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Law 18, still unwritten but frequently quoted as the ultimate goal of refereeing: "Intelligence in the perception of the game, the attitude of the players, the place and the moment of the offense." (Michel Vautrot, FIFA Referee Committee, FIFA Magazine, June 1997)
There is no "Law 18", of course, but just the same you'll sometimes hear referees refer to it as the most important of all the Laws, because it overrides all the others.
So what is it? Wade through the definition given by M. Vautrot, and you find that it's simply common sense, used by the referee in interpreting and applying the Laws of the Game to ensure that his/her decisions don't go against the Spirit of the Game. "Law 18" provides that common sense and the Spirit of the Game are always more important than the letter of the Laws. It's important, therefore, that referees apply Law 18 conscientiously and consistently, if not always as a group, at the very least as individuals within the context of a single match.
What is "Spirit of the Game" that makes it so important it can override the written Laws? It's something which all referees have to judge for themselves based on their experience and their concept of what the sport of soccer is. In deciding this, a number of factors are important:
| natural justice: a good referee does not penalize players unfairly by applying the letter of the Laws when that would go against the Spirit or the intention of the Laws (this is best embodied by the use of Advantage, a written part of Law 5 which demands the referee use discretion... common sense); | |
| flow of the game: a good referee lets the players play with the minimum number of interruptions, but without losing control of the match (that is, don't call all the trifling fouls you see); | |
| let the players determine the outcome of the match: a good referee quickly learns what the players will accept as "normal" play and allows this as long as player safety or game control are not jeopardized (if both teams are willing to play a physical style, let them do so lawfully and safely); |
Three factors in particular need to be stressed, because they help to distinguish soccer from the more familiar team sports, and because they can lead to decisions by officials which are mystifying for spectators who are unaware of the basic differences between soccer and those more familiar sports.
1. Tradition:
Much of soccer is based on letting the game be played as it evolved. The Laws of the Game are intended to give referees a foundation on which to build their decisions. It is for this reason the Laws are short and often seem vague. No other sport allows its officials such wide latitude in determining whether an offense has been committed, if it has had a significant impact on play, and how it should be addressed.
2. Intent of the Law:
The Laws are intended to control specific things (for instance, leaving the field without permission - i.e., illegal substitution) but could be misapplied to other things (leaving the field to play or retrieve the ball - i.e., normal play). It is important for every coach, player and referee to understand the history and intent of each Law in order to understand the true Spirit of the Game.
3. "In the opinion of the Referee...":
This and similar phrases are found throughout the Laws, the Board Decisions, and the Guidelines. A basic difference between soccer and other sports is that the referee is a "judge" who interprets the Laws and applies them as needed to settle disputes between players and teams, not a "policeman" who applies every Law exactly as written to every single case where the Law is violated.
What this means in practice is that in the service of the Spirit, referees are frequently called on to "contradict" the Laws. They don't really contradict the Laws, of course, but adapt their judgments with simple common sense. If a referee blew his whistle every time an offense of any kind was committed, most games would be nothing more than a long and frustrating series of restarts. All referees will let some offenses go; just how many they will allow before stopping play, and just how serious a single offense it takes to stop play, is something to which players and coaches must adjust as early as possible in the match.
This occurs at all levels. Very young players often commit minor fouls through clumsiness or lack of skill, and older players use gamesmanship to see how much the Referee will allow. Both of these are learning situations, but they are usually handled quite differently. In the first case, the Referee may ignore the "foul" and explain to the player what he did wrong. In the latter, the Referee may call the foul... even card the player... to explain the limits he will allow.
Such situations arise more frequently than the casual spectator might think. The best referees are those able to maintain control of a match while allowing the players room to play their style and to keep the game flowing.
It's common sense.
(If you wish to comment on this article, send a message to basra@basra-refs.org.)
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