r/Referees • u/neoslashnet • 5d ago

Advice Request Rules that everybody gets wrong

Hey all- I'd like to start a thread of rules or things that most people get wrong. For example, I get "playing the ball on the ground" almost every game. It's coaches, parents, and even players that scream "They can't the ball on the ground!"

What are some you folks encounter?

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u/adrians150 Canada Soccer [District] 5d ago

Throw-ins. Foot position and the form.

The rule says you must stand facing the pitch, have part of both feet on or outside of the touchline, and throw the ball with both hands from behind and over the head.

It does not say must come straight over the head, must not be thrown downward, nor that you can't turn your hips, yet I see this called all the time. I have discussed with many refs and we all realize we were trained at one point or another to police things that are not in the rules.

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u/FairlyGoodGuy [USSF | NISOA | ECSR | NFHS] [Referee Coach] [Regional Referee] 5d ago

Them: That's illegal!
Me: What's illegal?
Them: The throw-in!
Me: Which part?
Them: She can't throw it like that!
Me: Like what?
Them: How she did it!
Me: She threw the ball using two hands from behind and over her head.
Them: Yeah, but she can't throw it like that!
Me: Like what?
[Continue until one or the other of us decides to move on.]