Welcome to the 51st of The Corsham Referee monthly International Football/Soccer Referees' newsletter.

This newsletter is issued free, and previous issues (and printable pdf versions) can be seen by using the 'Previous Newsletters' link on the home page of my http://www.corshamref.org.uk web site. This newsletter is issued approximately on the 1st day of each calendar month.

Apologies for not issuing a newsletter last month (August 2007). I have recently moved house and have been busy trying to get my life back to some sort of routine!

Keep up the good Refereeing work wherever you are in the world; and my best wishes go to all of you. Editor Julian Carosi.

''SET PIECES' - GOAL KICKS. 
More 'set-piece' advice by Julian Carosi.

In the previous newsletter (No. 50 August 2007), I reiterated how a game of football/soccer consists of many - what can best be described as 'set-pieces', or jigsaw puzzle pieces that add up to form the whole 90 minutes. Each 'set-piece', if successfully managed, will result in the referee maintaining control. One of the first aims of every referee should be to use 'best-practice' techniques when managing 'set-pieces'. Once the standard 'set-piece' techniques have been mastered, the players' confidence in the referee will rise, and they will more readily accept those awkward (non-set-piece) match-changing decisions, which seem to crop up in nearly every game. Subsequently, the referee will feel more confident, in the knowledge that at least he has a structured way to deal with the majority of situations in a game of football. 

In this article, we add to the previous ideas on how to manage set-piece throw-ins and how to issue cards, by offering some additional considerations for monitoring goal kicks. These ideas are not prescriptive; rather, they will hopefully give you some new things to think about, and encourage you towards adopting a consistent approach by dovetailing them into your own style of refereeing. 

To begin with, let us look at what can be considered during the first goal kick of each game.

During the first goal kick taken by each goalkeeper:

To encourage goalkeepers with the correct placement of the ball and to minimise delays in the taking of goal kicks, make an effort to get close to the respective goalkeepers (in turn) and offer a few words of advice as they are placing (or collecting) the ball in readiness for their first goal kick. 

A simple proactive, 'As quick as you can please keeper, and make sure the ball is inside the goal area.'

The first goal kick also offers the first chance for you to give an early subtle 'thumbs-up' signal of encouragement towards your active Assistant Referee. This is very important, especially when Club Assistant Referees are being used, as it makes them instantly feel part of your team.

For the first goal kick, take up a position on the same side of the field of play that the goal kick is being taken from. This allows you to monitor the correct placement of the ball and puts you in the line of sight of the goalkeeper (to grab his attention) should you wish to communicate anything to him. Use the first goal kick as a 'measuring stick' to gauge the distance that the respective goalkeepers are able to kick the ball. This is important in judging approximately how far up the field you need to stand when observing subsequent goal kicks. This allows you to monitor the 'drop-zones' from the correct position, thereby identifying and punishing (from a nearby side-on view) those subtle pushed and nudges that players often commit when challenging opponents for high balls delivered from goal kicks. 

The simple actions above, serve several purposes. The proactive approach towards each goalkeeper during their first goal kick, delivers a subconscious message that tells them that you expect goal kicks to be taken properly during the rest of the game, and shows that you will be keeping a close eye on any antics such as time-wasting or illegal positioning of the ball. The actions also demonstrate a positive attitude by the referee, and allow him to analyse the results so that subsequent positioning and control become more effective. 

Monitoring the goal area when goal kicks are taking place:

One of the most common areas of development for new referees (and even some established referees!) is breaking the habit of turning backs to the scene of goal kicks. 

Any astute referee will tell you that, 'As soon as you take your eyes off any active situation during a game of football, something will happen that requires your intervention.' 

A goal kick situation is more prone to such occurrences, as players know that this is an area of the game that referees often give far less attention to as they make their way to the restart position near the halfway line. 

There is more chance of a misdemeanour happening near the scene of most restarts, than elsewhere on the field. When a referee closely monitors goal kick preparations, his alertness will actually stop unsavoury incidents happening. The players know this. By running backwards, or looking over his shoulder, the referee can easily keep his eye on proceedings with hardly any additional effort on his part. 

Which side of the field should I stand?

The following consideration will prevent referees unnecessarily sprinting an extra 40-60 metres to reach the optimum position on the diagonal patrol path. When referees place themselves near the halfway line to monitor goal kicks, they sometimes do so with little (or no) consideration as to which side of the field they should be. In fact, the reason sometimes given usually follows the train of, 'I always stand on this side!'

