AYSO Region 206 Website

Assistant Referees are not Referee's Assistants

John Meisner, Section 13 Referee Administrator

I don't understand why soccer sports announcers call the two officials roving up and down the touchlines carrying flags "Referee's Assistants". These men and women do not carry the referee's bags or help them get dressed. You wouldn't call a co-pilot a pilot's assistant, would you? So, just how important are assistant referees anyway? Let's take a look at what the duties were of the linesmen (as they were once called) in 1982:

Law VI - Linesmen

The linesmen are to indicate:

- When the ball is out of play

- Which side is entitled to a corner-kick, goal-kick or throw-in

- When a substitution is desired

- When a player may be penalised for an offside offence

In 1996 FIFA changed linesmen to assistant referees to be gender neutral and to reflect the important role these officials play during the match. In 2000, FIFA made changes that greatly increased the responsibilities of assistant referees:

Law VI - The Assistant Referees

New text:

Duties:

Two assistant referees are appointed whose duties, subject to the decision of the referee, are to indicate:

- When the whole of the ball has passed out of the field of play

- Which side is entitled to a corner kick, goal kick or throw-in

- When a player may be penalized for being in an offside position

- When a substitution is requested

- When misconduct or any other incident has occurred out of the view of the referee

- When offences have been committed whenever the assistants are closer to the action than the referee (this includes, in particular circumstances, offences committed in the penalty area)

- Whether, at penalty kicks, the goalkeeper has moved forward before the ball has been kicked and if the ball has crossed the line

Assistance:

The assistant referees also assist the referee to control the match in accordance with the Laws of the Game. In particular, they may enter the field of play to help control the 9.15m distance. According to Law 5, referees "control the match in co-operation with the assistant referees and, where applicable, with the fourth official". It also states referees "acts on the advice of assistant referees regarding incidents that he has not seen", and "The referee may only change a decision on realizing that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee, provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match."

As you can see, the duties of the assistant referee have changed over the years to better reflect the modern roles of these officials. They are now expected to be more involved in the game and have been given specific responsibilities that could affect the outcome of the game. Remember, assistant referees are trained and certified officials and in my opinion are just as important as co-pilots!