Law 6: The Other Match Officials Explained
Law 6 defines the roles and powers of assistant referees, the fourth official, additional assistant referees, and the video assistant referee (VAR). It explains when these officials may intervene and how their authority relates to the referee.
Key Points
- 1Assistant referees signal for offside, throw-ins, corner kicks, and goal kicks.
- 2The fourth official assists with substitutions, equipment, and off-field incidents.
- 3VAR is used only for clear and obvious errors in five categories: goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty, red card incidents, mistaken identity, and a clearly incorrectly awarded corner kick where the competition has taken that option.
- 4The referee is not obliged to act on an assistant referee's signal.
- 5A red card that came from a clearly incorrect second caution is reviewable, and mistaken identity can be reviewed for a yellow card as well as a red.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can VAR review in football?
VAR can review five categories of decision: (1) goal/no goal situations, (2) penalty/no penalty decisions, (3) red card incidents, which since 2026/27 includes a red card resulting from a clearly incorrect second caution, (4) mistaken identity where the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player, for a yellow card as well as a red, and (5) a corner kick that was clearly incorrectly awarded, where the competition has taken that option and the decision can be corrected immediately without delaying the restart.
Can an assistant referee overrule the referee?
No. Assistant referees advise the referee but cannot overrule their decisions. The referee remains the final authority. However, with VAR, a referee may be advised to conduct an on-field review and change their original decision.
What is the fourth official's role during a match?
The fourth official assists with pre-match administration, manages substitutions, controls technical areas, signals added time, and reports misconduct by team officials to the referee.
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