Small Sided Football - Laws of the Game

The Authority of the Referee

Each game is controlled by a referee who has full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the game to which he has been appointed, from the moment he enters the locality where the playing area is situated until he leaves.

Powers and Duties

The Referee:

• Enforces the Laws of the Game
• Allows play to continue when the team against which an offence has been committed will benefit from such an advantage and penalises the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue at that time
• Keeps a record of the match and provides the appropriate authorities with a game report which includes information on any disciplinary action taken against players, and/or team officials and any other incidents which occur before, during or after the game
• Acts as timekeeper
• Stops, suspends or terminates the game for any infringement of the Laws or due to any kind of outside interference
• Takes disciplinary action against players guilty of cautionable and sending-off offences
• Takes action against team officials who fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner and may, at his discretion, expel them from the playing area and its immediate surrounds
• Ensures that no unauthorised persons enter the playing area
• Stops the game if, in his opinion, upon injury assessment a player is seriously injured and ensures that he is removed from the playing area
• Ensures any player bleeding from a wound leaves the playing area
• Allows play to continue until there is a stoppage in play if a player is, in his opinion, only slightly injured
• Ensures that any ball used meets the requirements of Law 2
• Make use of timed suspensions to exclude temporarily players guilty of infringements of the laws.
• In the absence of a second official, the referee should make excluded players aware of the end of their period of suspension

Decisions of the Referee

The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play are final.