Game Officials
The referee is the official in charge and has complete control over the game. The referee’s job is to ensure that the game is played fairly and safely. The referee is there to enforce the rules. His or her decision, whether correct or not, should be respected and according to FIFA regulations is considered final.
It doesn’t mean the ref is always right. Refs do make mistakes; they happen in every game. However the ref is not your enemy. The chances of getting a truly dishonest referee are very small. If something is serious enough you should go talk to the coach and the coach will talk to the referee at half time or after the game calmly and politely. Maybe they know they made a mistake, maybe they didn’t. The same constructive positive criticism that applies to your kids applies to the referee as well. In fact, just as soccer players are always learning, so are the referees.
Assistant Referees
In full field soccer some leagues have assistant referees. They are also commonly referred to as Linesmen. The job of the assistant referees is to help the referee call offsides and balls that go out of bounds. If a play is offside they will raise their flag for the referee to blow the whistle.
Assistant referees can make all the same calls as the referee on the field. If the assistant referee sees a foul, they raise the flag and move it in a circular motion.
Advantage Rule
Are you sure about that call? Make sure you know the rules before you start yelling at the ref (not that you should even if you do know). Many parents end up yelling at the referee when the correct call was made. One point, which often leads to problems, is the advantage rule. The referee sometimes will not call a foul if stopping the play will deny an advantage. For example, if a player trips another but the ball bounces to a teammate who gets a clear shot on net, it’s considered an advantage.
