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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Referees, VAR & Discipline

Referee

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˌrefəˈriː/nounCore term

In football (soccer), referee means: The official in charge of a match who applies the rules, blows the whistle, gives fouls and shows yellow and red cards.

In Turkish: hakem, orta hakem

How it is used

The referee is helped by two assistant referees, a fourth official and, in many competitions, VAR. Fans and players often say ref. Common verbs: the referee blows the whistle, awards a penalty, waves play on and books a player.

Example sentences

  1. The referee pointed to the spot after the defender pulled his shirt.

  2. Don't argue with the referee; you'll only get booked.

Common collocations

  • the referee blows the whistle
  • referee's decision
  • match referee
  • the referee awards a penalty
  • assistant refereeOne of the two officials who run along the touchlines with a flag, signalling offside, throw-ins, goal kicks and fouls the referee may have missed.
  • fourth officialThe match official who stands between the two technical areas, manages substitutions, shows the added time and helps the referee with other duties.
  • VARVideo assistant referee: officials who watch replays and advise the referee about clear and obvious errors in key, match-changing situations.
  • yellow cardA card the referee shows to caution a player for offences such as reckless tackles, time-wasting or dissent; a second one in the same match means a red card.
  • advantageThe referee's decision to let play continue after a foul because stopping it would hurt the team that was fouled.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Referees, VAR & Discipline

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