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The Soccer Referee - The Much Questioned Man in Black!

Or Quite Often In Yellow These Days . . .

This is the Soccer Referee Page of the How to Play Soccer-Soccer School on Spain-Football.Org.

Scroll down the page for the rules, tips and techniques, videos, book recommendations and lots more interesting stuff!

Sometimes it's difficult to respect the soccer referee - particularly when he makes a bad decision that gives an advantage to the opposing team.

But remember, it would be impossible to play the game without him.

The truth is that a lot of players don't respect the rules and are sometimes prone to unsporting behaviour.

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The Soccer Referee's Job

Before, after and during the game, the referee is the supreme authority and his job is to make sure that everyone observes the Laws of the Game.

There's no appeal against the referee's decision but he can change his mind as long as play hasn't restarted.

It's also important to remember that he doesn't have to follow the linesman's advice if he doesn't agree with it.

The Ref's Role

The soccer referee is the person who controls the timing of the game. He also makes a note of all the events that occur during the game - goals, substitutions, cards, injuries etc. He makes a note of everything in his little black book!

He's helped by two assistant referees, more commonly known as linesmen. In top level league games and internationals, there's also a fourth referee.

The Soccer Referee's Equipment

The basic equipment of a soccer referee consists of: a whistle, three cards - yellow, red and often green, which is used to allow the physiotherapists on, a stop watch, a notebook and a coin - used to decide which team kicks off and, theoretically, at which end each team will play.

The Worst Decision Ever Made By A Referee?

This is quite a long video and the referee's terrible mistake happens about half way through - but it's really worth the wait.

Dundee United put the ball in the back of the net, a Partick Thistle defender catches the ball and hands it to the goalkeeper, but the referee doesn't see it!

He waves play on! AMAZING!

If you continue watching, you'll see some more great videos of the worst fouls and tackles ever. . .

. . . it makes you realise just how difficult a soccer referee's job can be!

You Are the Ref

What does the Law of Advantage consist of?

Even though a foul has been committed, the ref can allow play to continue if he thinks that this is to the advantage of the team that the foul was committed against.

Since 1996, if no advantage has been obtained, the ref can stop play and signal a free kick from the original spot. For example, if he sees a defender pull a forward's shirt, he can let play go on if it looks like the forward can continue with his run. However, if a few seconds later, the defender gets the ball, the ref can then decide to blow the original foul.

The Art of Refereeing: Techniques and Advice for Every Soccer Referee

Although I played and coached when I was a lot younger, I remain something of an obsessive soccer fan and am pretty sure I've got The Rules of the Game embedded in my soul by now.

As someone with a profound knowledge of the game I can only say that I enjoyed this book immensely - I picked it up, started reading and just couldn't put it down for the next couple of days.

Some of the information contained in the book was quite complex but as the text was peppered with interesting anecdotes and fun stories, I didn't find it too difficult to make sense of the more technical aspects.

Having said that, I suspect that The Art of Refereeing could well be tough going for a novice referee. However, if you're serious about getting involved in the officiating side of the game, this book will be a valuable companion for years to come.

I bet you'll still be referring to it when you're officiating First Division games!

Click Here for a full selection of refereeing books and equipment on Amazon.co.uk and Click Here for Amazon.Com

Soccer Resources on the Internet

As I do more and more research on the Internet on football-related topics I come across an ever increasing number of fantastic resources - they're mainly for players and coaches but I'm sure a soccer referee would also find them useful. Here are a few of the best ones I´ve found so far but with time this could turn into a complete section on different aspects of the art of playing and coaching.

KITBAG really has just about the best range of football kit and equipment available on the Net. They're particularly good for exclusives. For example, Kitbag was the first company to have David Beckham Milan shirts on sale - TRULY IMPRESSIVE!

Blast The Ball is quite simply the best video available for learning all about kicking a soccer ball – covers everything from techniques, aerodynamics, parts of the ball etc. The promotional video is certainly worth watching as it is a lesson in itself.

Total Soccer Fitness is a free fitness course that comes in five email instalments and is ideal for players, parents and coaches alike.

Soccer Tutor is a set of 250 Soccer Drills endorsed by Adidas, Umbro and Leyton Orient amongst others. If you coach a youth team and want to work on their soccer skills, this selection will keep you in ideas for season after season as your players advance from beginner to professional. It´s particularly useful if you plan on taking your your FA or UEFA coaching licence and even if you're only interested watch the demo video – it's excellent. The guy that does the voiceover is so obviously a football professional. Game of two halves, innit?

The Fastbreak Soccer Practice Book Although not quite as intuitive as Soccer Tutor also contains Soccer Drills, this ebook is worth having a look at if only for the free Training Schedules available in PDF format.

Elite Soccer Coach is a very handy guide for football coaches and comes with two more ebooks on Fitness and Formations.

Free Fitness Course - Ideal for the Soccer Referee, Player or Coach

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