Question:
At a youth soccer game, the coach of one team questioned the ref if the game ball was the correct size and weight since he seemed to think it was not. The ball was like playing with a rubber kick ball with a lot of bounce. The ref answered the coach that both sides have the same advantage and disadvantage with this ball and he was not going to change it, even though there were plenty of balls on the sidelines to choose from.
Should a ball be marked somehow showing that it is the proper size and weight for a game? And if so, then it would have been easier for the ref to point this marking out as proof that the ball is correct.

USSF answer (April 16, 2008):
Although the referee has the final decision, the players deserve to play with the best ball available. There are standards for all balls, specifying circumference, weight, and air pressure. A proper soccer ball should be marked with its size (based on the circumference). The referee should guarantee that the weight and air pressure are sufficient for a good contest.…

Question:
I recently officiated an Adult Men’s League game from my area in which a player received a red card for foul or abusive language toward the referee. When I was leaving I noticed the referee that had given the red card was not going to write a supplemental explaining the circumstances in which the card was given. I told him that when giving a red card in a USSF sanctioned game, a supplemental report was required. Another referee, who was on the game, said that in the USSF match report the type of misconduct was on the report itself, and the supplemental was only for “unusual circumstances”. I continue to disagree. Could you please inform me of the proper time to use a supplemental report?

USSF answer (April 10, 2008):
Much depends on the level of the match. For most youth/recreational matches, referees don’t even use the “official” USSF report form, much less the supplemental form. Same at the senior amateur level below Premiere. You start seeing official USSF forms being used in matches that are directly sanctioned by USSF (e. g., the new national youth academy league) or by sanctioned regional cup matches on up.

We suggest you become familiar with this recent position paper from USSF, issued April 7, 2008:

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

To: National Referees
National Instructors
National Assessors
State Referee Administrators
State Directors of Instruction
State Directors of Assessment
 
From:  Alfred Kleinaitis
Manager of Referee Development and Education

Subject:  Match Reports Involving Discipline

Date:  April 7, 2008

A Circular (No. 1137) recently received from FIFA’s General Secretary emphasized the importance of referee match reports in properly evaluating acts of misconduct for any further response by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. The issues raised by the Circular are equally important for the professional leagues, high level youth and amateur leagues, and major tournaments in this country. The same concerns are also felt in the regional and state associations.

Although all aspects of the referee’s match report must meet high standards of clarity, accuracy, brevity, and pertinence, those sections involving misconduct require special attention, and reporting on acts of misconduct leading to a send off merit the highest concern. The need for effective match reporting starts at the lowest competitive level and becomes ever more critical as the competitive level of the match increases. State Referee Administrators and State Directors of Instruction are strongly urged to ensure that effective match reporting is incorporated in their training of senior referees.

In order for Disciplinary Committees to evaluate serious misconduct, match reports must start with:
– The name of (and additional identifying information for) the player who was sent off
– The time of the send off
– The specific reason in the Laws of the Game for the send off (Law 12)
In addition, however, the referee must supply sufficient detail regarding the circumstances of the misconduct to aid in evaluating its level of seriousness. Among the factors that should be addressed, where relevant, are:

– Whether the action occurred during a challenge for the ball
– Whether the misconduct occurred at a stoppage of play or during play
If anyone was injured as a consequence of the misconduct
– Whether there was any prior incident that may have led to the player’s actions
– The demeanor of the player during the send off (including any difficulties in implementing the player’s removal from the field)
– The location of the action in relation to the goal line and penalty area being attacked at the time
– The subsequent intrusion of any other players (teammates or opponents) during the time the referee is managing the send off
– The specific words or gestures which were determined to be insulting, offensive, or abusive
– The identity of the opponent or official toward whom the misconduct was directed
– A summary of the prior misconduct (or a reference to the section of the report which detailed the prior caution) preceding the second caution for which the player was sent off
– The identity of the assistant referee, fourth official, or reserve assistant referee who provided independently observed facts to the referee regarding the misconduct
– All other details of the action which materially shaped the decision to send the player off
Any other facts which a Disciplinary Committee might decide it needs as a result of its review of the match report can be supplied by the referee on request of the Committee, but the most useful information will come from a properly completed, accurate, detailed, and clear match report. Match reports provided independently by assistant referees, fourth officials, or reserve assistant referees should follow these guidelines as well.

Question:
Goalie gloves. What (if any) aftermarket substances are goalies allowed to put on their gloves? Can the referee have them remove the glove for being too sticky?

