• at the discretion of the referee, offences not covered under the Fouls and Conduct section (Law 12) of the Laws of the Game, for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player.
What does it mean when the referee holds his arms straight out?
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.
Quickies
Did you know …
that before 1878 and the advent of whistles on the playing match, umpires communicated signals to the players by waving a handkerchief, a stick, or by shouting?
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.
Why do games that are not tied at the end of regulation time often go longer?
One of the unique things about soccer is that during a match no one on or off the pitch knows exactly how long the match will go. That’s because the referee is the official timekeeper, and while regulations state that a match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each, with a mandatory break at halftime, they also state that the referee has discretion to add also state that the referee has discretion to add time to the end of each half for any stoppage of play. While the rules for games like hockey, basketball, and American football include provisions for stopping the clock (such as after a goal, or for out of bounds), the clock for a soccer game never stops, except for the during the halftime break. The referee is under no obligation to tell anyone how much additional time will be added to each half. The clock runs out only when the referee says so.
Quickies
Did you know …
that if a soccer ball is properly inflated it should bounce waist-high when dropped straight down from head height onto firm ground?
Quickies …
Did you know …
that goalkeepers may not play the ball with their hands if receiving it directly from a throw-in?
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 pointing at the corner flag: indicating a corner kick.
• Flag held straight out in front of assistant referee after an offside call:
º Up at a 45-degree angle: indicating an offside on the far side of the field.
º Straight horizontally: indicating an offside in the middle of the field.
º Down at a 45-degree angle: indicating an offside on the near side of the field.
• Flag held straight up suspended between both hands: substitution in progress.
• Flag held horizontally across chest: calling for penalty kick.
• Flag held behind back while standing at corner flag: calling for penalty kick.
• Flag held up after a goal: assistant referee wishes to dispute the goal
Why does the referee point at the centre of the field and not the goal to indicate a goal?
The regulation restart method after either team scores a goal is a kickoff by the other team from the centre of the field. That is why the referee points at the centre of the field after a goal. The referee is not indicating a goal, but rather calling for a restart from the centre of the field.
Four Reasons Why the Referee Can Add Time to the Game Clock
According to the Laws of the Game, time can be added if:
• time is lost attending to injuries on the field;
• time is lost completing player substitutions;
• time is lost due to delays in putting the ball back into active play after it goes out; or
• any other cause for interruption to active play the referee deems sufficient.
Quickies …
Did you know …
that aside from during the regulation halftime beak, the Laws of the Game do not permit the referee to ever stop the clock once play has begun?
What is the penalty for faking an injury?
Not that this ever, ever happens (ahem!), but any simulating action that is intended to deceive the referee — anywhere on the field — must be sanctioned as unsporting behaviour. This includes Oscar-worthy performances for fake injuries. The penalty is not a golden statue, but a yellow card.
Quickies
Did you know …
that a ball rolling along outside the touchline remains in play as long as part of the ball is over the touchline?
When is a soccer player offside?
Provided that he is not in his own half of the field, a player is offside when he is not in possession of the ball and he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent (including the goalkeeper). If an offside infraction is called, the opponent is awarded an indirect free kick (IFK). There is no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly
