IV.

Officials

Soccer differs from other team sports in that there is only one referee, who makes all decisions related to rules. In most countries, the referee is also the sole timekeeper and has discretion to add time to the end of the game if he or she believes one team has intentionally wasted time. Or the referee may add time at the end of the game because of player injuries or other delays.

The referee can eject players from a match for violent or unbecoming conduct. The referee may show a player who commits an especially dangerous foul a yellow card, which is an official caution. A player who is shown the yellow card twice in one game is ejected, and his team must compete a player short for the remainder of the match. If a single foul is violent enough, the referee may immediately show the player a red card, which means automatic ejection. Soccer uses the yellow and red card system throughout the world. This means that even if the players and referee do not speak the same language, everyone can understand the referee’s actions.

Two assistants, known as linesmen or referees’ assistants, aid the referee. Their primary job is to alert the referee when balls go out of the playing area and to assist in making offsides calls (see Rules section below). The assistants carry flags, which they wave when the ball leaves the playing area or use to point to the spot where a foul was committed.