Guide to Soccer: Referee's What Are They Saying

I've been a soccer mom for years now. My daughter started playing soccer, I think when she was five or six years old. She is now 16 and heading for a soccer scholarship when the time comes. One thing I always had trouble with, understanding the referees signals.

Referees are a critical part of the game of soccer. They are responsible for keeping order and enforcing the rules. I discovered years ago that to be a true soccer fan, I had to learn what the referee was saying with his or her hands.

For all you soccer fans out there, that have the same problem, here is a crash course in refereeing.

1. Listen for the Whistle
When a referee blows his whistle, that means he has seen something that a player has done wrong. It's most often a foul, which requires him or her to stop play immediately and deal with the situation.

Often time the whistle tone will tell you the nature of the foul. A quick short whistle indicates a small foul that is only punished by a free kick. A longer and harder whistle indicates a serious foul. The punishment is a card or penalty kicks.

2.Watch for the Advantage
If a referee who, does not blow his or her whistle but puts both arms out, indicates he or she has seen a foul but has decided to let the play go on. The referee will tell the players to "play on." In an advantage, the referee delay making the call because he or she believes the team that was fouled still has the advantage of the situation. Basically the referee will give about 3 seconds to determine which team will come out on top. After the 3 seconds, the fouled team gained the advantage; the referee will ignore the foul. For example: the fouled team kept the possession of the ball or scored a goal. But, if the foul warranted a card, he or she will show the card at the next stoppage in play.

3.Direct Free Kicks
A direct free kick is awarded to one of the players when a player commits one of the ten penal fouls against an opponent. For the referee to signal a direct kick, he or she will blow the whistle and will raise his or her arm and point in the direction of the goal that the team who has been awarded the free kick is attacking. A goal may be scored for a direct free kick.

4. A Indirect Free Kick
If the referee is signaling for a free kick but jeeps his hand above his head, then the referee is signaling for an indirect free kick. An indirect free kick is awarded for any foul that doesn't fall under the category of penal foul, or a foul that was not committed against the opponents. Another player cannot score a goal from an indirect free kick until the ball has been touch. The referee has to keep his or her hand up until the ball has been kicked.

5. Watch for the Penalty Kick
If the referee is pointing directly to the penalty spot, or a spot that is two-thirds of the way between the penalty area line and goal line. The referee is indicating that a player has committed a direct free kick within his own penalty area and a penalty kick has been issued.

6. A Yellow Card
When you see a referee pull a yellow card out of his or her pocket this is indicating that the player has committed one of the seven caution able offenses. The referee, on a card, notes a player who is issued a yellow card and if a second yellow card is issued, the player is sent off the field.

7. A Red Card
A red card is indicating the player has committed a serious offense, one of the "deadly sins" and is sent off the field immediately and must leave the vicinity of the field of play. In professional matches, the player has to head to the changeroom.

8. Watch for other signals
There are several other signals to watch and learn. If a referee points at the goal with his arm pointed straight, parallel to the ground, this is signaling for a goal kick.

A referee who points at the corner flag (corner of the field) with his or her arm pointed upward, this is signaling for a corner kick.

9. Ten fouls that may be punished by the referee with a direct free kick:
Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
Tripping or attempting to trip an opponent
Jumping at an opponent
Charging an opponent
Striking or attempting to strike an opponent
Pushing an opponent
Tackling an opponent to gain possession of the ball
Making contact with the opponents before touching the ball
Holding an opponent
Spitting at an opponent
Handling the ball deliberately

10. Eight offenses, which the referee may award an indirect free kick:
The goalkeeper takes more than six seconds while controlling the ball with his hands before releasing it from his possession.
The goalkeeper touches the ball again with his hands after it has been released from his possession and has not touched any other player.
The goalkeeper touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a teammate.
The goalkeeper touches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a teammate.
Playing in a dangerous manner.
Impeding the progress of an opponent.
Preventing the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hand.
Any other offense is committed for which play is stopped to caution or send-off a player.

11. The referee will caution and show the yellow card to a player who:
Is guilty of unsportsmanship behavior.
Shows dissent by action or words.
Persistently infringes the Laws of the Game
Delays the restart of play.
Fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick or free kick.
Enters or re-enters the field of play without the referee's permission
Deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee's permission.

12. The referee will send-off and show the red card to a player who:
Is guilty of serious foul play.
Is guilty of violent conduct.
Spits at an opponent or any other person.
Denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (except the goalkeeper within his own penalty box).
Denies an obvious goal scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick.
Uses offensive insulting or abusive language and /or gestures.
Receives a second caution in the same match.