Powers and Duties

Power to refrain from penalising - play advantage
Order off players for any one of the seven offences in Law 12 --> Punish the more serious offence
Warn/Caution players for any one of the seven offences in Law 12 --> Take action against team officials
End or abandon the game - because of outside agents - weather, spectator invasion, insufficient players, broken crossbar which can't be replaced - or infringements - player refusing to leave the field after being sent off by the referee.
Report - cautioned and/or sent off players; abandoned game.
Stop/Suspend play for infringements, injury and outside agencies eg weather, burst ball


Decide - ball, field of play, players' equipment
Unauthorised persons - disallow their entry unless it is with permission of the referee.
Timekeeper and match record ie score, stoppages, substitutions, kick-off, colours, time of start, captains
Injury - in the referee's opinion - stops game for serious injury and removal of a player from field. In the referee's opinion - if slight, allow play to continue until ball goes out of play. Ensures that a player bleeding from a wound leaves the field and may return only when the referee is satified that the bleeding has stopped.
ENFORCE THE LAWS and acts on advice of assistant referees and controls match in co-operation with the assistant referees and fourth official if applicable.
Signal - for start and restart of the game after all stoppages.