Football Referee Guide

Football Referee Guide

Here is a complete guide to playing the Football Referee game.


How to Play the Game

Playing the Football Referee game is very simple, all you need to do is to watch the scenes, read the description and make your decision.

Football Referee Main Menu

Run the game from www.fifplay.com/football-referee, then start a New Game if you want to play it from the beginning. If you have already a saved game and want to continue from your last progress, you can select Continue and carry on from the episode you unlocked before.

  • NEW GAME – Start a new game from episode 1
  • CONTINUE – Continue from your last progress (Login is required)
  • HOW TO PLAY – Instructions on how to play the game
  • PLAY SEASON 1/2 – Switching to previous/next season
Football Referee In-Game

When the game starts, watch the scene and read the description carefully. The description will instruct you on what has happened. Next, you can make your decision by selecting a given option that you think is the best. Take note that like in the real life, there is no replay or repeat feature in this game, so watch and review the scene carefully!

Football Referee End

After an episode is completed, you can see your final rating for that episode rated by maximum 5 stars where 1 is the minimum and 5 is the maximum you can get. You can also see the number of your correct and incorrect calls. If you made any incorrect calls, you will also be able to review them and learn what the correct call is.

You will need to get minimum 3 stars for each episode to unlock the next one, otherwise you will need to repeat the episode until you get 3 stars.


Before Playing a Game

A real-life football referee has to be familiar with all Laws of the Game. Before a match can start it is the referee’s duty to take care of all participants and inspect the pitch and players to ensure a safe game. Here is a quick to-do list for the referee before refs allows game play:

The Field of Play
  • The size of the field must be standard (Length: minimum 120m (130 yards) & maximum: 90m (100 yard) – Width: maximum 90m (100 yards) & minimum 45m (50 yards)).
  • There must not be any dangerous elements on the pitch.
  • The pitch must be safe and clean (Bad weather must not affect the field).
  • Pitch markings and corner flags must be checked by the referee, boundaries of the field have to clearly marked. The lines should not be more than 12cm (5 inches) wide.
  • The center line should be clearly marked as it helps the referee to see that all players are in their half at kick-off and to decide on offside.
  • The corner arc must be clearly marked in each corner. The player taking the corner kick is allowed to put the ball any place inside the quarter circle.
  • Goalposts and the crossbar must have the same width and depth (12cm – 5 inches). They must not be dangerous to players. If the crossbar falls down or breaks, the referee must stop the game until it’s been fixed or replaced then the referee can restart the game with a dropped ball at the place where the ball was stopped. If it was near to the goal area the ref should take the ball to the nearest point on the goal area and drop it on the edge of the goal area. If repair is not possible, the match cannot continue.
The Ball
  • The ball must have the FIFA logo on it to ensure that it has the standards to play in an official match.
    If the ball is burst or becomes soft during the game and the referee stops the match to replace it, he should restart the match with a dropped ball. If this happens while the ball is out of play, the game will start with the usual restart.
The Players
  • A match may not start if either team has less than seven players. Neither should it not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team. Before kick-off and before a player is substituted, the referee should check the players to see if they wear anything that may create a dangerous situation for other players or themselves. Rings and jewellery should be removed or taped. Religious symbols are allowed if they are not dangerous.

Download and read the Laws of the Game and get familiar with it.


Refereeing Signals

You need to get familiar with refereeing signals to play the game. Watch the below video to learn about the Refereeing Signals:


Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to play Football Referee?

All you need is a web browser and internet connection to play the Football Referee game. The game can be played on desktop and mobile devices.

Can I download the game?

Unfortunaltely, no. Football Referee is only available as web-based game and cannot be downloaded.

What do I repeat or replay the scenes in the game?

Unfortunately, no. Like in real football, everything happens only one time, so should be watching each scene carefully.

Can I save my game progress?

Yes. To save and load your progress, you need to have an account at FIFPlay.com. Once you’re logged in using your FIFPlay account, your progress will be saved automatically as you complete the episodes.

Does starting a new game remove my previous progress?

No. If you have already had some progress and intend to start a new game, your past previous will be kept and if you unlock a new episode that you haven’t unlocked before, the new progress will be added to your previous one.

Comments (27)

27 thoughts on “Football Referee Guide

  1. When is Episode 10 coming out. I am at the bit where you go to Germany. When is the next bit coming out please?

    1. Who runs this website? I would like a response please to my above message? I will write it again here if you can’t find it..
      When is Episode 10 coming out. I am at the bit where you go to Germany. When is the next bit coming out please?

    2. Thanks for your message and sorry for the late reply.
      Yes, the new season is coming soon which is happening in Germany. We are preparing the srtories and scenes now, planning to make it live in late February or March. Stay tuned.

  2. Can the people who invented this game please tell me where to play chapter 9 because it says ‘to be continued’ and I really want to play the next level

  3. It’s very useful but probably could be better to have it in some other languages. If you need, in the future, only in this context, a translation for free in italian language, i’m at your disposal. Bye

    1. Thanks for your comment. The car crash scene is the end of Level 8, we are working on the next level and will be adding it to the game soon. Stay tuned.

    1. Thanks for playing the game. The car crash scene is the end of Level 8, we are working on the next level and will be adding it to the game soon. Stay tuned.

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