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| Was it a "handball' or did the player "handle the ball"? Can the goalkeeper dribble the ball into the area and then pick it up? Can girls wear earrings when they play? |
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| This section contains the most frequently asked questions by new referees on the Laws of the Game. Questions will be updated on a regular basis |
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| If you don't see your question here, visit the Ask a Soccer Referee section or write to askareferee@ussoccer.org and your question will be answered via e-mail. |
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| If you need more clarification, contact your State Director of Referee Instruction (see here for e-mail contact information). |
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| Q. What do I do if I find too many players on the field for one team? |
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| A. If you have already stopped the game for some other reason, then you caution and show the yellow card to the extra player for entering the field of play without the referee's permission and remove him or her from the field. Restart for whatever reason the game was stopped. If you stopped the game to caution and remove the extra player, restart with an indirect free kick at the place where the ball was when you stopped play. |
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| You cannot choose the player to remove. Only the captain of that team can do that. You may allow the captain to ask the coach who should go. |
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| Q. How about if this "extra player" does something to a player on the field? |
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| A. The extra player is cautioned and shown the yellow card and must then be removed from the field. You restart the game with an indirect free kick at the place where the ball was when you stopped play. |
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| Q. What if the extra player was "fouled"? |
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| A. This is treated as misconduct by the player who did it. The extra player is cautioned and shown the yellow card and removed from the game. The player who "fouled" the extra player is given the appropriate punishment if the "foul" was either reckless (caution/yellow card for unsporting behavior) or involved the use of excessive force (send-off/red card for violent conduct). You restart the game with an indirect free kick for the team of the player who committed the misconduct at the place where the ball was when you stopped play. This is because the illegal entry by the "extra player" occurred first. |
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| Q. What happens when too many substitutes come on the field and I miss it, but I catch the extra player later on? |
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| A. See Question 1 of this series. After you have cautioned and removed the extra substitute, that substitute may then be used again as a substitute for a player leaving the game. |
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| Q. In my league they said we can have substitution only on the your own throw-in and own goal kick. Is this ok? |
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| A. Yes-it's ok if that is what the league you are reffing in says the rules are. |
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| Q. Why is it different than the regular rules I learned about in referee class? |
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| A. This is one of the things is sometimes modified, or made different, for youth games. |
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| Q. What happens if a sub comes on the field before the other player has left the field? |
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| A. You would tell them that the next time they need to wait until you tell them to come on and then remind the coach of that. We do this so we don't have too many players on the field at one time. That makes it easier to keep track of who is supposed to be on the field and who is leaving. |
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| Q. In my last game a goalie changed places with a regular player-they changed shirts and everything. Is this ok? |
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| A. Yes provided they let you, the referee, know. The goalie should get his own shirt or have it on underneath and not use another player's number. |
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| Q. Girls are always asking if they can wear beads or earrings? May they? |
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| A. No, because this could be dangerous to them or another player. And that goes for boys, too. |
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| Q. How about players with medical problems? |
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| A. Players may wear medicalert necklaces or bracelets, but they must be taped down. That will make them less dangerous to others. |
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| Q. How about religious items? |
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| A. Players may also wear certain religious items that are not dangerous and not likely to provide the player with an unfair advantage. However, simply because an item looks religious in nature, such as an earring in the shape of a cross, does not put the item into the religious jewelry category. What a referee must consider is whether the player's religion requires that the item be worn. If that is the case, then a referee should allow it to be worn; however, the referee must ensure that it is safe and is not dangerous to any of the players on the field. Sometimes religious or medical alert jewelry can be made safe by taping it. Remember, earrings are not religious or medical in nature. |
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| Q. How about shinguards? I see players coming out wearing really tiny pads. |
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| A. The first and only standard available to referees is that in Law 5 it says that the referee must ensure player safety. The position paper put out by US Soccer says that shinguards must be entirely covered by stockings, must be made of a suitable material and must provide a reasonable degree of protection. In most cases these criteria are met by the shinguards that are purchased in sporting goods stores. The referee makes the final decision if all of the criteria have been met. |
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| Q. My league says I can show cards to coaches, but that is not what I learned in referee class. What's the deal? |
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| A. This is certainly not allowed in games played according to the Laws of the Game, but many recreational leagues have adopted such a rule, just as they have rules allowing "cool down" periods or sleeveless jerseys. If your league allows it, then you must do it. If you feel uncomfortable doing it, then do not accept the game from this league. |
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| Q. I made a mistake on a red card; may I change my mind? |
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| A. No. If you have not yet restarted play after you have made a decision, you can change it, but once play starts again, you cannot go back and change a decision. |
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| Q. What do I do if I have already restarted the game when I realize I sent off the wrong player? |
