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Quickies

Did you know …

• the Laws of the Game state that a match may not start if either team consists of fewer than seven players, including the goalkeeper?

What does it mean when the referee holds his arms straight out?

Quickies

Did you know …

• if an assistant referee signals a goal that the referee did not see, and if for any reason play stops and is then restarted before the referee notices this signal, the goal can’t be awarded?

This is called “advantage” and it means that the referee has seen a foul but has decided not to call it yet because the fouled team is in an advantageous position and might possibly score. Advantage generally only lasts three to five seconds before the referee will blow his whistle and stop play.

What does it mean when the referee blows his whistle and points at a goal?

The referee has seen a foul and is awarding a direct free kick against the goal he is pointing to.

Why does the referee sometime hold his arm straight up in the air during a free kick?

When a free kick is awarded, according to the Laws of the Game the only signal a referee is required to give to distinguish a direct free kick from an indirect free kick is to raise his arm straight in the air. The raised arm signals that an indirect free kick has been awarded. On a direct free kick the kicker may score from the kick, but on an indirect free kick, the ball must touch a second player (on either team, including the goalkeeper) before going into the goal in order for the score to count. The referee will only lower his arm when the ball has touched that second player (or gone out of bounds). On an indirect free kick, the kicker may not touch the ball again until the referee’s arm comes down.