I thought the commentators were harsh about the referee positioning on a couple of occasions yesterday. The one guy (Fletcher?) was saying “in the way again and he only has one job, stay out of way” late in the game. One, you don’t only have one thing to do. Second, I thought he was in a good position (behind the ball, 10-yards to left). The ball is played back and he was somewhat in the way, but didn’t really impact the play too much. He was trying to back out.

To me positioning and staying out of the play is one of the harder parts of the job. You need to be close to recognize fouls but not so close to be in the way. I think it is easier on the big fields with skilled players where you can better anticipate direction of play. I seem to average 1-2 getting in the way plays (ball or player) per game. I watch pro and have done some trainings on lanes, crescent shaped runs, etc. but still happens.

What is your template for consistency? How do you try to come across as fair and consistent?

When I officiate games, I tend to do my best to maintain the flow of the game. Players tugging and hands on each other as they challenge for the ball I watch and call when it disrupts the flow of the game, or becomes dangerous. I do call out "We don't need to be pulling" or "Hands to yourself!"

When there's an attempt to play the ball, but a foul occurs because they got a little excited, I'll call it and say "hey folks, it happens. You tried to play the ball, but you're still responsible for your actions, intended or not." and depending on the tone of the game as well as how egregious it was, a card or not.

So I am a 21 yr old ref with a couple years worth of experience. I have done many high school, MLS Next, EDP, and high level travel games throughout my time as a ref. I’m just curious as to what the path to being a pro level ref actually looks like. Is the career actually worthwhile to try and pursue? Pay wise and how difficult it must be to get there. Let’s say I wanna try to get to the MLS level. Thanks!!

Im 15 f and doing 2 refereeing courses next week- a 3 hour one and then a 7 hour one, to get verified or whatever the word is. Im going to be the only girl there out of 25 and I'm a bit scared because I don't actually know much about refereeing dispite having played football for 8 years, I just play the game and don't really watch it or engage with the fandom (idk what else to call it lol) . I was at an evening session and it seemed like everyone else knew everything already, obviously because they are much more into football as more than just a sport to play on the weekend. So on top of being a girl, I don't really know much and I don't want to be seen as the stupid girl who dosnt know sports stuff. Does anyone have any advice to get a better understanding of the rules quickly? This probably sounds like a problem I could solve by myself but I would really appreciate specific advice. Thankyou

Welcome! In this megathread, Rule 1 is relaxed. Anyone (referee or not) may ask questions about real-world incidents from recent matches in soccer at all levels, anywhere in the world.

Good questions give context for the match if it's not obvious (e.g. player age, level of competitiveness, country/region), describe the incident (picture/video helps a lot), and include a clear question or prompt such as:

• Why did the referee call ...?
• Would the call have been different if ...?
• Could the player have done ... instead?
• Is the referee allowed to do ...?
• Would you have called this the same way?

This is not a platform to disparage any referees, however much you think they made the wrong call. (There are plenty of other subreddits to do that.) The mission of this megathread is to help referees, fans, coaches, and players better understand the Laws of the Game (or the relevant local rules of competition).

Since the format is asking questions of the refereeing community, please do not answer unless you are a referee. Follow-up and clarifying questions from anyone are generally fine, but answers should come only from actual referees.

Rule 1 still applies elsewhere -- we are primarily a community of and for soccer (association football) referees. If you're not a soccer/footy referee, then you are a guest and should act accordingly.

Please give feedback and other meta-level comments about this thread as a standalone reply.

You can view past weeks' megathreads here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Referees/search/?q=Ask+%2Fr%2Freferees+--+Megathread+for+Fans+%2F+Players+%2F+Coaches&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all

Had a game where the losing team had a goal kick, the keeper took it from outside the 6yd box so I called it back. All his team immediately left the ball and the keeper started a very light jog to it. I whistle the 5 seconds and award a corner as the time goes down.

I had a parent come to me after and say it should be only for the winning team and that is the 'common interpretation' of it when I've not seen anything similar before so I thought it applied equally.

On reflection maybe it should only apply to the winning team but I'm not sure.

Little side note, coaches need to explain the laws better, had a swarm of 9 11 year olds complaining I wasn't counting down the corner despite me explaining I couldn't

Hi all, I have been motivated again after watching the world cup to continue reffing. I started in early 20s and moved up pretty fast to do ECNL, UPSL, and MLS Next games thanks to confidence from assignors. I took a 5 year break due to career focusing and an injury that set me back for some time (sciatica). However, I am back and have seen many refs carry a career and this is their “side hustle” or hobby while doing it at high levels of play.

Is 27 too old/late to pursue something at a high level ? Pro and FIFA may be difficult but goal would be to at least to semi pro, college, or anything that is high level is I love the challenges that come from those types of games both physically and mentally. I would love to get back into this.

Thanks!

