off after having been shown two yellow cards or when violent conduct occurs out of the view of the referee and assistant referees. After the match, the fourth official must submit a report to the appropriate authorities on any misconduct or other incident that occurred out of the view of the referee and the assistant referees. He also has the authority to inform the referee of irresponsible behaviour by anyone in the technical area.
The Five Duties of the Assistant Referees (subject to the decision of the referee)
• Indicate when the whole of the ball has passed out of the field of play.
• Indicate which side is entitled to a corner kick, goal kick or throw-in.
• Indicate when a player may be penalized for being in an offside position.
• Indicate when a substitution is requested.
• Indicate when misconduct or any other incident has occurred out of the view of the referee.
Who was Ken Aston?
The red and yellow card system was invented by English referee Ken Aston, whose innovation was inspired one day in the late 1960s by the yellow “caution” and red “stop” lights in the streets of London. Aston sat on FIFA’s Referee’s Committee from 1970 to 1972. His card system was first used at the 1970 World Cup. Aston died on October 23, 2001 at the age of 86.
What does a yellow card mean?
The yellow card is a caution issued to a player by the referee. The yellow card may be shown to a player who is guilty of unsporting behaviour, shows dissent by word or action, persistently infringes the Laws of the Game, delays the restart of play, fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick or a free kick, enters or re-enters the field of play without the referee’s permission, or deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee’s permission. Any time a yellow or red card is shown, a “direct” or “indirect kick” will also be awarded.
What does a red card mean?
When a player is shown a red card it means ejection from the game. By the Laws of the Game, a player must be shown a red card for serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting at an opponent or any other person, deliberately handling the ball in an attempt to prevent an obvious scoring opportunity, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving toward the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick, and for using offensive, insulting, or abusive language. A player will also be shown a red card and ejected immediately after receiving a second yellow card caution in the same match.
What’s the difference between yellow and red card offenses?
Yellow card offenses generally cover acts that demonstrate poor sportsmanship and disrupt the game, but don’t directly affect the score or cause injury. For example, a player might receive a yellow card for a succession of “ordinary” fouls, despite a warning from the referee. This is called “persistent infringement.” Players will also be shown a yellow card for “unsporting behaviour,” which covers almost any action that shows disregard for fair play but is not extremely violent. Red card offenses are much more serious acts that go completely against the spirit of the game (called “serious foul play” in game parlance). This is behaviour that should never occur on a soccer field regardless of how a game is going.
Quickies
Did you know …
• the Laws of the Game state that a match may not start if either team consists of fewer than seven players, including the goalkeeper?
What does it mean when the referee holds his arms straight out?
Quickies
Did you know …
• if an assistant referee signals a goal that the referee did not see, and if for any reason play stops and is then restarted before the referee notices this signal, the goal can’t be awarded?
This is called “advantage” and it means that the referee has seen a foul but has decided not to call it yet because the fouled team is in an advantageous position and might possibly score. Advantage generally only lasts three to five seconds before the referee will blow his whistle and stop play.
What does it mean when the referee blows his whistle and points at a goal?
The referee has seen a foul and is awarding a direct free kick against the goal he is pointing to.
Why does the referee sometime hold his arm straight up in the air during a free kick?
When a free kick is awarded, according to the Laws of the Game the only signal a referee is required to give to distinguish a direct free kick from an indirect free kick is to raise his arm straight in the air. The raised arm signals that an indirect free kick has been awarded. On a direct free kick the kicker may score from the kick, but on an indirect free kick, the ball must touch a second player (on either team, including the goalkeeper) before going into the goal in order for the score to count. The referee will only lower his arm when the ball has touched that second player (or gone out of bounds). On an indirect free kick, the kicker may not touch the ball again until the referee’s arm comes down.
Quickies
Did you know …
• goalkeepers may not play the ball with their hands if receiving it directly from a throw-in?
How do players know when a penalty kick is awarded?
When a referee points directly at the 18-yard (16.5-metre) area, he is awarding a penalty kick. The referee will usually run to the penalty spot, stop beside it, and point straight down at it with his hand.
Assistant Referee Flag Signals Decoded
• Flag straight up: indicating to the referee to stop play because assistant referee needs to talk to referee. Can also mean offside or be a signal for the referee to look at the other linesman.
• Flag straight up with hand held over his chest badge: indicating to referee that a player needs to be shown a yellow or red card.
• Flag out sideways at 45 degrees horizontally along the touchline: indicating for a throw-in. The team attacking in the direction they are pointing takes the throw.
• Flag pointing at the goal: indicating a goal kick.
• Flag pointed at the corner flag: indicating a corner kick.
• Flag held straight out in front of assistant referee after an offside call:
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