When a goal kick is taken, one team or another will win possession of the ball. The ensuing action then moves into what is generally known as the second phase of play. An astute referee who can anticipate (with high probability), where the second phase play action will move to, during a goal kick, will use this knowledge to place himself nearby in readiness to monitor proceedings. There are many factors that an astute referee will consider when making this judgement; the skill levels of the respective teams; the wind strength and direction, the slope of the field; the determination of each team; the angle of the sun etc. All of these factors will have an influence in increasing (or decreasing) a particular team's chance of winning possession from a goal kick, thus determining where the second phase of play will more likely develop. 

In order to understand the following advice, let us first describe the term 'attacking diagonal'. The diagonal system, is a patrol path that referees use to monitor each game. It consists of a path run between one corner flag and an alternate corner flag, at an angle across the length of the field of play from one goal line towards the other. When a referee places himself on the attacking diagonal, he is in the defenders' half of the field of play where an attacking team are (or more likely to be) building an attack towards the defending team's goal. 

If a team (let us call them the Red team) have tall attacking players who are good at winning high balls, and are blessed with a goalkeeper who is proficient at kicking the ball long distances, it is more likely that when the Red team goalkeeper takes a goal kick, the ball will continue its path towards the goal of the defending team (let us call them the Blue team). If this is the case, to monitor goal kicks taken by the Red team, the referee should (more often) place himself in the Blue team's half of the field of play, on his attacking diagonal near to the Blue team's outside midfield position. Why? Because there is more chance of the Red team winning possession and instigating an attacking move than the Blue team. This will place the referee in the correct position to monitor the anticipated attack towards the Blue team's goal. If the referee had placed himself on the opposite side of the field of play, he would have had to sprint some 50 or so metres (from one side of the field to the other) to reach the correct position on his diagonal to monitoring this attacking move.

The trick is to weigh up the probability of where the play action will move to in the second phase, following the taking of each goal kick. Once this has been considered, the referee should place himself on the attacking diagonal, nearest to where he thinks the play action will probably move.

Try it, and see if it saves you having to sprint 40-60 metres!

Regards, Julian Carosi. 

THE REFEREE'S SURVIVAL GUIDE

A fantastic referee book written by Jeffrey Caminsky from the USA was featured in the 2007 April edition of The Corsham Referee newsletter, where you can get details of how to buy Jeff's book entitled 'The Referee's Survival Guide'. Can be bought from Amazon.com. The book comes highly recommend by me (Julian Carosi) and provides answers to many of your problems on the field of play. Clearly written and easy to understand. The Referee's Survival Guide explains many of the "what's, how's, who's and why's" of life on the soccer field, as well as many of the things for a referee to avoid.

Below is a monthly excerpt to whet your appetite for Jeff's brilliant book.

Rule #4:

Soccer, like life, can be a thing of joy and beauty ...so try to relax, don't be afraid to smile, and have fun on
the field.

Soccer is loved throughout the world because it is a game of beauty as well as athleticism. Watching a star striker execute a bicycle kick, seeing a keeper flying through the air to make an impossible save, or following the battles between attackers and defenders is what keeps fans and partisans cheering and groaning throughout the match, and always coming back for more.
As a referee, you have the best view of the action imaginable. You get to run around the field, sharing the game with an intimacy and intensity that nobody else can match, and sharing the victories and setbacks side-by-side with the players. You must never allow your enthusiasm or admiration for the skills you see colour your judgment on the field. That does not mean that you cannot enjoy watching the show unfold. 

Rule #5:

To be a success, you will have better luck by solving problems rather than by creating them.

Law 18, the unwritten Rule of Common Sense, is a large tool in the successful referee's kit. It begins with the premise that the game is for the players, includes the realization that there are many ways to solve a problem, and ends with the realization that the referee who insists on making everybody mad is digging himself a very deep hole.
We are at the field to ensure a safe, fair, and enjoyable contest within the appropriate rules, and our sport gives us wide discretion in handling and resolving problems as they arise. If something is not exactly against the rules, and nobody is complaining, the wise referee will simply let it go. We will have enough problems simply officiating the match. We do not have to create any more of them simply to remind everyone that we have a badge and whistle. And if there are two legitimate ways to solve a problem-one which will make people angry, and another which will leave everyone satisfied-only a fool would insist on making things needlessly difficult.

