Question:
The ball is out of play over the touch line, but barely.

As AR I raise my flag, but the referee does not see it. A couple of seconds later the referee whistles a foul and issues a caution for unsporting behavior. My flag is still up. Before the restart he sees the flag and elects to restart play with the throw-in.

Should the caution be rescinded, since technically the ball was out of play and the foul and caution “never occurred”?

(Actually, the referee never saw my flag and restarted with the free kick. But I got to thinking about the above possibility.)

USSF answer (April 7, 2008):
The referee’s decision to restart with the throw-in was (or would have been) correct. When the referee decides to go with the AR’s flag for a throw-in, then the “foul” and misconduct become simply misconduct, which can still be punished with a caution for unsporting behavior. The decision to go with the throw-in does not void punishment for the cautionable offense.…

Question:
in a recent game, the attacking team A shot into the box from a wide position, striking a player on Team B, the defending team(who was inside the box). the referee stopped play and awarded a free kick with the ball clearly placed inside the box approximately 5 yards from the top and 5 yards from the side of the box. the free kick was taken w/out any scoring. at halftime, we saw the referee and asked what infringement had occurred on the play-specifically asking if it had been an indirect foul such as dangerous play. the referee said that it was actually a handball inside the box but he did not deem the foul to be worthy of a penalty.
is a free kick inside the box a correct application of the laws of the game in this case?

USSF answer (April 7, 2008):
Another case of a referee with no courage. While the Laws of the Game allow referees plenty of discretion, allowing them to make some decisions based on the statement in the Laws that many infringements occur only “in the opinion of the referee,” this is not one of them.

Based on your statement that the ball struck the player (rather than the player striking the ball, which would be deliberately handling the ball), it would appear that there was no infringement at all. If the ball simply hits a player’s “hand” (anywhere on the arm from shoulder to finger tip), that is not a foul. There must be a conscious act by the player to manipulate (sorry for the unintended pun) the ball.

Timid referees like this one might consider giving up the game altogether, as they do no favor for referees who want to get it right.…

Question:
This applies to all USSF games.
I recently heard that once a goal is scored the Referee is to blow his whistle and point to the center spot.

What is the difference between a defensive free kick which requires to blow the whistle and point the direction and the Goal scored and blowing the whistle and pointing toward the center spot when you are in the last third of the of each end?

Blowing the whistle and Raising the arm and pointing to the center spot when in the penalty area gives the impression to the fans, coaches and managers that a defensive free kick has been awarded not a goal.

USSF answer (April 7, 2008):
Correct practice for the referee and lead assistant referee is outlined in the USSF publication “Guide to Procedures for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials.” The guidance you seek for the referee’s signal reads:
“Points up field and, only when satisfied that the teams are disengaged and further attention on the goal area is not needed, backpedals toward center circle.”

A whistle would be required only if it is needed to get the attention of players — e. g., the ball is still being played despite the fact that the AR has signaled a successful goal.

The signal of pointing toward the halfway line is traditional throughout the world. If “fans, coaches and managers” in your area are confused, it might be because they have not followed play closely enough.

The Laws of the Game do not require a whistle in this situation — see above. You can find guidance on when to whistle in the Additional Instructions and Guidelines for Referees and Assistant Referees in the back of the full version of the Laws of the Game 2007/2008:

Use of whistle
The whistle is needed to:
• start play (1st, 2nd half), after a goal
• stop play
– for a free kick or penalty kick
– if match is suspended or terminated
– when a period of play has ended due to the expiration of time
• restart play at
– free kicks when the wall is ordered back the appropriate distance
– penalty kicks
• restart play after it has been stopped due to
– the issue of a yellow or red card for misconduct
– injury
– substitution
The whistle is NOT needed
• to stop play for:
– a goal kick, corner kick or throw-in
– a goal
• to restart play from
– a free kick, goal kick, corner kick, throw-in
A whistle which is used too frequently unnecessarily will have less impact when it is needed. When a discretionary whistle is needed to start play, the referee should clearly announce to the players that the restart may not occur until after that signal.

Question:
On occasion, especially during difficult weather conditions, players are allowed to wear additional clothing, such as long pants in cold weather, or a sweatshirt under their uniform. The league or tournament usually tells the referees to allow this, or sometimes I do this on my own if I feel it’s appropriate. But what about the referees? I’m talking about such things as long pants or a hat in cold weather, or more importantly for someone like me who wears eyeglasses, wearing a cap in the rain so that I can actually see the play! Who has the authority to allow or deny deviation from the official uniform? Is it the SRA, the SDI, the referee assignor for that particular leagure or tournament?

USSF answer (April 2, 2008):
As to caps or other hats, Federation policy on hats was published in the October 1999 issue of Fair Play and has been reiterated several times in this venue:

Q. May referees wear caps and sunglasses?
A. With regard to caps, the policy of the United States Soccer Federation was stated in the Spring 1994 issue of Fair Play magazine: “Under normal circumstances, it is not acceptable for a game official to wear headgear, and it would never be seen on a high level regional, national or international competition. However, there may be rare circumstances in local competitions where head protection or sun visors might sensibly be tolerated for the good of the game, e.g. early morning or late afternoon games with sun in the officials’ line of sight causing vision difficulties; understaffed situations where an official with sensitive skin might be pressed into service for multiple games under strong sunlight or a referee who wears glasses needing shielding from rain.” Sunglasses would be subject to the same considerations. In addition, we ask referees to remember that sunglasses have the unfortunate side effect of suggesting that the referee or assistant referee is severely visually impaired and should not be working the game. They also limit communication between the officials and the players by providing a barrier against eye-to-eye contact. Sunglasses, if worn, should be removed prior to any verbal communication with players.

We know from Law 4 and “Law 18” (Common Sense) what equipment the players may wear. We also know that the intelligent referee will try to make an exception for players due to severe weather conditions, such as knit caps or gloves on very cold days. This would even extend to tracksuit pants, provided everyone on the team wears the same color — which need not be the same as the color of the shorts. The same is true of the officiating crew.

There should be no need for a written statement regarding referee attire. Referees are expected to look professional for every game they do, regardless of the level of play. Referees should exercise good sense in choosing what to wear — and what not to wear. Indeed, they should be certain to take care to protect themselves from severe weather conditions just as the players do. However, the intelligent referee will ensure that the officiating crew is not dressed more warmly than the players for whom they are officiating the game.…