Referee Resources

Laws 4 & 11 Law 4 - Players' Equipment

1.  CSA Policy on Law 4 (2005): Click Here

2.  OSA: Law 4: Application of CSA Guidelines in Ontario (March 2006): Click Here

3.  OSA clarification memo: Click Here

4.  OSA Update on head wear & knee braces (June 2006): Click Here

5. FIFA "Law 4" the Players equipment: Click Here

Law 11 - Offside

1. New interpretations of Law 11 were published in the July 2005 FIFA Laws of the Game.  The key change was the definition of "interfering with Play," which is one of the three components that define whether a player is actively involved in the play:  Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.  In essence, what it means is that if an attacking player is in an offside position, but not interfering with a opponent, the referee should wait until he touches the ball before penalising him for being offside (subject to the clarification below).

2. A clarification letter issued in August 2005 modifies the definition of "interfering with play" that was published in the July 2005 FIFA Laws of the Game: click here. The key point in this letter is: "A player in an offside position may be penalised before playing or touching the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball." This explains why we see offsides being called in World Cup play even though the offside player hasn't touched the ball. The referee is using the new interpretation of the offside rule, but he has determined that no other team-mate in an onside position had the opportunity to play the ball. The only time a referee has to wait until the offside player touches the ball is if an onside team-mate has an opportunity to touch the ball -- then the referee has to wait to see who touches it first.

All referees must be familiar with the Club's Conflict of Interest Policy for Referees. Please refer to section 6.1 of the Club's Policies & Procedures document.