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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reevaluated and rewritten each year, often rendering previous answers as incorrect, partially true and/or portions no longer applicable!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 3/22/2025RE: Adult Perter of Melbourne , NSW Australia asks...Two questions, please:
Can a goalkeeper change roles with another field player just before a penalty kick is taken during normal time? (There is no injury to the goalkeeper.)
2) If a field player switches with a goalkeeper without the referee's permission and subsequently touches the ball, what caution/sanction should the referee apply?
The player touches the ball and results in a goal?
(goal stand and yellow card?)
The player touches the ball and saves or rebounds? (dogso and Red card?)
Thank you.
...
Read The Full Q & A High School 3/22/2025RE: High School James Caponera of Okatie, SC United States asks...Is it permissable for a player to have anything written on the legs if it is not offensive ?...
Read The Full Q & A League Specific 3/22/2025RE: PREMIER (RTD) Professional ISHIAKU. IBRAHIM of LOKOJA, KOGI NIGERIA asks...GOOD EVENING/DAY. SORRY MY QUESTION IS NOT ABOUT DECISION MAKING IN OFFIATING BUT REGARDS FOOTBALL AND OFFICIATING.
IN A STATE WHERE THERE ARE REFEREE COUNCIL AND FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (FA) REFEREES APPOINTMENT COMMITTEE. WHICH OF THESE BODY IS INCHARGE OF MAKING APPOINTMENT FOR REFEREES WHEN THERE ARE F.A ORGANIZE COMPETITION? THANK YOU, I WANT TO LEARN. ...
Read The Full Q & A Mechanics 2/26/2025RE: Under 18 Issy of hereford, United Kingdom asks...What happens if a goal is scored as the lights go out? If the ball is heading towards to goal (in the air) and the lights go out before the ball is seen to enter to goalmouth, does the goal still count?...
Read The Full Q & A Law 11 - Offside 2/25/2025RE: Competitive Adult Peter Babbage of Hjorring, Denmark asks...Really two questions in one if thats ok! It concerns offside. Ball played through and it clips a defender. He hasnt tried to play it but does this play the attacker onside? I know it does if he tries to clear the ball .
A ball is played through and I think a forward is deemed offside if any part of the body he can score with is offside. However what part of the body is taken into account. for the defender. For instance a forwards boot is behind the line of the defenders arm ( if that makes sense...
Read The Full Q & A Law 3 - The Players 2/22/2025RE: PREMIER (RTD) Professional Ishiaku Ibrahim of LOKOJA, KOGI NIGERIA asks...Is it an offence for a captain of a team to give his captain ban to a team mate during play?...
Read The Full Q & A Mechanics 2/21/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...I'll allow myself an additional situation. I think this can happen even at the highest level.
The team has no more substitutions.
S1: The player sits down. After the game is stopped, the referee sends him off the field for treatment. The player returns. He sits down again. The whole process is repeated several times. Can he receive a YC for this?
S2: The player is injured, but he can stand. He is standing somewhere near the halfway line. The ball is in play. Can the referee send such a player off the field? Or must the opponent assign a 'guarding' defender to such a player? Otherwise, he could take advantage of the situation and run at the goalkeeper himself. :-) So could a referee ban a player from playing ...
Read The Full Q & A Law 5 - The Referee 2/20/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Hello
I'm annoying, but I saw something again.
S: The team doesn't have a substitute available. The player is injured, sitting on the field and doesn't want to leave. Does the referee have the authority to order him to leave the field and not return? Let's say he's lying there for a long time (sits, stands up, sits again). God forbid he suddenly gets up and runs to the goal alone. :-) Have you ever had to deal with this?
Thank you very much!...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/20/2025Crebs Crem of Zagreb, Croatia asks...Hi,
I would like to ask a question about the recent league match between Heerenveen and Fortuna Sittard.
Before the goal kick of Fortuna Sittard, the number of Fortuna Sittard players became 12 by a mistake. Fortuna Sittard won a throw in and the referee took the extra player off the pitch. Then, Fortuna Sittard won a corner kick, scored a goal and got 1 point in the end of the day. If the extra player had contributed to phase of play which led to goal of his team, would authorities invalidate the match? If yes, would it be a rematch, replay of the minutes after the mistake, or a forfeit (0-3) against Fortuna Sittard? ...
Read The Full Q & A Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/17/2025Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...Thanks!
So do you see the difference there compared to a throw-in?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYJSMZJMK1Y...
Read The Full Q & A Recently Published Articles on Soccer Rules for Referees3/23/2025 History of Rule Changes
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