Football is a team sport which is played professionally worldwide. It is conducted on a larger platforms and also referred to as soccer. It is a game which is based on the set rules and regulations which is called as Laws of Football. Internationally the game is conducted by the organization FIFA which conducts world Cups for both men and women every four years.
Apart from the players there is one more person who is on the field to regulate the rules of the game, he is known as a Referee. he has been given the full authority to enforce actions and take in charge of the game. In many international matches there 3 more referees to assist the one. There are in all 17 laws under the Laws of Game which means, the referee has to be well acquainted with the same. So let’s take know more bout referees duties and his break time.
Half time and role of the referee
As we know that traditionally a football game is of 90 minutes which is divided into 2 halves, 45 minutes for each half. Only a fifteen minute half time break is given to the payers and officials between these two halves. The end of the match is known as Full time. During the entire match, the clock does does not stop in between and the referee is the official time keeper of the match, so any allowance of time is in his hands.
During substitutions which is only 3 times in one halftime, the time lost during this, injuries and other stoppages is all taken into consideration by the referee, is added to the Additional time in the FIFA world cup. However one must take a note that the stoppage time does not normally compensate to the time where the ball is out of play. This is main purpose of having a referee in the football ground.
What does a referee do during a halftime?
As we know that each match is controlled by the referee and his decision is the final call for any action which is taken by the players playing on the ground. Also as mentioned above there are 17 rules which are mentioned in the Laws of Game for football. A referee need to look out for all these during the match and need to keep a sharp eye as well. This requires a lot of focus and attention. We must also know that as the players are moving on the field with the ball, the referee too has keep up with their pace, which might also be exhausting for him.
During the half time break which is of fifteen minutes, the referees rehydrate, and take some rest. He discusses with his other assistant referees about changes in the gameplay of the who must take in charge to begin the second half of the match. They also have a talk about the points like signaling and positioning.
What are the equipment of a Referee?
As we know that the referee has certain duties to perform on the field, for the same reasons he must also be equipped with things in order keep a track of order of the game. Also, the referees and other official that are supposed to be on the field are not permitted to wear any jewelry for safety reasons. So for this purpose he need to acquire certain things, which are:
- Whistle
- Watch
- Red and yellow cards
- Notebook (or other means of keeping a record of the match)
Other Equipment
- Equipment for communicating with other match officials – buzzer/bleep flags, headsets etc.
- EPTS or other fitness monitoring equipment