Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Understanding the referee on the field
• Method 2 of 2: Understanding the Line Judges
• Tips

Football is one of the most popular sports in the world. With more than two hundred million players, this is truly a global sport. The rules of football are relatively simple, so it doesn't take you long to learn how to play the game. However, it is important to know what the referee's signals mean so that you can keep track of what happens when you watch or play yourself.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Understanding the referee on the field

1. Watch the referee give an advantage after dangerous play. The referee will hold both arms forward parallel to each other, pointing to the goal of the team that is being given advantage. It is important to note that the referee does not whistle for this.
   • Advantage is given when one team has committed a foul, but the other team has benefited from it in some way. Therefore, the referee will allow play to resume and signal an advantage instead of blowing the whistle for a foul.
   • For example, if a defender fouls an attacker and the attacker can still shoot for a field goal, the referee will signal the advantage.
   • For serious fouls, the referee will immediately stop play and award a free kick to the team that did not commit the foul.
2. Watch when the referee whistles and points forward for a free kick. The referee shall blow the whistle and, with the hand not holding the whistle, point (not at a specific angle) in the offensive direction of the team receiving the free kick. Make sure you don't stop playing until the referee blows his whistle.
   • For example, the referee can award a free kick to a team when a player (not the goalkeeper) of the opposing team touches the ball with his hand.
   • You will see this signal most often during competitions. Referees award free kicks for minor / moderate fouls where they consider that the team that did not commit the foul has not benefited from the situation.
3. Watch the referee point up for an indirect free kick. At this signal, the referee will blow his whistle and point upwards with his free hand. The referee will then indicate who gets the free kick and why. He will also hold one hand in the air for a few seconds while indicating which team will be given the free kick.
   • Indirect free kicks are different from free kicks in that they cannot be used to kick on goal. The goal would be void if it was scored from an indirect free kick and if the ball was not touched by anyone else on the field.
   • Indirect free kicks are much less common than direct free kicks. An example of how someone can be awarded an indirect free kick is, for example, when a team passes the ball back to the goalkeeper and the goalkeeper touches the ball with his hands.
4. Know that the referee will point to the spot for a penalty kick. To signal a penalty kick, the referee will blow his whistle and point directly at the spot of the team to be awarded the penalty kick. You will hear a long and strong whistle instead of a short and sharp signal.
   • Penalty kicks are relatively rare in football. The referee will award it to the attacking team only when a violation is committed at the beginning of the rectangle.
   • In the event of a penalty kick, a player of the attacking team may kick the goal from the spot with only the goalkeeper in front of him.
   • An example of a foul that leads to a penalty kick is, for example, when someone touches the ball with their hands in the goal net.
5. Understand that moderate fouls can get you a yellow card. When a player receives a yellow card, this is referred to as a warning. When a player receives a second yellow card, it is equivalent to a red card and this player must leave the field.
   • The referee takes the card from his pocket, shows it in the direction of the player and then puts it in the air. After this, he will write in his notebook the details of the player who committed the offense.
   • An example of a yellow card foul is a serious tackle where the ball was not touched by the player who made the tackle.
6. Know that serious offenses will be punished with a red card. The referee will give a red card for serious fouls or for multiple yellow cards. If the player receives a red card for receiving a second yellow card, the referee will first point a yellow card in his direction and then a red card.
   • The referee will point the red card in the direction of the player and then stab it straight up in the air, just like a yellow card.
   • An example of a red card offense is, for example, when a player hits another player. A player who receives a red card must leave the field and may no longer play.

Method 2 of 2: Understanding the Line Judges

1. Watch the line judge point to the corner for a corner kick. The line judge will walk to the corner flag on his side of the field and point the flag he is holding to the corner flag. He will not whistle at this.
   • An example of this is when an attacker makes a shot for a field goal and a defender deflects the ball and the ball rolls next to the goal.
   • Line judges always carry a flag. They use this flag for all kinds of signals, including corner kicks.
   • The line judge always walks past the field. Each half has a line judge. Once play leaves their half, they will stay at the center line until the ball returns to their half.
2. Watch the line judge point in a specific direction for a throw-in. When the ball leaves the field of play, the line judge will walk to where the ball crossed the line. When he gets there, he will point his flag in the direction of the throw-in. This is the attacking direction of the team that is allowed to throw in.
   • When the ball goes out where it is not half of the linesman, he will only point in the direction of the throw-in, unless it is not an obvious decision. If it is not an obvious decision, the on-court referee will decide in which direction the throw-in should occur.
   • A ball is "out" when the entire ball has crossed the line. When the ball is only half out, play continues.
3. Note that the referee will halt and raise his flag for offside. Offside is indicated by the line umpire standing still on the same line as the offside player and by pointing his flag directly at the field of play. His arm will be square to his body. The line judge shall not blow the whistle when an offside violation is committed.
   • The offside rule is a bit confusing to understand. Offside is called when a team attacks and the ball passes to a player of their team in front of them. If the player receiving the pass was in front of the last defender of the defending team when the pass left, the offside will be called.
   • For example, the line judge will raise his flag when an attacker plays the ball to a teammate who is closer to the goal than all the defenders of the opposing team when the player passing the ball touches the ball.
   • This rule is to ensure that players cannot simply wait at the opponent's goal for a long pass from their teammates.
4. Watch the line judge signal a rectangle for a substitution. At this signal, the line judge will walk to the center line of the court and make a rectangle above his head with his arms and flag. It will usually hold this signal for 5-10 seconds so that people have a chance to see it.
   • There will often also be someone holding up a sign with the number of the player going down in red and the player coming on it in green.
   • Both linesmen will usually show this signal.

Tips

• Always respect the referee's decision and never try to intimidate or engage in an aggressive discussion with him. If you disagree with a decision of the referee, you should either just continue playing or go to your captain so that he / she can get redress from the referee in a friendly manner.