Attention is drawn to the
following decisions made at the 2nd UEFA Seminar for international
assistant referees for the benefit of international football in Europe
by adopting a standard approach in the performances of assistant
referees.
1. It was noted that there
had been no changes in the offside law for the season 2002/03, nor any
extra IFAB or FIFA directives.
2. If an assistant referee is
not totally sure about an offside offence the flag should not be raised
(i.e. in case of doubt benefit must be given to the attacking team).
3. In deciding whether an
attacking player is nearer to the opponent's goal line than the second
last defender, consideration should be given to the position of the
attacker’s feet and body in respect to that of the second last defender.
("Air space" or similar misleading phrases should not be used by
instructors, but instructors should emphasise that assistant referees
must be sure that the attacker is nearer to the goal line than the
second last defender).
4. To ensure correct
judgement of offside offences, an assistant referee should not raise the
flag before considering the following criteria, so called "wait and see"
technique:
a. Movement of the ball
(direction, speed, distance, any deflection, etc.)
b. Involvement of the player
in active play by:
· interfering with play or
· interfering with an
opponent or
It is better to be slightly
late and correct, than to be too quick and wrong.
5. If a flag signal for
offside is given and is not seen immediately by the referee; the
assistant referee must keep signalling until it has been recognised or
the ball is clearly in control of the defending team (the electronic
beep signal is used to alert the referee to the flag signal).
6. For very tight judgements
where an assistant referee decides "not offside" a discreet hand signal
may give valuable support to the referee when the referee makes
eye-contact. Ball out of the field of play
7. Whenever the ball leaves
the field of play, the flag signal of the assistant referee should show
clearly the correct restart and direction. In clear throw-in situations,
the assistant referee can directly show the direction (along the whole
touch line). But if he has any doubt about the direction, the assistant
referee should simply raise his flag, make eye contact with the referee
and follow the referee's signal. On very tight decisions, when the ball
stays in play, a discreet hand signal could give valuable support to the
referee.
8. Whenever an assistant
referee signals the ball out of the field of play (even if players
continue to play the ball) he must retain the signal until acknowledged
by the referee taking action.
9.
When the ball enters a goal:
To confirm a valid goal has
been scored, an assistant referee should display clear movement down the
touchline towards the centre line. In borderline cases, this movement
should be clear (sprint) to be recognised by the referee. To confirm a
goal, the assistant referee should not raise his flag. If in his opinion
a goal has not been scored correctly, the assistant referee should stand
still, retaining any signal already given. The referee may then choose
to consult further if he needs additional guidance.
10. An assistant referee must
use a raised flag signal to advise the referee that he has seen a foul
committed (or unsporting behaviour or violent conduct) when he is better
positioned than the referee and the referee has not clearly acted on the
offence. If the assistant referee has additional information, concerning
the offence, he wishes to give to the referee or if the referee has not
seen his flag signal the electronic beep signal should be used, but only
to supplement the flag signal already given.
It was agreed that such
action by an assistant referee will be taken for all appropriate
offences including those committed inside the penalty area. Additionally
it was agreed that there was benefit in the assistant referee being seen
to be aware and signalling for any offence in his immediate vicinity and
this practice is recommended. When a flag is raised for Law 12 offences,
it should be unfurled and waved to distinguish from the signal for
offside.
11. If a flag signal for any
offence is not seen immediately by the referee, the assistant referee
must keep signalling until he is acknowledged by the referee or he
recognises a clear advantage to the team against which the offence has
been committed.
12. It was recognised that
eye-contact and discreet hand signals from an assistant referee maybe
helpful in passing information to a referee e.g. type of offence, next
action etc. This would reduce the need for him to come across to the
assistant referee for consultation.
Where direct consultation is
necessary between the referee and assistant referee, the information
should include, as concisely as possible, what happened, which players
were involved, the precise location, recommended action and the re-start
of play. It is recommended that in such cases the assistant referee
advances towards the referee by four to five metres.
During consultation, the
assistant referee and referee should both face the field of play. It is
usually appropriate to avoid the consultation being heard or understood
by others.
13. Offences of violent
conduct seen and signalled by an assistant referee must be acted upon in
accordance with the Laws of the Game by the referee. If play has been
stopped for the disciplinary action (even if the signal has not been
seen immediately and play has continued), the restart must also be in
accordance with the Laws (free kick / penalty kick). However, if the
assistant referee's signal is not seen immediately and play has been
restarted for a subsequent situation only the appropriate disciplinary
action can be taken against the offending player.
14. Where a referee seeks
guidance from an assistant referee concerning the exact location of an
offence near the boundary of the penalty area the action of the
assistant referee should be as follows:
a. If the offence is inside
the penalty area the assistant referee moves visibly down the
touchline towards the corner flag.
b. If the offence is outside
the penalty area the assistant referee stands still having moved to be
in line with the edge of the penalty area.
Obvious incorrect decision of the referee
15. If an assistant referee
knows that a referee has made an obvious disciplinary error (e.g. two
yellow cards to the same player without sending him off, red or yellow
card to the wrong player, player kicked the ball twice at free kick,
etc.) he must intervene immediately (flag and beep or even enter the
field of play). The other assistant referee (or 4th official) should if
necessary, also assist in such case.
Control of the 9.15m distance
16. When a referee chooses to
use the help of an assistant referee on the field of play to control the
9.15m distance from the ball at free-kick, it is recommended that the
assistant referee does not physically measure the 9.15m but rather
asserts his control from the position of the ball. This exceptional on
field involvement of the assistant referee is recommended only for free
kicks very near the touchline.
Free kick close to the
penalty area
17. At free-kicks close to
the penalty area, the assistant referee should position himself in line
with the second last defender (controlling the offside), but also with
awareness of the goal line. The referee should control the ball and the
wall.
18. When possible an
assistant referee, after a free kick for offside has been given, should
position himself in line with the spot where the ball should be
positioned to restart the game. He should then immediately take up a
position to control the offside line (level with the second-last
defender), which is his priority. This priority was re-emphasised in the
seminar.
Goal
kick and goal clearance
19. For goal kicks and when
the goalkeeper is in possession of the ball inside his own penalty area,
it is advised that the assistant occasionally checks that the ball is
correctly positioned or that the goalkeeper does not cross the 16 metre
line before releasing the ball from his hands. This should be done in
convenient situations (e.g. second last defender near the penalty area).
Control of offside from subsequent play is the priority concern.
This priority was re-emphasised
in the seminar.
20. For corner kicks, it is
recommended that the assistant involved takes a position behind the flag
in line with the goal line.
21. When a penalty kick is
awarded during the normal course of play, the assistant should be on the
goal line where it meets the penalty area boundary line.
22. For kicks from the
penalty mark to determine the winner of a match, one assistant should be
positioned on the goal line where it meets the goal area boundary line,
with the other assistant controlling the players within the centre
circle.
23. It was decided that when
substitutions take place, they shall be supervised by the fourth
official in co-operation with the referee. The assistant referee does
not need to move to the halfway line.
24. It is recommended that an
assistant referee holds the flag in his hand nearest to the field of
play by switching hands whenever he changes his direction of movement so
that the flag is visible to the referee at any time. It is suggested to
the associations to instruct new assistant referees in this way, however
this technique is not compulsory for experienced assistant referees.
The referee observer shall
continue to assess the performance of the assistant referee according to
the accuracy of his decisions.
UEFA / Referees Committee /
September 2002
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