Question:
I’m stumped. I’m a new referee and during my training class two items came up that have recurred in subsequent games that coached and refereed.

1) I know the “tucked in jersey” rule is a USSF one and not a FIFA law. What is the appropriate penalty to a player who’s jersey has come out? The referee in our game told my player to leave the field to fix his jersey.

2) I can’t find a specific rule as to when you can play the ball while you’re on the ground and when you can’t play it.

USSF answer (June 2, 2008):
1) There is no penalty or punishment for a player whose jersey has come out. The player is expected to replace the jersey and to look professional. If the player doesn’t do it on his or her own, then the referee should instruct him or her to do it on the field. There is no need for the player to leave the field to accomplish this arduous task.

2) There is no rule against playing the ball while on the ground. The only rule is that the player on the ground must not place him- or herself or other players in danger by remaining on top of the ball or having the ball between his/her legs, particularly if this is clearly deliberate.…

Question:
If a player loses a boot during open play and continues to play on ( not just kicks the ball away or has a shot at goal) what should the referee do as the player could be putting himself at risk of injury.

If the referee stops play and asks the player to leave the field of play so that he can put his boot back on and then return with the referees permission, how does the referee restart the match.

Does he give a drop ball where the ball was when he stopped play or does he award an indrect free kick to the other side ?

USSF answer (May 26, 2008):
This answer of March 8, 2005 is still valid:
There is no need for the referee to stop the match if the boot was lost accidentally and did not disturb any other players. The player is expected to replace the boot as quickly as possible and get on with play. The referee neither needs to nor should ask the player to leave the field to put the boot back on. Aside from immediate danger, the loss of a boot should be handled the same way as is any issue of illegal equipment: advise the player to correct the problem during play and then, at the next stoppage, require a departure from the field only if the player could not or chose not to comply with the request.

However, if the referee does stop play for this incident, the only possible restart is a dropped ball, taken from the place where the ball was when play was stopped (subject to the special circumstances of Law 8).…

Question:
During a U/15B match being refereed by a Grade 6 referee, the referee admistrator stopped the game during play from the touchline without consulting the center referee. The match was stopped because one team wore two different colored socks. The entire team had matching socks. There was no color conflict with the opposing team. The certer referee was taken aback by this action and stated there was no written law or rule disallowing this, that simply the entire team had to be dressed alike with no color conflict. The admistrator openly chastised the center referee for not knowing the law. The players changed socks and the match resumed.

I went to the the 2008 Laws of the Game and could find no reference not allowing the wearing of different colored socks. Can you clarify this for me?

USSF answer (May 7, 2008):
There is indeed a requirement for uniformity of socks. While nothing is specifically written in Law 4 regarding the color of socks, tradition and common practice dictate that all members of a team (with the possible exception of the goalkeeper) wear socks of the same color, rather than each wearing his or her own choice or wearing socks of one color on one foot and socks of a different color on the other foot.

The ruling will be found in the USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game,” which is based on the Laws, memoranda from FIFA and the International F. A. Board, and in memoranda and policy papers published by the United States Soccer Federation.

QUOTE
4.1 WEARING UNIFORMS
It is implicit in the Law that each side wear a distinctively colored jersey, that shorts and socks be uniform for each team, and that the uniforms be distinguishable from the uniforms worn by the other team. However, the details of the uniform are governed by the competition authority and can vary widely from one match to another. The referee must know and enforce the rules of each competition worked. Players’ jerseys must remain tucked inside their shorts, socks must remain pulled up, and each player must wear shinguards under the socks. All undergarments (slide pants, undershirts, etc.) which extend visibly beyond the required uniform must be as close as possible in color to the main color of the uniform part under which they are worn.

All players must wear jerseys or shirts that distinguish them from the referee and assistant referees. If the colors are the same, the players, not the referees, must change.

Remember that jersey/shirt and shorts must be two separate items, not a single unit.
END OF QUOTE

We are concerned that the overzealous referee administrator interfered and actually forced a stoppage of the game to take care of this matter. By waiting for a stoppage called by the referee, the administrator could have “pointed out” the sock color issue and, if he could, cited a local league or competition rule which clearly required the socks to be of the same color from foot to foot. Otherwise, butt out!!…

Question:
While doing  a pre-game inspection of players prior to a game, I noticed that one of the boys was wearing shin guards that were totally inadequate to protect more than a few inches of his shin — they were about the size of a mens’ wallet. I told him that I would not allow him to play until he found some larger ones, and lo and behold, he did. I later mentioned this to the referee,but he told me that I had no authority in the matter, and if the player wanted to risk his legs, so be it. I disagreed, pointing out that the law prohibits a player from wearing anything that presents a danger to himself, or others, but the man doing the center replied that this referred to items other than mandatory uniform.
Does the U.S.S.F have any guidance as regards this?

p.s. I think that laws or no, I was right- I want no broken legs on my watch!

