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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reevaluated and rewritten each year, often rendering previous answers as incorrect, partially true and/or portions no longer applicable!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!
Law 14 - The Penalty kick 1/11/2025David Howard of WETHERBY West Yorkshire , United Kingdom asks...Thanks for the answers.
Just a couple of follow ups if I may.
Q3. At the point where a penalty is taken, can someone be offside?
Q1. It is a really muddy day. Just the goalkeeper and the centre forward are left chasing a long ball that is about to go in the goal, when it sticks in the mud. However due to the conditions they both slide over the line into the back of the net. The centre forward is 1st to get up but is held down by the goalkeeper which allows his defender to get back and clear the ball. Is it a penalty?
...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 1/7/2025RE: Adult Carl of Liverpool , UK asks...Is it a penalty if a defender lying down behind a free kick wall accidentally trips up an attacker attempting to run on to a loose ball or save after the free kick is taken...
Read The Full Q & A Mechanics 1/7/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Thanks. It's getting funny, I admit. :-) But I was referring to the offside line that technology draws.
Law 11
A player is in an offside position if:
ANY PART OF THE HEAD, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than
both the ball and the second-last opponent
Are hair also part of the head? (very important for Fellaini) That technology has players without hair and focuses on a lot of points.
https://inside.fifa.com/technical/football-technology/football-technologies-and-innovations-at-the-fifa-world-cup-2022/semi-automated-offside-technology
Maybe the referee could then solve it manually with VAR. Fellaini's hair puts him offside quite easily, even though his...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 1/6/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Hello
one more question, maybe a bit strange please.
Does hair count as part of the head for offside purposes? For example, for a player like Fellaini.
Until now, I was sure that hair was part of the head. :-)
However, semiautomated-offside technology makes 3D models without hair and apparently doesn't even focus on them.
Thank you very much!...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 1/6/2025RE: amateur Adult Pete Lee of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom asks...Hi all, I was just wondering if someone could clarify something that happened at Eastwood vs. Hucknall Town at the weekend.
Hucknall scored a third goal. In the process, the defender on the line handled it to push the ball out, but the ball still ended up in the net.
I think it's a goal move-on, but a few supporters thought it should be a goal and a retrospective red card for handball on the line. My point was that for that to happen, the goal rule would have to be ruled out, the pen given, and the red card given.
There is a youtube clip, 2 mins in
https://youtu.be/AJH20YFVX3s?si=wRGO_4BYClAN4ruA...
Read The Full Q & A Law 5 - The Referee 1/4/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Hello
one question please.
Law 8
Dropped ball
In all other cases, the referee drops the ball for one player of the team that
last touched the ball AT THE POSITION WHERE IT LAST TOUCHED a player, an outside
agent or, as outlined in Law 9.1, a match official
How to asses it when there is no last touch?
Situation:
A5 throws the ball in. So the ball is in play. Another player does not touch the ball. The referee stops the play. (e.g. due to a crazy spectator, second ball on the field or injury)
How to restart such a situation?
Thank you very much!...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 1/4/2025RE: Under 16 Ty of Kamloops, BC Canada asks...Hello and happy new year!
I have a question regarding the denial of promising attacks and obvious goal-scoring opportunities.
For DOGSO, the LOTG specifies the considerations that should be made: distance, direction, control, and defenders. However, for SPA, the considerations aren’t in the LOTG. What should you look for when deciding if a foul is SPA, or just a regular foul? Or if a foul is SPA or DOGSO?
I have heard that it’s SPA if some of the DOGSO considerations are there, but some are missing, but I’ve also heard that those considerations are specifically for DOGSO, and shouldn’t be used for SPA.
I have a pretty good understanding of what a SPA and DOGSO looks like while reffing, but I’d ...
Read The Full Q & A Law 8 - The Start and Restart of Play 1/2/2025RE: Adult Patrick Strode of Plymouth, United Kingdom asks...Scenario: attacking player shoots. Ball hits defender and goes out for a throw in.
Defender who the ball struck goes down hurt as a result of the ball hitting them.
How does the game restart?
A.) Throw in to the attacking side
B.) Drop ball...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 12/30/2024RE: Adult David Howard of WETHERBY, West Yorkshire United Kingdom asks...1. Can a penalty be awarded when the offence does not take place within the penalty area?
2. Can a penalty be awarded when the ball is not in play? e.g. waiting to take a corner and the goalkeeper flattens the centre forward with a right hook!
3. Can a penalty be disallowed because of an offside?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 15 - The Throw In 12/26/2024Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Hello
one question about throw-in please.
Law 15:
At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower must:
- throw the ball with both hands from behind and over the head from the point where it left the field of play
Does this mean that the ball can be released first when it is in the hands above the head?
What if a player releases the ball that is behind his head at that moment? (I admit it seems a bit strange, but it can happen.) Will you intervene or not?
Thank you very much!...
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