Recognising that racing toward avoidable trouble is not a path to success in any field leads us to two important corollaries, which also fall within Law 18:

Intelligence is not the same thing as wisdom.

Knowing that you are right is more important than making everyone else admit it.

A referee should be more interested in getting people to behave on the soccer field than in impressing people with mastery over the most arcane aspects of the rules.

Many thanks to Jeffrey Caminsky for giving his permission for this article to appear.

SOCCERPEDIA

(A monthly extract from the brilliant book 'Soccerpedia' by my friend Andrew Ward. Arranged in A to Z format, this entertaining and authoritative book offers the chance to get to know the Laws of the Game and its history in detail.  Publisher Robson . Publication Date 28 September 2006: ISBN 1861059833 
Size (h x w) 234x156mm Pages 368  Normal price £10.99 (approx. $20.35) Can be bought from Amazon.com

GOAL SIZE

The size of the goal has been eight yards wide by eight feet high ever since Sheffield acceded to the London rules on this point (1877). Ten years earlier, the Sheffield laws stated that `the goalposts were four yards apart, with a bar across them nine feet from the ground, and at each side of the goal there were other posts four yards beyond the goalposts, also with bars at nine feet from the ground, these being called rouge flags.'

The target is 192 square feet, as the measurements are taken from the internal edges of the goal-frame (1938). Some people think this target is too small. In the 1960s, the North American Soccer League proposed nine by three yards, and later the United States Soccer Federation were refused permission to experiment with a goal that added two feet to the width and six inches to the height (1974). The Americans thought that a larger goal might help to increase goal-scoring, take some of the pressure off crucial refereeing decisions, satisfy spectators, and redress the balance between attack and defence. Traditionalists believe that the sport would lose a lot of its tension and excitement.

Other people have suggested using bigger goals in extra-time as a way of settling cup ties that need a definite outcome. All proposals to increase the size of the goal have been thrown out, but goal size can be adjusted downwards for younger players.

On the first day of the 1991-92 season, Coventry were at home to Manchester City. When the referee did his routine pitch inspection, he found that the two crossbars were several inches too low. The problem was fixed after the referee threatened to postpone the match if nothing was done. Most referees have a way of checking the crossbar height by using some combination of their height, an outstretched arm and an assistant's flag.

Many thanks to Andrew Ward for giving his permission for this article to appear.

PLAYER TALK PRIOR TO THE GAME STARTING: (By Vincent Theunissen, Force 3, Eastern Bay of Plenty Referee, New Zealand)

I have developed a player's talk before the start of each game which I have found works very well, and helps me with a lot of situations that I will face during the course of the game. It starts with the introduction in a polite and professional manner and then leads into expectations and wants. 
There are 3 expectations which are all inter-related and there are 3 wants, which again are inter-related.
I prefer to talk to the entire team of players with the assistant referees present as I feel it demonstrates unity amongst the officials, as well as letting the players know that we will be the ones officiating the game.

The speech usually goes something like this.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, my name is …… and I am the official referee appointed to today's match. These are the assistant referees ……. and ………".

I have a small pause then go straight into the expectations.

"You should all know how to play football, so I expect you all to play in a sporting and fair manner. And I also expect that you play according to the laws of the game."

I generally emphasize the last sentence and have a longer pause after this, then I continue with my speech as follows.

"Now I want you to play according to my whistle, and I want you to play according to my words or my actions"

Then a similar small pause as per the one after the introductions, before I finally end the speech with.

"now lets go out there and lets have a good game"

I sometimes will get questions about aspects of the game and interpretations of the laws, and I usually give a brief answer in regards to these as per how the law will apply.
One of the common questions I get asked is: 
"what actions will you show in order for us to know how to play?"
And I usually demonstrate the advantage action as well as stating that I will call advantage, or I may wind my index fingers around each other to indicate that a substitution will now occur,
but the other one I have found that works well in conjunction with either of these , is that I will say.
"I may raise my finger up to my lips to indicate to a player that his language or manner of speaking is not within my expectation of playing in a sporting manner"

I have found that this speech helps throughout the game in a number of situations
It covers virtually everything, from bad language, inappropriate gestures, time wasting tactics, incorrect substitute procedures, assistant referees who's flags I may wave down to play advantage, etc, as well as all the other intricacies of the game.