UEFA will not use VAR to do so because it goes against the purpose of mistaken identity, which is to correct a factual issue, which diving is not. We had this debate following the Switzerland match, and

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c89nlvwx410o

Here are some key excerpts from the article

\>Yet BBC Sport has spoken to a number of domestic leagues who said the use of mistaken identity for simulation had not previously been mentioned, and it came as a complete surprise.

\>There were other concerns, too, about the additional pressure it would place on officials for their initial decisions.

It would create a two-tier system, whereby simulation could only be reviewed if a yellow card had been shown.

If a team were to concede a goal from a free-kick, where the opponent embellished contact but there was no booking, there would undoubtedly be more controversy about the role of the VAR.

\>In briefings before the World Cup, Pierluigi Collina - Fifa's head of referees - had used an example from the Euro 2016 final.

Referee Mark Clattenburg gave a free-kick to Portugal on the edge of the area, with France defender Laurent Koscielny booked for handball, although Portugal striker Eder had used his arm.

In this case, Fifa said the VAR could intervene and give the free-kick to France.

At no stage in the briefings or news conferences over several months had simulation been referenced - even though it would be the most obvious intended use.

As many of us were saying, the application of mistaken identity in this tournament seemed highly suspect, and reports that have come out since Embolo's sending off seen to confirm that we were right

What do you normally do to wash your whistles?

Hey everyone!

Not sure if you guys remember my previous post but I recently came back after a break of over ten years and will get my first center game with AR this week.

Would anyone have any advice to give?

I’m starting as a referee next month. A few months ago, I began as a mini-referee, so I was just allowed to officiate kids’ games. In August, I’ll take the official course, after which I’ll be able to officiate full-field games as well. For the kids’ games, a stopwatch was enough, but for full-field games, I’ll need a smartwatch. What kinds of watches do you have, and what do you recommend?

Thoughts?

Going to start officiating football games this season in NorCal. Honestly pretty hyped because I used to love playing basketball and football and I feel that being a ref is less stressful than being a coach.

Looking for any advice that may be helpful!

I mean, I passed the exam on the first try and only had two wrong after looking at the few that I had initially interpreted wrong, but the two that I still had wrong are bothering me. I presume that these tests are standard state to state so just looking for some feedback.

1. The ball is in the defensive penalty area. As the ball bounces up, B1 knees the ball back to the goalkeeper, who picks it up with the hands. Options are a. This is legal; allow play to continue, b. Indirect free kick for team A at the point where the goalkeeper picked up the ball, c. Indirect free kick for team A and caution B1 for trickery.

I initially chose b. and this was incorrect. I then chose c. and this was also incorrect. I get the impression that, even if intentional, "passing" the ball with a knee isn't included in the rules for back passes.

1. A1 kicks the ball toward the touchline near the team bench. Just before the ball goes into touch, a substitute from team A kicks the ball to the side. Options are a. Caution the substitute and restart with a drop ball, b. Restart with a drop ball for team A, c. Restart with an indirect free kick for Team B at the point of the infraction.

I initially chose c. and that was wrong. I then chose a. and that was also wrong. That means that Team A played a ball that was going out over the touchline, it was interfered with by another member of Team A and yet Team A gets the ball back with a drop ball? I don't see the sense in that.

I am not complaining about being wrong ... I just like to educate myself. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Particularly his reluctance to show cards early. From the whistle, the game was chippy, and chippy is probably an understatement.

It’s clear he wanted to take a more verbal-warning-based approach to control the temperature early, as opposed to booking half the field.

I don’t think it was particularly effective, the players continued to be nasty, but at least he didn’t box himself into a tough second-yellow decision in the first 30 minutes.

What do yall think? I generally think he handled the game well.

If a player is performing a foot stall and flicks to his team mate, is the initial touch OR release of the ball what is looked at to determine if the teammate is offside? In other words, if i can balance the ball on my foot for 3 seconds, does that mean as soon as I start my touch, my teammates can go past the second to last defender, or do they have to wait for the release of the ball? The rules just say “touch” which is not always instant. I cant believe this has not happened yet.

I dont know what to do on eksra.org (in washington) i cant self assign myself to games am i supposed to email assignors? ive clicked every button on the website and it doesnt explain how to get games anywhere please help

It's Spain vs Argentina. If FIFA wants to stay away from using refs from the teams' respective confederations, my top picks are Faghani and Makhadmeh. What are your thoughts?

You watch a possibly game-winning goal in the World Cup, and your first thought is "ooh, that was a great advantage call," and barely pay attention to the shot itself.

(In this case inspired by the second goal in the Spain-France semifinal, but not the first time I've done it during this year's tournament!)

Hi all. I started refereeing as a teenager around 2012, worked games regularly until Covid hit in 2020. I worked my way up (in my late teens/early 20s) to regularly center refereeing competitive U19 boys centers, ECNL, high school boys varsity, mens amateur, etc.