USSF answer (April 14, 2008):
USSF guidance follows Law 4:
Shinguards
– are covered entirely by the stockings
– are made of a suitable material (rubber, plastic, or similar substances)
– provide a reasonable degree of protection

If, in the opinion of the referee, the shinguards do not “provide a reasonable degree of protection,” then they should not be allowed.…

Question:
Most youth teams do not have long-sleeved shirts or thermal underwear as part of their team uniform. Instead, it has been customary in cold weather for players to wear their own long-sleeve shirts or thermal wear under their jerseys. More often than not, these undergarments do not match the players’ jerseys. Now that the new “matching undergarments” rule has been adopted by FIFA, in cold weather games should a referee (i) enforce the rule and thus require the youth players to either remove their mismatching undergarments (risking hypothermia) or not play or (ii) follow the guidance of the USSF’s position papers on the “no sleeves” rule and exercise common sense and judgment, not enforce the rule, and allow the players to play with the mismatching undergarments?

A leading question to be sure, but one that could use official guidance from the USSF.

USSF answer (April 10, 2008):
Even with the recent IFAB interpretation regarding the color of all undergarments, this answer of November 14, 2002, still applies. Please note that we have updated the excerpt from Advice to the current edition:

Under normal conditions, players are restricted to the uniform and equipment specified in the Laws of the Game under Law 4: jersey or shirt, shorts, stockings, shinguards, and footwear. This and other pertinent information is encapsulated in section 4.1 of the USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game”:

QUOTE ADVICE
4.1 WEARING UNIFORMS
It is implicit in the Law that each side wear a distinctively colored jersey, that shorts and socks be uniform for each team, and that the uniforms be distinguishable from the uniforms worn by the other team. However, the details of the uniform are governed by the competition authority and can vary widely from one match to another. The referee must know and enforce the rules of each competition worked. Players’ jerseys must remain tucked inside their shorts, socks must remain pulled up, and each player must wear shinguards under the socks. All undergarments (slide pants, undershirts, etc.) which extend visibly beyond the required uniform must be as close as possible in color to the main color of the uniform part under which they are worn.
//rest deleted//
END OF QUOTE FROM ADVICE

However, the intelligent referee will try to make an exception 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.
//rest deleted//

Furthermore, it is not uncommon for local leagues (less so tournaments) to have a local rule exception dealing with less than perfect uniforms.…

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:
With the new requirement for undergarments being the same color as the uniform, is it required that all players wear undergarments or can some players wear undergarments and others not wear undergarments.

USSF answer (April 1, 2008):
The requirement for matching colors between undergarments applies only to those players who actually wear the undergarments in question. One would assume that all players wear some sort of undergarments, but we are concerned only with those that show.…

Question:
I was coaching my daughter’s u10 game and a younger ref did the equipment check… I have a girl on the team who has softball/baseball cleats on – they have a plastic stub on the front it is a smaller stud not one that want of great length – he informed her that he had to cut the stub off or change shoes… I told him that I am an R8 Ref and I had looked at the cleats and wanted to know what was unsafe on them… he said that he dose not allow baseball style cleats regardless if they metal or not… I told him I did not agree with the interpretation but it was his game so she played in a spectator’s shoes (they swapped) …

So I have 2 questions: 

Cutting off a stud on the fields — I have to say that getting a knife and cutting off the stud could leave “shaper” or uneven edges…  I would call that more unsafe…
Where in the rules does it say baseball cleats as a whole are not legal?

I clearly remember in the this years re-cert class that baseball cleats are legal in USSF if they are safe; unsafe in my opinion would be metal… or if the front stud sticks out farther then the others.  I did not want to disagree with the ref and tell him I was a ref and he was wrong as it was his game but I would like to have a better understanding for future to tell this parent if they need to get new cleats and I can address it with the club and the assigner.

USSF answer (March 26, 2008):
It is illegal to play soccer in football or baseball cleats of the traditional sort with toe cleats, even if the toe cleats are cut off. There is no documentation on this, other than the requirement that players’ equipment must be safe for them and all participants. Traditional football and baseball cleats are unsafe and not permitted in soccer games. In any event, the final decision rests on the opinion of the referee.…