When I need to talk to players I usually fall back on my pre game speech, and will re-state either one or more of my expectations or wants.

Many thanks to Vincent Theunissen for sending in this advice..

KEEPING A LOW PROFILE (Telegraph 4 Aug 07)

Halsey seeking a low profile at Wembley

Chelsea and Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho glowering from their technical areas. The Community Shield is the first great showpiece of the season. But all Mark Halsey wants at the end of the evening is for no one streaming away from Wembley Stadium to mention his name.

"I would like to remain anonymous," said the man charged with refereeing tomorrow's (Sunday 5th Aug) clash. "It's not about referees. It's about the players and the game and youngsters learning from the game."

Ever since Clive Thomas courted controversy like a matador goads a bull, there have been referees prepared to open their mouths as well as their notebook. Latterly, Graham Poll and Jeff Winter have developed their off-field personalities.

It is something Neale Barry, the FA's head of senior refereeing development, is uncomfortable with.

"When referees went professional, there was an increase in the pressure on them and on their profile," said Barry, speaking as Premiership referees unveiled a new sponsorship deal with Air Asia.

"In some cases, the media made them into household celebrities. We just want referees to go out and referee to the best of their ability. We don't need them to be celebrities, we want them to referee games of football.

"We have a very good name throughout the world for the quality and impartiality of our officials. I don't think there are any referees on the panel at the moment who want to be media stars."

Poll sometimes appeared before the cameras to explain his decisions. This, Barry argued, was fine, provided officials did not become dragged into a wider debate.

"We don't mind the referees talking to the media on matters of fact - saying if he sent off a player for violent conduct or for serious foul play," he said. "But I don't think it would ever get to the situation where a referee would go to a press conference and be asked why he did or didn't give a penalty."

YOU MUST BE JOKING REF?

The shrill blast of the whistle and the pointing finger of the referee stopped the player in his tracks.
The Referee beckoned him over and produced notebook, pencil and yellow card.
'It's a yellow card for you,' said the referee, waving the card at the footballer.
'You know what you can do with your yellow card!' shouted the player.
'You're too late, mate,' replied the referee. 'There's three red cards there already!'


A Referee goes into a sports shop in town to buy some kit, he says to the sales manager "Do you have any Referee kit?"
The manager says "No, we don't stock Referees' Kit".
Mmmmm says the Referee, "Can I have a wasp instead please?"
"A wasp?, what are you talking about a wasp you idiot, this is a sports shop". replies the manager.
"Yeah, but you had one in the window yesterday!"

A Referee walked into a really rough football club pub the other day after a game, the bouncer on the door asked him if he had any weapons, when he said no he gave the Referee a large hunting knife and told him to be careful.

A Referee and his Assistant are walking down the street. The Referee says "Oh, look at that poor dead bird!" The Assistant looks up into the sky and says "Where?"

A Referee walks into the football club bar after a game and asks the barman, "I'll have a pint of lager please" .The barman goes to pull his pint but the barrel is empty, "I'm just going to change the barrel mate, I'll be back in a mo". So while he's waiting the Referee hears a strange voice, "Like your hair mate", the Referee turns round but their ain't anyone there so he just ignores it. Again he hears another voice "Core nice suit mate", again there's no one there. This time he's getting worried when he hears another voice,"Lovely tie mate", now the Referee is really worried. The barman returns, "You alright Ref.? he asks", "No, I keep hearing these strange voices".
The barman replies "Oh don't worry they are just the complementary peanuts".

When a top English Premier Referee was making the rounds of the speaker's circuit by visiting all the Referee Associations, he usually found himself eagerly longing to get back to his gardening. One night as they were driving to yet another rubber-chicken dinner, the English Premier Referee mentioned to his chauffeur (a man who somewhat resembled the English Premier Referee in looks & manner) that he was tired of speechmaking. 
"I have an idea, boss," his chauffeur said. "I've heard you give this speech so many times. I'll bet I could give it for you." The English Premier Referee laughed loudly and said, "Why not? Let's do it!" When they arrive at the dinner, the English Premier Referee donned the chauffeur's cap and jacket and sat in the back of the room. The chauffeur gave a beautiful rendition of the English Premier Referee speech and even answered a few questions expertly. 
Then a supremely pompous Referee from the audience asked an extremely esoteric question about a complex off-side question, digressing here and there to let everyone in the audience know that he was nobody's fool. Without missing a beat, the chauffeur fixed the English Premier Referee with a steely stare and said, "Sir, the answer to that question is so simple that I will let my chauffeur, who is sitting in the back, answer it for me."

