ASK THE REF:  What Action Would You Take?

Keith Hackett and Paul Trevillion's You Are the Ref series is a cult classic in England.  Now this famous series comes to America on SoccerNation! 

At the elite level of soccer refereeing, sometimes it is fun to turn the tables and say "You are the Ref" and ask the question: What action would you take?

World class referee Keith Hackett on this week's ASK THE REF: "There is no doubt that the role of Manager of the England team is a pressurised job. However Mr. Capello manages throughout to cope with the pressure and criticism. A little bit like a Referee."

This is a great example of one of the many difficult questions referees must handle in the split second of action in a high paced soccer game.  What would you decide if you were the ref? Come on Arm Chair Refs...what would you do?

Keith Hackett says the right answers are, "First, Act Quickly.  First inform the fourth official that he will be stepping in to replace your assistant.  But you clearly need to be ready for the worst: your assistant may not be the only one who is sick. Inform FIFA immediately. Next: The keeper has handled a back pass from a teammate: no-one else touched the ball before he picked it up. It's an indirect free-kick from where he diverted the ball. Finally: No, there is no need to intervene if you can see clearly that the shirt design is identical to the ripped shirt.  Technically, under Law 4, he should leave the field to change equipment and can then only re-enter during a stoppage once you have checked all is ok.  But that regulation is really just to stop him fom putting on dangerous boots - here he is just changing his shirt and you can't have a dangerous shirt.  So there is no need to interrupt play to be fussy over this.  As for the name and the number, it's worth remembering that these are not essential for a replacement shirt if the original is damaged or contaminated with blood.  Plain spare shirts without names or numbers are always available. Referee News from Hackett, who says, "At its recent meeting the IFAB the body responsible for the Laws of the game banned the wearing of the SNOOD a form of scarf which in cold weather was growing in popularity.  This ban comes into immediate effect." RELATED ARTICLES: ASK THE REF

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 Keith Hackett is a world class ref and the author of You Are the Ref, the Ultimate Illustrated Guide to the Laws of Football and the new book, You Are the Umpire.  The books are available on Amazon.com.  The amazing illustrations are by Paul Trevillion. 

You Are The Ref is a cult classic comic strip in England.  SN is thrilled to bring this to our American soccer audience and share these stunning portraits of soccer stars from all eras. For anyone who has ever questioned a ref's eyesight or grappd with a clearly 'wrong' call, now it is your turn! 

According to David James, "Anyone who loves the game knows You Are The Ref.  Paul Trevillion's brillant art has been around for generations!"

Any opinions expressed in this column shall not be construed as advice on Laws of the Game, and may not represent the official position of US Soccer, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), CalSouth, the Presidio League, or any affiliates thereof unless specified with appropriate attribution or reference.