Law 6 – The Other Match Officials

1. The assistant referees

Three assistant referees may be appointed (a third referee, a fourth referee and a timekeeper) who must perform their duties in accordance with the Futsal Laws of the Game. They are positioned off the pitch, level with the halfway line and on the same side as the substitution zones. The timekeeper remains seated at the timekeeper’s table, while the third and fourth referees’ duties may be performed either seated or standing up.

The timekeeper and the third and fourth referees are equipped with a suitable chronometer and the necessary equipment to keep a record of accumulated fouls, which are supplied by the association or club under whose jurisdiction the match is being played, and they may assist the referees with offences when they have a clearer view than the referees.

They are provided with a timekeeper’s table in order to perform their duties correctly.

2. Powers and duties

The third referee:

• assists the referees and the timekeeper;
• keeps a record of the players taking part in the match;
• monitors the replacement of balls at the request of the referees;
• checks the substitutes’ equipment before they enter the pitch;
• records the goalscorers’ numbers;
• informs the on-pitch referees regarding any offence, misconduct or unsporting behaviour by any participant in the match, which the referees may decide to take into consideration or not;
• informs the timekeeper of a request for a timeout when a team official makes one;
• gives the mandatory timeout signal once the timekeeper has sounded the acoustic signal, to inform the referees and the teams that the timeout has been granted;
• keeps a record of the timeouts requested;
• keeps a record of the accumulated fouls by each team signalled by the referees in each period of play;
• gives the mandatory signal that one team has committed five accumulated fouls in one period of play;
• places a clearly visible sign on the timekeeper’s table to indicate that a team has committed five accumulated fouls in one period of play;
• records the names and numbers of any players cautioned or sent off;
• hands a document to the officials of each team before the start of each period of play with which they can request timeouts, and collects these documents at the end of each period if no timeouts have been requested;

TIMEOUT

TEMPS MORT

TIEMPO MUERTO

وقت مستقطع

• hands a document to the officials of each team which indicates when a substitute can enter the pitch to replace a player who has been sent off;

THE SUBSTITUTE MAY ENTER THE PITCH WHEN THERE

IS/ARE ____ MINUTE(S) AND ____ SECOND(S) LEFT ON THE CHRONOMETER

BEFORE THE END OF THE ____ PERIOD.

LE REMPLAÇANT POURRA ENTRER SUR LE TERRAIN QUAND

LE CHRONOMÈTRE INDIQUERA ____ MINUTE(S) ET ____ SECONDE(S)

AVANT LA FIN DE LA ____ PÉRIODE.

EL SUPLENTE PODRÁ ENTRAR EN EL TERRENO DE JUEGO CUANDO EL CRONÓMETRO INDIQUE ____ MINUTO(S) Y ____ SEGUNDO(S) PARA

FINALIZAR EL ____ PERIODO.

ٍميكن لالعب البديل أن يدخل أرضية امللعب إذا

تبقت يف الكرونومرت____دقيقة/دقائق، و____ثانية/ثواٍن

عىل نهاية الشوط____.

• under the referees’ supervision, checks the re-entry of a player who has left the pitch to correct their equipment;
• under the referees’ supervision, checks the re-entry of a player who has left the pitch due to an injury of any kind;
• signals to the referees when an obvious error has been made in cautioning or sending off a player or if an act of violent conduct has been committed out of the referees’ field of vision. In all cases, the referees decide on any facts connected with play;
• supervises the conduct of the persons situated in the technical area and on the benches, and informs the referees of any inappropriate behaviour;
• keeps a record of stoppages in play because of outside interference and the reasons for them;
• assists the referees by providing any other relevant information regarding the match;
• takes a position on the pitch as described in the relevant sections of the Practical Guidelines for Futsal Referees and Other Match Officials, when required to do so;
• replaces the second referee in the event that the referee or second referee becomes injured or indisposed.

The timekeeper:

ensures that the duration of the match complies with the provisions of Law 7 by:

• starting the chronometer after the first kick-off in each period has been taken correctly;
• stopping the chronometer when the ball is out of play;
• restarting the chronometer after play has been correctly resumed following a kick-in, a goal clearance, a corner kick, a kick-off, a free kick, a penalty kick or a dropped ball;
• stopping the chronometer after a goal has been scored, after a penalty kick or a free kick has been awarded, or after a player has been injured;
• stopping the chronometer whenever the referees signal to them to do so;
• recording the goals, accumulated fouls and periods of play on the public scoreboard, if one is available;
• indicating a team’s request for a timeout with a different whistle or acoustic signal from the one used by the referees, after being informed of the request by the third referee or one of the on-pitch referees;
• timing the one-minute timeout;
• indicating the end of the one-minute timeout with a different whistle or acoustic signal from the one used by the referees;
• indicating the fifth accumulated foul by a team with a different whistle or acoustic signal from the one used by the referees, after being informed by the third referee;
• timing a team’s two-minute numerical reduction;
• signalling the end of the first period, the end of the match and the end of the periods of extra time, if extra time is played, with a different whistle or acoustic signal from the one used by the referees;
• taking a position by the pitch as described in the relevant sections of the Practical Guidelines for Futsal Referees and Other Match Officials;
• performing the specific duties of the third referee in the event of the latter’s absence, if a fourth referee is not appointed;
• providing any other relevant information regarding the match.

3. International matches

For international matches, the presence of a third referee and a timekeeper is mandatory.

For international matches, the chronometer used must incorporate all the necessary functions (precise timekeeping and a device to time one or more two-minute numerical reductions simultaneously and monitor the accumulation of fouls by each team during each period of play).

4. Fourth referee

A fourth referee may be appointed under the competition rules. Their role and duties must be in accordance with the provisions stipulated in the Futsal Laws of the Game.

The fourth referee:

• replaces the third referee if either of the referees or the third referee is unable to start or continue officiating the match and can also replace the timekeeper if needed;
• assists the referees and the third referee at all times, including with any administrative duties before, during and after the match, as required by the referees;
• submits a report after the match to the appropriate authorities on any misconduct or any other incident that occurred out of the view of the referees, and also advises the referees of any report being made;
• records all incidents occurring before, during and after the match;
• carries an alternative manual chronometer in case it is required due to an incident of any kind;
• takes a position near the timekeeper, so as to be able to assist the referees and the third referee by providing any relevant information regarding the match.