THIS MONTH'S QUESTION and ANSWER TOPICS:

SIMULATION, CARD OR NOT?

Question: Over the past few years Simulation (Diving) has started to be stamped on in the professional game to the benefit of all. 
In recent years though I have been witness to an increase in simulation in the adult amateur football scene, my reaction as a referee is usually to give a upward waiving motion to the individual concerned followed by a swift rebuke.
I am looking for a little direction from the FA as to whether we should book divers for unsporting behaviour at all levels or is it just seen as a problem which infects the professional game.

Answer: There is a big drive this season to protect the 'Image of the Game'. And one of the areas under the spotlight once again is simulation.

The FA direction has always been there. Your duty as a Referee is to mandatory caution perpetrators at all levels, for unsporting behaviour in accordance with the Law 12 Decision No. 4:

Any simulating action anywhere on the field, which is intended to deceive the Referee, must be sanctioned as unsporting behaviour.

You are correct, when you say that there has also been an increase in simulation in the adult amateur football scene.

I realise, that simulation can be a difficult call to make, but it sounds like you have a grip on it. All that you need to do now, is instead of giving an upward waiving motion to the individual concerned followed by a swift rebuke, have the confidence of your own ability in recognising the simulation offence, and issue a yellow card.

But you need to be 100% sure that it is simulation, and be prepared for the aftermath of issuing a yellow card.

THROW AWARDED TO THE OTHER TEAM?

Question: A defending Player 'A' goes to take a throw-in near one of his corner flags. His team are winning 1-0 with seconds to go. He goes through motions of putting ball behind his shoulders etc, waits a couple of seconds, and then decides (after a shout by his team mate) to leave it. 

Player 'A' then tosses ball to Player B, who repeats the process exhibited by Player 'A'.

The Referee (after telling both Player A&B to hurry up twice), blows his whistle and awards throw to the other team. Due to the fact that the other team wanted to take the throw quickly, there was no caution for delaying the restart of play.

Was the Referee right in awarding throw to the other team? 

Answer: There is no ruling (or exception) in Law 15 (The Throw-In) that allows the team that last touched the ball to take a throw-in.
But I like the action that the Referee took. In fact, I've seen it done several times, even though is not quite legal as far as the Laws are concerned!

It's a pity that it cannot be a part of the Laws, as it would eliminate this type of behaviour overnight!

FANCY A KNEES UP!

Question: What level of protection should be given to goalkeepers when they are being challenged for the ball. One always hears of the 50/50 challenge.
I had a scenario, where by the attacker challenged the goalkeeper for the ball, but jumped with his knee up towards the goalkeeper. I deemed that to be dangerous, and blew against the attacker for dangerous play, was that the correct decision?

Answer: Confrontations between players and goalkeepers must be managed very carefully.

My advice is to stamp down very quickly on any actions (by either the attacker or the goalkeeper) which may result in injury.

Thankfully, these days, players are much more aware of the serious damage that can be done (and has been done) when the goalkeeper and attacker vie for a ball. It is very rare these days to see an attacker going in hard on a goalkeeper, or the goalkeeper flying out aggressively towards an oncoming attacker.

You were correct to penalise the attacker in your incident. In fact, this early action may well have prevented further problems by sending out a message to all the players, that you would not tolerate such action. 
Well done. Keep up the good work.

TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, OR SIX?

Question: Do the European Referees still apply the 6 second rule relating to the goalkeepers holding on to the ball for longer than the time allowed.
I officiated at a game between a local side an a English touring side, where by the English goalkeeper picked the ball up when it was headed to him and held onto it for 10 seconds plus. I blew up and awarded an indirect free kick to the local side. This drew a howls of protest from the English side who said this rule went out 20 yrs ago. How strict should one apply this Law?

Answer: It is a good question, and one that is often used by argumentative purists who like to officiate strictly by the book!