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| A. Apologize to the player and explain to the coach that you cannot change it now, but will put everything in your game report. And then do it. We do not want to hurt players or their teams. |
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| Q. They taught us in class that a player who was shown the red card could not be replaced, but I cannot find it in the book. How do I know that is correct? |
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| A. The phrase "A player who has been ordered off after play has started may not be replaced" was taken out of the Laws back in 1997, but it is still valid. The player or substitute who has been sent off may not be replaced. |
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| Q. May the assistant referee (AR) caution or send off players or substitutes? |
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| A. No, not under any circumstances. If there is a problem that must be dealt with and the referee did or could not see it, the AR should notify the referee. To do that the AR follows the instructions on pages 16 and 17 of the Guide to Procedures for Referees and Assistant Referees, which can be downloaded from this URL: http://www.ussoccer.com/referees/content.sps?iType=4169&icustompageid=6691 |
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| Q. As the referee can I change the length of a game? |
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| A. Law 7 requires that a game have two equal halves. The referee can add time to the match to make up for time lost through stoppages of play. The referee cannot shorten any periods of a match unless the rules of that particular competition say that they can. |
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| Q. The goalie wanted to go for a dropped ball. Is that allowed? |
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| A. Yes, it is. |
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| Q. I watched an adult game the other day and the goalkeeper threw the ball very hard from his penalty area. There was a lot of wind and the wind took the ball and pushed it into the other team's goal. Is that a legal goal? |
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| A. Yes, it is. As long as the goalkeeper has played the ball legally, he or she may score a goal. |
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| Q. An attacking player, bringing the ball up the field, attempts to pass the ball to his teammate, B. Player B is in an offside position. However, before the pass reaches player B, the ball deflects off a defender. The deflection ends up going directly to player B, who was in an offside position at the time of the intended pass. Is the play stopped and offside penalty assessed? |
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| A. Offside. The deflection by the opponent does not change the fact that the player in the offside position gained an advantage from his position and was therefore actively involved in play. |
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| Q. Where do I restart for offside? |
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| A. Ask your assistant referee, if there is one, to help you find the approximate place where the offside player was when the teammate played the ball. Anywhere within a couple of yards is usually fine. |
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| Q. I was the AR on a recent U17B game. After the game ended, but before he left the field, a player on the visiting team made a lewd gesture to the fans. This was observed by the AR on that side of the field, who reported it to the center referee. The ref wrote the details on his report. Some refs believe that he should have given the player a red card. Can you actually give a red card after a game is over and the players have left the field? |
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| A. Yes, if the referee is still in the vicinity of the field, he or she may show cards after the game is over. The referee you worked with did just the right thing by putting the details in the match report. And the player should be told that this will happen, so that there are no surprises later. |
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| Q. A goalkeeper runs to the edge of the penalty box to kick the ball. When is a goalkeeper kick considered a hand ball? Is it where the ball is located when in contact with the hand or foot, where the player ends up after the kick or some other consideration? If the penalty relies on the position of the ball, does the ball have to be completely out of the box or in the box? |
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| A. If the goalkeeper's hand and the ball are together, outside the penalty area line, then the goalkeeper has deliberately handled the ball outside the penalty area. Deliberately handling the ball outside the penalty area is an infringement by the goalkeeper that would normally be punished by a direct free kick. However, if the ball is only just over the line when kicked and the goalkeeper is clearly trying to distribute the ball for others to play, this is probably a trivial infringement, one that could be dealt with verbally-"watch your line, 'keeper"-at least on the first occasion. |
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| Q. I overheard a referee speaking with another referee about a recent FIFA rule change allowing an opponent to head a ball being held by the goal keeper. Has there been such a rule change? |
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| A. No, the opposing player may not play the ball from the open palm of the goalkeeper. |
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| Q. If a player deliberately kicks the ball to his goalie, who is outside the penalty area, may the goalie dribble the ball back into the penalty area and pick it up with the hands? |
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| A. No, because the goalkeeper cannot use the hands to play a ball last kicked by a teammate. |
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| Q2. Is there any exception to this? |
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| A. Yes, if the ball bounces off an opponent on the way to the 'keeper, the 'keeper may dribble it into the penalty area and pick it up. |
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| Q3. How about if the ball is kicked to the 'keeper by a member of the other team? |
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| A. Then it is fine for the goalkeeper to pick it up, but only inside the penalty area. |
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| Q. What is the difference between a direct free kick and an indirect free kick? |
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| A. A goal may be scored directly from a direct free kick. On an indirect free kick, any other player has to play or touch the ball before a goal may be scored. |
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| Q. A player kicked an indirect free kick straight into her own goal from inside her penalty area. The referee told her to retake the kick. Was that right? |
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| A. Yes, it was correct. The free kick has to leave the penalty area to be in play. |
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| Q. What about if the kick was taken from outside the penalty area and it went directly into the team's own goal? |
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| A. The other team would get a corner kick. |
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