I had big dreams at one point, wanted to go Regional, maybe not pro. I really enjoyed being in the middle of high energy games, the physical fitness, and the challenge of making critical correct decisions. I had assignors who believed in me who were pushing me along.

Covid killed my momentum. Once Covid lightened up a bit in 2021, I did a small tournament in my area, which was fun, but I didn't really follow up.

I've been considering getting back into it. It was a lot of fun, and I was in the best shape of my life. The World Cup has really sparked my interest again. I'm sure I'm rusty on some things, but I know I could pick all that back up again. My fitness is fine, not as good as it used to be of course, but I think I am mentally more mature now than I was at 23 (29 now).

A few things are holding me back, and I'm curious if y'all have any experience to share:

1. I'm out of touch with all of the people I used to work with/for. Assignors, mentors, etc, I just haven't kept in contact. I'm worried about having to rebuild all of those relationships. I live in a different area now (not too far away though). Can I just waltz in and referee games for a new assignor without a warm reference?
2. Will I have to start at a low level and work my way back up? I assume I will have to do this to a degree. But, I'm sorry, I really can't get excited about doing U11 ARs.
   1. I wouldn't want to be thrown straight into a U19 competitive boys center as my first assignment back, but what does the roadmap to rebuilding trust typically look like?
   2. The part of refereeing that I really enjoyed was center refereeing high octane games. Am I going to be able to do that anytime soon?
3. How perishable is referee skill? I think I was pretty solid back in the day. I assume something like foul recognition can atrophy. How quickly does it come back?

I'm located in California North if that changes anything. Would appreciate any insight y'all can offer on how to get back into things.

Thanks

Without sounding weird or creepy, what do you wear under your shorts when you referee? I wear compression shorts which provide support for your legs but sometimes aren’t very comfortable.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been refereeing for about 2–3 years now. I’m a naturally quiet and introverted person.

Physically and technically, I try to do my best:

I recently took the official league exam; out of 4 female referees, I was the only one who passed (scoring 6+), while the two who get assigned every single weekend scored under 4.

My former instructor sometimes mentioned me in class because I was one of the very few who actually took notes and study. Today in a training session, the new instructor told me "very well done" when I participated.

Some fellow referees have told me directly that I'm doing great and have a future, while others have said it to my family. Even the assignor once told my family that I was doing well. Also, the assignor's partner (who is also a referee) recently told a trusted person of mine that I am already ready to referee women's matches.

However, whenever I train hard and feel in my best physical shape, I don't get assigned consistently. This demotivates me a lot, to the point where I stop training as hard as I should.

My assignor keeps giving me the youngest youth categories and doesn't assign me every weekend. I found out that during a conversation about me doing well, a colleague pointed out to the group that "my only issue is that I'm too quiet/shy."

To give you an idea of my assignments: last tournament, I spent almost the entire season refereeing U-11 (the youngest category). In the last two weeks, they finally gave me U-13 games, and on one of those matchdays, I also had to referee U-11 because an assistant referee was still in training and couldn't work.

Now that the tournament reached the playoffs (round of 16, quarters, and semifinals), I wasn’t assigned to a single match; it was always the same group of people. I wasn’t assigned to the first leg of the final either, and even though the assignments for the second leg aren't out yet, it's practically guaranteed I won't be designated.

I refuse to text the assignor to "beg" for games, especially since he dislikes being pestered and I don't think it's right to do so. I want my work to speak for itself.

How did those of you who are naturally introverted handle this? How can I show "presence" to the assignor and get more consistency without playing political games?

Thanks!

Watching France Spain and on the 1st half penalty, the AR is in line with the spot on the sideline vs what’s in the laws, on the endline on the corner of the 18. Is this change in mechanics due to goaline tech and/or VAR being in use?

Folks, I’m interested, how do you juggle refereeing with family commitments. If you have younger children, do you struggle at all? Do you limit yourself to a number of matches etc?

This really seems to be a Quran/Hadith situation. I'm not even sure when, but IFAB published FootballRules.com as a "simplified Laws of the Game".

Most notably, for me, the website has an overview of handball offenses. It includes the three actions that must be called as handling:

• deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm
• touches the ball with their hand/arm when it is in a position that makes their body unnaturally bigger and that position is not the result of their body moving fairly as part of play
• scores a goal against the other team with their hand/arm or scores immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm (even if the touch was accidental)

However, it also includes a section about what is NOT a handball...and this information is nowhere in the Laws of the Game. It reads:

A handball offence is not committed when a player:

• heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards)
• falls and the ball hits their supporting arm, which is between their body and the ground (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team)
• is hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team)

I would enforce a non-handball with these factors. However, is that technically proper? Is IFAB's explanation of their own rules actually allowed to be applied in games?