Purpose

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify the roles of assistant referees, the fourth official, and VAR-related officials under Law 6.

Lesson Explanation

Law 6 covers officials beyond the referee, whose appointment depends on the level and requirements of the competition. Two assistant referees primarily assist with offside decisions, the ball leaving the field, and fouls occurring closer to their position than the referee’s — their signaling technique is covered fully in Part 5, Lesson 3.

Where competition rules permit, additional assistant referees (AARs) may be positioned near each goal line to assist specifically with goal-area incidents (whether the ball crossed the goal line, penalty-area incidents, and player identification for misconduct) — a role genuinely distinct from the two standard assistant referees, and one whose positioning was specifically clarified in the 2025/26 Law changes: rather than standing on the goal line itself, the AAR is now positioned at the intersection of the goal line and the penalty area, reducing the risk of being unable to recover position if a shot rebounds quickly.

The fourth official assists primarily with administrative duties — substitutions, checking equipment, managing the technical areas, and indicating additional time — and is prepared to replace the referee or an assistant referee if needed. Fourth official duties are covered fully in Part 5, Lesson 4.

Where the video assistant referee (VAR) system is in use, the VAR and any assistant VARs review certain categories of decision using video technology, operating under a strict protocol covered fully in Part 5, Lesson 5 — genuinely important to note now: VAR does not replace the referee’s authority under Law 5, but supports it, and only reviews a limited, defined set of situations (goals, penalty decisions, direct red card incidents, and mistaken identity).

Practice Questions