Law 6... the Assistant Referee

At times, the raising of a flag at a motor racing event signals a winner. Similarly, the raising of an assistant referee's flag, or lack of it, can determine the outcome of a football match.

The two assistant referees at every match are there to assist the referee in making a decision. However, many a time the use or misuse of the flag is of such importance that it may not only decide a match but also the winning of a championship or relegation of a team.

Lately, assistant referees have come under fire for, as journalists and fans put it, not carrying out their duties correctly. Assistant referees are human and commit mistakes but in the vast majority of decisions made, they could not be faulted.

An assistant referee has a very important role to play. He is to assist the referee, among other things, by reporting infringements of the Laws of the Game, which have occurred out of the view of the referee, and by signalling offences which have been committed closer to them than to where the referee is. This also in-cludes offences committed in the penalty area.

There are many who cannot fathom the fact that an assistant referee can practically award a penalty.

His clear indication to the referee that something against the Laws has happened in the box by a member of the defending team, which should be penalised by the referee by awarding a direct free-kick in the penalty area, will surely convince any referee worth his salt to point to the spot.

Many of these incidents happen on the blind side of referees and so they are very grateful for their assistants flagging.

The most difficult decision for an assistant referee is the offside decision. He has got to be in line with the second last defender the whole time and he has to move up and down nimbly. These days, the assistant referee must also adopt what is known as the 'wait-and-see' attitude. He must be 100 per cent sure that a player who is offside is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, involved in active play.

This literally means that he is interfering with play or interfering with an opponent or that the player is gaining an advantage by being in that position.

So, in a split second, an assistant referee must sort out all these possibilities. It is no easy task. This is the major reason why FIFA decided to enlist a panel of assistant referees whose sole job would be to act as such.

Any assistant referee who is appointed to FIFA or UEFA matches must be on the panel of assistant referees - in an international match they must be chosen from a specialised panel while in a UEFA match they may be appointed from the said specialised panel or from a similar panel from the respective countries.

Malta does not lag behind on this matter. We have eight FIFA assistant referees and another seven who carry out their duties in the Premier and First Division leagues. They are a sturdy group who know that their duty is extremely delicate and they cannot fail in their duty to the referee and to the game in general.

Let me end on a note which many who attend matches do not know anything about. If the referee feels that anyone of his assistants is guilty of undue interference or improper conduct, then the referee has the right to relieve him of his duties.

Yes, he has the right to send him off and make a report to the national association.

So, you see, even an assistant referee can be red-carded.

Mind you, in 43 years connected to the game, I have never known it to happen.