A referee (right) making a decision during the match Israel-Andorra in the McDOS Goffertstadion

A referee presides over a game of association football. The Israeli National Football Team (נבחרת ישראל בכדורגל is the national football team of Israel and is controlled by the Israel Football Association See also Andorra CF The Andorra national football team is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation. The Goffertstadion or Stadion de Goffert, known as McDOS Goffertstadion for sponsorship reasons is a football stadium in Nijmegen, Netherlands Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The referee has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and the referee's decisions regarding facts connected with play are final, so far as the result of the game is concerned. The Laws of the Game are the rules governing a game of Association football.

The referee is assisted by two assistant referees (formerly known as linesmen), and in some matches also by a fourth official. Two assistant referees (previously known as linesmen) assist the referee in controlling an association football match Two assistant referees (previously known as linesmen) assist the referee in controlling an association football match In 2006, the appointment of a fifth official also became possible, due to implementation by FIFA. Two assistant referees (previously known as linesmen) assist the referee in controlling an association football match The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) The match officials utilise a positioning system known as the diagonal system of control. The diagonal system of control is the system of positioning used by match officials ( referees and Assistant referees in association football (soccer

The vast majority of referees are amateur, though they are usually paid a small fee and/or expenses for their services. However, in some countries a limited number of referees - who mainly officiate in their country's top division - are employed full-time by their national associations and receive a retainer at the start of every season plus match fees.

Referees are licensed and trained by the same National organizations that are members of FIFA. Each National organization recommends its top officials to FIFA to have the additional honor of being named a FIFA official. International games between National teams require FIFA officials. Otherwise, the local National organization determines the manner of training, ranking and advancement of officials from the youngest youth games through professional matches.

Powers and duties

The referee now carries a yellow card and a red card, for cautioning and sending off players. A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning reprimanding or penalising a player coach or team official

The referee's powers and duties are described by Law 5 of the Laws of the Game. ^[1] These include:

• enforcing the Laws of the Game;
• controlling the match in co-operation with the assistant referees and, where applicable, with the fourth official;
• ensuring that any ball used meets the requirements of Law 2;
• ensuring that the players' equipment meets the requirements of Law 4;
• acting as timekeeper and keeping a record of the match;
• stopping, suspending or terminating the match, at his discretion, for any infringements of the Laws;
• stopping, suspending or terminating the match because of outside interference of any kind;
• stopping the match if, in his opinion, a player is seriously injured and ensuring that he is removed from the field of play. A football is a Ball used to play one of the various sports known as Football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered An injured player may only return to the field of play after the match has restarted;
• allowing play to continue until the ball is out of play if a player is, in his opinion, only slightly injured.

Whistle use

warming up

Referees use a whistle to indicate the commencement or restart of play, to stop or delay play due to an infringement or injury, or to indicate that time has expired in the half. A simple whistle is a Woodwind instrument which produces Sound from a stream of forced air The whistle is an important tool for the Referee along with verbal, body and eye communication. The use of whistles is not mandated by the Laws of the Game.

In fact, the whistle was not mentioned in the Laws of the Game (LOTG) until very recently. The Laws of the Game are the rules governing a game of Association football. The main LOTG simply mentions the referee should signal certain events. Only in 2007, when the IFAB greatly expanded the LOTG Additional Instructions section, did they mention the whistle. The International Football Association Board ( IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. In fact, they wrote up a full page of advice on how and when the whistle should be used as a communication and control mechanisms by the Referee.

Before the introduction of the whistle, referees indicated their decisions by waving a handkerchief. The whistles that were first adopted by referees were made by Joseph Hudson at Mills Munitions in Birmingham, England. Joseph Hudson was an inventor in Birmingham, England during the late 19th century Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um The ACME Whistle Company (based at Mills Munitions Factory) first began to mass produce pea whistles in the 1870s for the Metropolitan Police Service. "Metropolitan Police" redirects here See also Metropolitan police. It is frequently stated the referee's whistle was first used in a game between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Norfolk in 1878; however no such fixture is known to have taken place between the two clubs in that year. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English professional football club based at the City Ground in West Bridgford, a suburb of Nottingham

Uniform

Modern day referees and their assistants wear a uniform consisting of a jersey, shorts and socks: until the 1950s it was more common for a referee to wear a blazer than a jersey. Traditionally that uniform was almost always all black, unless one of the teams was wearing a very dark jersey in which case the referee would wear another colour of jersey (usually red) to distinguish himself from both teams. At the 1994 World Cup finals, new jerseys were introduced that gave officials a choice of burgundy, yellow or white, and at the same time the creation of the FA Premier League in England saw referees wear green jerseys: both changes were motivated by television considerations. The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from June 17 to July 17 1994 The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs Since then, most referees have worn either yellow or black, but the colours and styles adopted by individual associations vary greatly. For international contests under the supervision of FIFA, Adidas uniforms are worn because Adidas is the current sponsor. FIFA allows referees to wear five colours: black, red, yellow, blue and green.

See also

• List of football referees
• Assistant referee (association football)
• Fourth official
• Fifth official
• Diagonal system of control
• Misconduct (football)
• FA Cup Final referees

References