In the last edition of Extol Sports, we covered the
first 4 of the 17 rules of the game of soccer. In
this month’s issue, we continue.
RULE 5: THE REFEREE
SOCCER
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LESSON 2:
BASIC RULES
BY KEVIN KERNEN
In any professional or international match in the world,
there will be a minimum of 4 referees on hand. They are
responsible for enforcing the laws of the game and act as
a team of their own, comprising of a Center Referee (the
main official with the whistle on the pitch), two Assistant
Referees (the ones running up and down half a sideline
with the flag, also called an “AR”), and the Fourth Official
(the referee on the sideline). The Center Referee bears
the responsibility of deciding if a pitch is game-worthy,
enforcing the laws of the game during a match, keeping
official time, taking disciplinary action against players,
as well as supervising most other procedures during a
match. To keep spectators abreast of Referees’ decisions,
they employ a series of hand signals (not to worry, their
meanings will become clear later on):
RULE 6: OTHER OFFICIALS
As mentioned previously, there are a minimum of 3 officials
apart from the Center Referee involved in any professional
match. Each of the Assistant Referees is in charge of a half
of the pitch, running up and down opposite sides, from one
goal line to the midfield line. The ARs’ job is to help the
Center Referee in making decisions, as well as identifying
incidents of offside, a somewhat nebulous rule that is a law
unto itself. Between the Center Referee and both of the ARs,
almost all of the 22 players are under constant supervision,
but a Fourth Official also serves to catch offenses away
from the ball, or to lend a different perspective to an offense
in question.
Usually a junior referee or a well-seasoned official, the
Fourth Official also deputizes as a Center- or Assistant-
Referee should they become injured or otherwise unable
to continue during a match. Beyond keeping an extra set of
eyeballs on play, the Fourth Official also serves as a verbal
abuse whipping boy for disgruntled managers in their
technical area, as well as conducting substitutions and
keeping track of added time. All referees are in constant
communication during play, and usually employ a radio
system to talk to one another during a match.
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