When the so-called six-second rule advice was introduced as an instruction in season 97/98 the Referee was asked to consider if the goalkeeper was wasting time and therefore had to award an indirect free-kick against him, if he held the ball for longer than 5 - 6 seconds. The following year, it was added into Law 12:

"An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, takes more than six seconds while controlling the ball with his hands before releasing it from his possession."

The idea was to put a stop to goalkeepers holding onto the ball for too long, thereby spoiling the game. The ruling was never meant to be prescriptive. In other words, Referees are not expected to countdown six seconds every time that a goalkeeper has the ball. The ruling was introduced to provide a punishment, should a goalkeeper be deemed to be wasting time. 

If a goalkeeper takes 6, 7 or 8 seconds, when there is no evidence of deliberate time wasting, why spoil the game when there is no need to. It's very much like the leeway given when a throw-in is taken. We would not expect every throw-in to be taken on the exact blade of grass. And this common-sense approach should be used similarly with the six-second rule. This might come as a surprise to a few Referees, but the concept is generally understood by most. The aim is to manage the game within the flexibility that the Laws give to a Referee. It's very easy to officiate by the book, but it is the astute Referees who grasp the Spirit of the Laws. 

The six-second ruling still applies, and so does the throw-in have to betaken from the point where it crossed the touch line.

The six-second rule should therefore be allied strictly when it needs to be, and applied loosely when it needs to be. Much like all the other Laws!: 

12 PLAYERS

Question: At half time - team A performs a substitution but forget to tell the replaced player and so the second half kicks off with team A have 12 players.

But what happens when - some 10 minutes later - the problem has been discovered and:

1: team A has scored one or more goals but the game has susequently restarted?

and

2: team B has scored one or more goals and the game has subsequently restarted? 

Answer: 
There are so many possibilities that could develop when there are more than 11 players on the field, that it would be impossible to provide a 'catch-all' answer that covers every single possibility.

Add to this, the ever-changing advice that promulgates from official and unofficial sources, and you can see that this can become a very confusing area for any referee to deal with, should he have the misfortune to be involved.

My simple advice, is to follow the new wording (and the Spirit) in this year's Law book (show below), and report the details after the game:

If, after a goal is scored, the referee realises, before play restarts, that there was an extra person on the field of play when the goal was scored:
* the referee shall disallow the goal if:
- the extra person was an outside agent and he interfered with play
- the extra person was a player, substitute, substituted player or team official associated with the team that scored the goal
* the referee shall allow the goal if:
- the extra person was an outside agent who did not interfere with play
- the extra person was a player, substitute, substituted player or team official associated with the team that conceded the goal

PENALTY KICKS FROM THE MARK

Question: During Penalty Kicks to determine the winner of a match, this happens: kick is taken, ball hits post and is coming away from goal when it hits the back of the keeper and goes in. Should the penalty be classed as scored or missed? When is the penalty kick completed?

It says in the LOAF that when a penalty kick is taken during normal time, or time has been extended at half/full time to allow the kick, a goal is awarded if, before passing between the goalposts and under the crossbar, the ball touches either or both of the goalposts and/or the crossbar, and/or the goalkeeper.

So in the above scenario during normal time, you would award the goal, as the ball is still in play. But the LOAF doesn't say anything (that I can find) about this for penalty kicks to determine the winner of a match. 

Answer: The momentum of the kick is the crucial point here. No matter how many combinations of goalpost, crossbar, goalkeeper's body parts etc are involved, if the ball ends up in the goal because of the energy imparted onto it by the kicker's boot, a goal should be allowed.

I hope that you have enjoyed this issue of the newsletter, and that you are all continuing to enjoy your refereeing roles. All the very warmest wishes to you all, wherever you are in the world.

Regards, Julian Carosi 
(Newsletter Editor, Referee, FA Licensed Referee Instructor, FA Referees' Assessor Wiltshire, England, and an Editorial member of the FA/RA Refereeing national magazine in England).
Web site: http://www.corshamref.org.uk

Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is not sanctioned by or affiliated with any governing body of soccer. The opinions expressed here are sometimes those of the Corsham Referee webmaster and the readers, or from other media sources. Reference to the male gender in this newsletter is for simplification only, and applies to both males and females. All rights of the current Laws mentioned in this newsletter are reserved by FIFA, and they are the official laws of the International Football Association Board. The Editor is not obliged to publicise unsolicited manuscripts or photos.

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