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- Soccer Referee Questions on Soccer Rules
WELCOME to AskTheRef.com, a Soccer Law/Rules Question & Answer site!
Operating since October 11, 1999, that is 25 years as an independent, FREE, public service site. Dedicated to personally answering your questions regarding any Professional or Grassroots, FIFA, College, High school, or Youth soccer game situation. To ask a question simply click on Ask the Ref in the menu bar, post your question!
Please understand, we are comprised of strictly volunteers, thus lack the time required to review or alter the hundreds of thousands of previous questions & answers. The LOTG /RULES are constantly being tweaked, reevaluated and rewritten each year, often rendering previous answers as incorrect, partially true and/or portions no longer applicable! Our answers can only coincide within the changing LOTG/RULES time/frame of the date a question was asked! We feel it is essential you review & read the latest version of the always changing Laws/Rules of the Game.
The IFAB 2024 - 2025 LOTG Laws of the Game can be viewed here:
https://www.theifab.com/
The USA Highschool rules can be viewed here:
https://nfhs.org/nfhs-for-you/officials/
The NCAA rules can be viewed here:
Soccer Rules of the Game - NCAA.org
Those who have ideas or articles please feel free to contact the editor Richard Dawson at mrref@asktheref.com with suggestions. There are no costs involved to ask or have us respond to a question but we are not upset if you wished to donate or sponsor on the site as in todays world it is difficult to operate independently.
 You Call It!
After two years and many request - You Call It is back! Now it's your turn to test your knowledge in a scenario created by our panel of referees. If your answer is spot on we will publish it on our site! Good luck click here!
Mechanics 2/26/2025RE: Under 18 Issy of hereford, United Kingdom asks...What happens if a goal is scored as the lights go out? If the ball is heading towards to goal (in the air) and the lights go out before the ball is seen to enter to goalmouth, does the goal still count?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 2/25/2025RE: Competitive Adult Peter Babbage of Hjorring, Denmark asks...Really two questions in one if that’s ok! It concerns offside. Ball played through and it clips a defender. He hasn’t tried to play it but does this play the attacker onside? I know it does if he tries to clear the ball .
A ball is played through and I think a forward is deemed offside if any part of the body he can score with is offside. However what part of the body is taken into account. for the defender. For instance a forwards boot is behind the line of the defenders arm ( if that makes sense...
Read The Full Q & A Law 3 - The Players 2/22/2025RE: PREMIER (RTD) Professional Ishiaku Ibrahim of LOKOJA, KOGI NIGERIA asks...Is it an offence for a captain of a team to give his captain ban to a team mate during play?...
Read The Full Q & A Mechanics 2/21/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...I'll allow myself an additional situation. I think this can happen even at the highest level.
The team has no more substitutions.
S1: The player sits down. After the game is stopped, the referee sends him off the field for treatment. The player returns. He sits down again. The whole process is repeated several times. Can he receive a YC for this?
S2: The player is injured, but he can stand. He is standing somewhere near the halfway line. The ball is in play. Can the referee send such a player off the field? Or must the opponent assign a 'guarding' defender to such a player? Otherwise, he could take advantage of the situation and run at the goalkeeper himself. :-) So could a referee ban a player from playing ...
Read The Full Q & A Law 5 - The Referee 2/20/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Hello
I'm annoying, but I saw something again.
S: The team doesn't have a substitute available. The player is injured, sitting on the field and doesn't want to leave. Does the referee have the authority to order him to leave the field and not return? Let's say he's lying there for a long time (sits, stands up, sits again). God forbid he suddenly gets up and runs to the goal alone. :-) Have you ever had to deal with this?
Thank you very much!...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/20/2025Crebs Crem of Zagreb, Croatia asks...Hi,
I would like to ask a question about the recent league match between Heerenveen and Fortuna Sittard.
Before the goal kick of Fortuna Sittard, the number of Fortuna Sittard players became 12 by a mistake. Fortuna Sittard won a throw in and the referee took the extra player off the pitch. Then, Fortuna Sittard won a corner kick, scored a goal and got 1 point in the end of the day. If the extra player had contributed to phase of play which led to goal of his team, would authorities invalidate the match? If yes, would it be a rematch, replay of the minutes after the mistake, or a forfeit (0-3) against Fortuna Sittard? ...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/17/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Thanks!
So do you see the difference there compared to a throw-in?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYJSMZJMK1Y...
Read The Full Q & A Mechanics 2/17/2025Zluvka of Liberec, Liberec Region Czech Republic asks...Hi, I don't understand one thing. Why did the VAR call the referee to the monitor? Offside is usually reported to the headset.
Situation A (similar): The referee awards a penalty. VAR sees an offside in the attacking phase. VAR also sees reckless contact (the original penalty foul). Will VAR call the referee to the monitor to deal with the yellow card? (I think not.)
Situation B (a bit unlikely, I admit): The referee awards a penalty. VAR calls the referee because it doesn't seem like a penalty. The referee disagrees and upholds the original decision. He also sees on the monitor that the foul is reckless and awards a yellow card. In reality, he didn't notice it.
They are exactly the same fouls. The first tim...
Read The Full Q & A League Specific 2/17/2025RE: Adult gordon woodward of Belbroughton, Worcestershire UK asks...A player was shown his second Yellow and Red card after the final whistle, does that player have to leave the pitch, or can he carry on celebrating? What is the ruling on this?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/16/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Hello
Law 13:'However, an opponent who deliberately prevents a free kick being taken quickly must be cautioned for delaying the restart of play.'
S1: The player stands in front of the ball (or at a slightly greater distance). The player does not interfere in any other way. The ball is not in play (the opponent has not yet played). Can the referee show a yellow card just for standing there?
S2: The player interferes. The opponent plays the ball anyway and the action continues normally. Is it then necessary to give the offender a yellow card?
Thank you very much!...
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