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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reevaluated and rewritten each year, often rendering previous answers as incorrect, partially true and/or portions no longer applicable!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 3 - The Players 7/31/2025Robert of St. Johns , Canada asks...During regular time, a defensive player commits a Direct-Free-Kick foul in their penalty area. The referee blows their whistle to stop play and awards the offensive team with a penalty kick. My question is, can the offensive team make a substitution (assuming they have not used up all of their substitutions) and sub on a player so that that player can take the penalty kick (reminder this is during regular time, not during an end of time penalty shoot out situation)?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 1- The Field 7/26/2025RE: Rec Under 13 Laura of Frederick, MD USA asks...Our coach was carded for coaching down by the goal. What law explains where the coach may stand during a game? Thanks!...
Read The Full Q & A Law 3 - The Players 7/21/2025RE: Competitive Adult Kumarasan Govender of TONGAAT, KZN South Africa asks...WILL THE RULE AS APPLIED IN HOLSTEIN KIEL v Bochum still be applied in present day football?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/15/2025RE: competitve Other thomas horincewich of Chester, NJ United States asks...Since May 21, 2008 Memo from US soccer regarding the "Pass Back" violation, I have used the iron triangle to call illegal keeper handling. I have kept this paper in my kit with me at all times. I do not recall seeing a change in interpretation in regards to this call. However I was showed on IFAB site, a list of indirect free kicks and it did mention a deliberate pass back to the keeper. Did this change and I missed it? Because, IFAB now says "it has been deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper by a team-mate." This contradicts Alfred Kleinaitis's memo that says it is not necessary for the ball to be passed, or back, or to the keeper. What is the correct/current advice to referees on this?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/3/2025RE: Competitive - league Under 14 Frank Bromfield of Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa asks...Hi there. I trust that you are well.
Thank you for your reply. It is highly appreciated. I take your advice at heart and will keep my cool. Just one more thing. Can a person do an online referee course using video analysis and then write a exam online. The reason I am asking is that I cannot get hold of South African Football Association. They don't replay my emails. They never answer their phones and this is such a big frustration.
Very kind regards.
Frank Bromfield...
Read The Full Q & A Mechanics 6/30/2025RE: NA Adult Lansana Boima of Freetown, W/ Area Sierra Leone asks...In the Referee's Assessment form, there is a portion under evaluation scale marked:
1. DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
2. Justification of difficulty
What are the looking for, or what is the understanding?
Thanks...
Read The Full Q & A Character, Attitude and Control 6/29/2025RE: Competitive - league Under 14 Frank Bromfield of Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa asks...Hi there.
Thank you very much for the speedy return concerning my questions.
Its absolutely such a big honor to have received such professional answers from professional referee's
Now I can advise the other referee's from the other school as last year socking calls were made during some matches.
Let me give you an example which cost my girls to loose the semi-finals.
The other team were attacking and with a pass to another attacker one of my girls
challenged her. The ball went out and a spectator kick the ball back in field and the ref let play continue. After explaining to him that it should have been a ually the matter was resolve and I went to the soccer chairman telling him that, that ref should not be al...
Read The Full Q & A Other 6/26/2025RE: Competitive - league Under 13 Frank Bromfield of Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa asks...Hi there. I am the coach for the u/13 girls soccer. I have two questions concerning the goalkeeper.
Question 1
If the goalkeeper block the ball in his 18 yard box to stop a scoring attempt from the attacking team where must the ball be kicked from to restart the game and what type of kick must it be. Can the goalkeeper place the ball on the ground or hold the ball to kick it.
Question 2
If the goalkeeper blocks the ball in the 18 yard box and has the ball under control where must the kick be taken from and how is it kicked to restart the game. Kind regards Frank Bromfield...
Read The Full Q & A 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...
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