Question Number: 23823

Law 5 - The Referee 8/24/2010

RE: Select Other

hannah of New York City, New York Usa asks...

I was wondering, is there any law or rule that a ref can not ref his sons house league game? please advise, and if there is such a rule, please send proof. thanks.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Hannah
That is a matter for the competition organisers. In the absence of a competition rule there is nothing in the Laws of the Game to prevent this. Many referees do not referee matches where a relation is playing for obvious reasons. However it is a matter for the referee assignor and perhaps where there are a shortage of referees it does happen.
Above a certain level referees would be expected to declare a conflict of interest and decline the assignment where a relation is participating

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

There are guidelines for assignors to use when allocating games. (Not being an assignor, I don't have the exact text.) They must avoid conflicts of interest or perceptions of conflict. Assigning a referee to a relative's game would be one of these conflicts. My local assignor asks for all teams on which we have a family member playing or coaching. She then does not assign that referee to any games in the division in which that team plays.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

I believe that recreational leagues present a different situation from competitive leagues. There is a huge demand for referees and a small supply. Most leagues would far prefer that parents have the same opportunity as other parent's to enjoy their child's game as spectators. Most officials would rather do so as well. But, the reality is that the game won't be played if the referee won't accept the assignment.

What often bothers me, however, is that the referee whose sacrifice makes the game possible then endures the assumption from a few parents that they must have cheated because their child is a player. In my experience, the truth is that the referees are trying so hard to be fair that the other team gets the benefit of close calls.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Check with the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association ( I think that's right). Most states have nepotism rules. Here in Georgia, GSSA states the following in their regulations

230. Referees
230.1 Every team has the right to a neutral referee and assistant referees.
230.1a No referee or assistant referee shall officiate a game in which a relative is coaching or playing unless both coaches provide their specific prior consent by signing both game cards. (U-06 and U-08 are exempt from this rule.)
230.1b No referee or assistant referee shall officiate a game where they were a recent (within 1 year) member or coach of either team unless both coaches provide their specific prior consent by signing both game cards.
(U-06- U-08 are exempt from this rule.)

The few times I was forced to referee games my sons were involved in, I found myself erring on the side of the opponents so as to not appear to favor my children's team. This was unfair to their team and shows why such regulations are in existence