USSF answer (April 8, 2008):
There has been no change in USSF policy since the following answer was given in March 2007.

USSF answer (March 12, 2007):
The goalkeeper is allowed certain exceptions in the equipment he or she is permitted to wear. These exceptions for the goalkeeper are designed strictly for protection of the goalkeeper, who is often expected to dive quickly to the ground. Law 4 is meant to ensure player safety, not player superiority through artificial means. There is no provision for the goalkeeper or any other player to wear artificial aids to enhance their ability to play. Therefore tacky substances on the hands or “sticky” gloves are illegal equipment and, if used, constitute unsporting behavior for which a caution should be given. The offending substance must be removed and offending gloves may be replaced by others that are not “doctored.”

Question:
I am even embarrassed to ask you this question but I promised my referees to get an answer for them. Here it goes, one of our State referees indicated at State Cup this weekend that USSF is no longer looking favorably on referees handshake (three way hand shake as we call it in this neck of the woods as MLS handshake). The first thing that it came to my mind was that I am sure that USSF have more fish to fry than worrying about a handshake. Could you please solve this mystery?

USSF answer (April 7, 2008):
There is no such restriction on referees shaking hands before the kick-off. It is traditional and done throughout the world. This would seem to be a case of someone misunderstanding something said by an assessor.…

Question:
I have never fully understood the Offside Law, I hope you can clarify:

Obviously a player is offside if he receives the ball past the 2nd to last defender, but is he also considered offside if he receives the ball before the 2nd to last defender and then dribbles past the defender?

This may have a simple answer, but I have not been able to find it in any book. Thank you in advance for your response

USSF answer (March 25, 2008):
The Law is pretty clear on this particular point:
QUOTE
Offside Position
It is not an offense in itself to be in an offside position.
A player is in an offside position if:
– he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent
A player is not in an offside position if:
– he is in his own half of the field of play or
– he is level with the second last opponent or
– he is level with the last two opponents

Offense
A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by:
– interfering with play or
– interfering with an opponent or
– gaining an advantage by being in that position
END OF QUOTE

No, a player is not obviously offside if he “receives the ball past the 2nd to last defender.” Simply receiving the ball when the player is past the second-last defender is not an infringement. To be offside, the player must actually be involved in active play (as described in the Law) and have been in an offside position at the moment when his teammate played the ball.

And no, neither would the player be considered offside if he received the ball farther away from the opponents’ goal than the second-last defender — providing he had not run back into an onside position from an offside position to receive the ball.

You might also consider reading the USSF publication “Offside Made Easy,” available on ussoccer.com. It is, as we said above, not where the player receives the ball, but where that player was when the teammate played the ball.…

Question:
During a recent high school game the goalkeeper was stepped on by an attacker in what appeared to several non-working referees in attendance (including myself) to be a deliberate act. Neither of the two working referees saw the actual contact as their vision was blocked by other players. The 2-man system is used regularly for HS games in our area to save on expenses. Of course they should have had a better position but that is the problem with a 2-man crew.

The goalkeeper had dived for a through-ball and retained possession although play was stopped for his obvious injury. When the referees went to check on the goalkeeper, there were pronounced cleat marks on his leg and he was unable to continue in the game. They did not call a foul, however, claiming they had not seen exactly what happened.

In such a case, can a referee justify calling a foul based on the physical evidence of the keeper’s obvious injury and perhaps even issue a caution to the offending player? The keeper had possession 1 – 2 steps ahead of the attacking player, so it is hard to imagine the attacker being unable to avoid the contact.

BTW… The keeper was my son so I am certainly biased in my thoughts on the situation. It would be good to know your opinon for the future, however, regardless of how you come down on the issue. It is something that I might have to deal with on the field as well.

USSF answer (March 17, 2008):
Disclaimer: We do not deal with high school rules and certainly not with the two-man system of refereeing.

The referee cannot call and the assistant referee cannot flag for a foul he (or she) has not seen While it is clear from the obvious “hoof marks” on the goalkeeper’s leg that someone stepped him, without a clear view of the incident, it would not be possible to (a) conclusively rule out that it was a teammate of the goalkeeper or (b) that it happened completely by accident, rather than as a result of a foul. The circumstantial evidence may be strong, but it is still only circumstantial.

No matter which system the officials are working, they must work — let us emphasize it, WORK — to be in position to see what is going on when players are competing for the ball. This inability to see some situations is, as you point out, one of the flaws in the two-man system.…