ATR: 3.6 and 5.8 (Injuries)

US Soccer Referee Program

Advice to Referees (2014)

5.8 Injuries:

There is no higher priority for the officiating team than the health and safety of the players. Accordingly, referees must remain vigilant in any situation where an injury might have occurred to err on the side of protecting the safety of the player. This is particularly the case where an injury may have occurred to the head or neck of a player as a result of hard contact with anyone, whether or not as a result of a foul, or of contact with any hard surface. The first action to be taken immediately is to stop play and then to bring medical assistance onto the field.

Players who are injured are required to leave the field under either of two conditions:
• the referee stops play solely for a serious injury (i.e., no other violation) or
• with play stopped for any other reason, the referee signals approval for someone (team official, medical personnel, etc.) to enter the field to assist the injured player.
There are three exceptions to this rule:
• a goalkeeper is injured,
• one or more field players (regardless of team) and a goalkeeper are seriously injured in a collision, or
• two or more players from the same team are seriously injured in a collision.
In most cases, treatment for an injury is required to be done off the field but the referee must allow treatment on the field under any of the exceptions listed above or, where an exception does not exist, if a player’s injury is sufficiently serious that moving the player off the field would itself constitute a danger (usually, situations where immediate first aid must be administered).

If play has been stopped for an injury or if assistance has been waved onto the field, it is usually unwise to remain in the area of the injured player. The referee should move away and pursue other duties – consulting with one or both assistant referee about details of the event, calming other players understandably upset about the injury, checking in with the fourth official, and so forth.

3.6 Re-Entering Players:

When a player is off the field under circumstances where the referee’s permission is needed to re-enter, the following requirements must be met in addition to receiving the referee’s permission:

Blood, bleeding, or equipment issue:
- Anywhere along touchline at stoppage
- Pass inspection to confirm correction of problem

Injury, serious injury, any other reason for which player received permission:
- Anywhere along perimeter line at stoppage, anywhere along touchline during play

A player while departing during play by order of or with the permission of the referee commits cautionable misconduct (unsporting behavior) by interfering with or participating in any way with ongoing play.