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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reevaluated and rewritten each year, often rendering previous answers as incorrect, partially true and/or portions no longer applicable!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!
High School 6/13/2025RE: Varsity High School David E Frankson of Oregon, WI United States asks...Hi to everyone on staff and thank you for all the education you do defining and explaining the rules!
Issue: Does the GK need to be substituted?
In a recent NFHS soccer playoff game, the following occurred:
a) Team A scores a goal
b) AR2 signals goal scored
c) CTR stops the clock and signals goal scored
d) CTR then realizes Team B GK may be hurt and moves to the GK to evaluate
e) After 20 seconds, CTR beckons the Trainer onto the field to evaluate the injured GK
f) After 1-2 minutes, Trainer indicates GK is ok to continue play and Trainer leaves the field of play.
Q) Does the GK need to be substituted?
NFHS Rule 3-3-2.b.2 says: If the referee stops the clock and b...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 6/13/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Thanks. Honestly, I'm a little confused.
Mr. McHugh says the time is 35:44. According to Mr. Dawson, it's 35:42, my understanding.
The coach of the Norwegian team said this:
'Im very curious why they have only changed the rule for throws by the keeper, and not for other types of passes, such as scoop and swivel passes, Nielsen told the Guardian.'
Full article here:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/12/offside-law-changed-after-swedish-third-tier-clubs-pressure-pays-off
So is that trick allowed? Otherwise, Norwegians are very smart guys. I've seen this ambiguity there for a long time. :-)
(In my opinion, if the trick is allowed, it's another nonsense...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 6/12/2025RE: Rec Adult Bob Williamson of Mesa, AZ United States asks...Thanks for the quick response. I was thinking only one direction. I have actually called that foul and the crowd went crazy. ...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 6/11/2025RE: Rec Adult Bob Williamson of Mesa, AZ United States asks...As per the "I am a", if it was "I was a" then I would be all of the above.
11.1 states "any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents half". 11.4 states "If an offside offence occurs, the referee awards an indirect free kick where the offence occurred, including if it is in the players own half of the field of play." How can this be in the offences own half of the field?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 6/11/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Hello
I'm back because it's necessary to return to an old question:-)
Law change:
When the goalkeeper throws the ball, the last point of contact should be used for the purpose of determining an offside position.
My favorite scenario :-)
The attacker puts the ball on the instep in time 35:42. The ball sits on his instep until time 35:44. In time 35:44 he starts a passing motion and the ball leaves his foot at 35:45. Is the crucial point at 35:44 or 35:45?
Previously, it was a point that gives momentum. So the time was 35:44. And now it's 35:45 for the goalkeeper. The rules don't say anything about the attacker, but I also prefer the time 35:45 (in this exceptional scenario). How do...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/8/2025RE: Competitive Adult peter babbage of Hjrring, North Denmark Region Denmark asks...I feel I should know this but one or two doubts have crept in! Defender and attacker are chasing the ball into the area. Attacker touches the ball and it trickles over the by line. At the same time the defender pushes him over. So my question is the ball was over the line before the push and was *dead* is it a goal kick or a penalty ?...
Read The Full Q & A High School 6/3/2025RE: Rec and competitive High School Neil Hanlan of Stockton, CA United States asks...when an indirect kick is taken, does the ball have to physically move on the first touch?
I have seen a player put his/her foot on the ball and it has been taken as the first touch...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 5/31/2025RE: U16 Under 15 Edgar of Los Angeles, CA Usa asks...An attacker receives the ball in an offiside position from the defender whose attempt to direct the ball away from the oncoming attack was not successful. Something like an attacker kicks the ball downfield in an attempt to pass to the offside attacker, the defender heads the ball but it does not go where they wanted it to but instead goes to the offside attacker.
Offsides? I would think it was deliberate play on the part of the defender so that means not offsides or is a badly played header a deflection?...
Read The Full Q & A Other 5/29/2025RE: Local Adult Benjamin of Danielskuil , South Africa asks...What happens when a referee is involved in a fight with a fan or bystander and he as the referee starts the fight due to smack talk from the fan or bystander and later the fight escalate so that one teams officials got involve to try and stop the fight. Note game did not finished ...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/23/2025RE: Comp. Larry of Danville, CA United States asks...A follow up on your response to award an IDFK where a defender in the goal area chests a high ball, then plays it with his foot, then the GK picks it up. My question is, what if it was your opinion that the GK took the ball away from the defender, as opposed to the defender deliberately kicking the ball for the GK to pick up? Or what if the GK called off the defender, who was about to clear it, and then picked it up....
Read The Full Q & A AskTheref.com Educating and Amusing The Soccer Referee Since October 11, 1999
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