Question Number: 16567

Law 6 - Assistant Referee 9/6/2007

RE: Competitive Under 19

Andrew Dunwoody of Wasaga Beach, Ontario Canada asks...

Does a referee's assistant have responsibility for raising his flag to let the referee know of a foul - i.e. hand ball - in only half of the field that he is responsible for running the line on ?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Believe it or not, Andrew, the assistant is specifically there to assist the referee by calling attention to things his referee could not see. Things that he can see and has not been giving the assistant should refrain from flagging. Further, the assistant should NEVER flag for hand ball, there is no such foul play listed in Law 12. Deliberately handling the ball [except the goalkeeper within his own penalty area] is another story. That you flag if the referee has not seen it.

On another note, if the referee has seen any foul play an blown for it you should flag in agreement with his decision.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Following up on Ref. Fleischer's excellent advice, I would add only to be very careful flagging anything not in your quadrant - 1) because the referee won't be looking immediately for your help anywhere else and 2) because flags that go up behind the referee's back are always a dicey issue. Be absolutely certain it is the same kind of foul your referee has been calling, i.e. one that affects the conduct of the match, and that he absolutely couldn't have seen it or he would have blown his whistle. And speaking of handled balls, let me say again - it is NOT a handled ball, and does NOT deserve a whistle unless and until the player DELIBERATELY uses his hand or arm to direct the ball. Referees tend to whistle willy-nilly for balls that contact hands and arms with little regard for whether the handling was done on purpose or deliberately. That is a requirement for handling to be an offense punishable under Law 12. And you can take that to the bank.