Referee signals turn a decision into a restart.

How to read a signal

1. Check whether the referee has stopped play with the whistle or by clearly signalling a decision.
2. Look for the restart type: throw-in, goal kick, corner kick, free kick, penalty kick, dropped ball, or kick-off after a goal.
3. Read the direction of the arm or flag to see which team receives the restart.
4. If a card is shown, separate the disciplinary sanction from the restart. A yellow or red card does not always tell you what the restart is.
5. If the assistant referee has flagged, wait for the referee to acknowledge it. The assistant gives information, but the referee makes the final decision.

The referee controls the match

Under Law 5, each match is controlled by a referee with authority to enforce the Laws of the Game. The referee works with the other match officials, but decisions connected with play are made by the referee and are final once the Laws no longer allow them to be changed.

This is why a flag is not automatically a stoppage. An assistant referee may indicate offside, a foul, or the ball out of play, but the referee must accept or act on that information before the decision becomes the match decision.

The whistle starts, stops, and controls restarts

The whistle is needed to start play at the beginning of each half and after a goal, to stop play for most fouls and penalties, to end each half, and to restart after cautions, sendings-off, injuries, substitutions, penalty kicks, or ceremonial free kicks where players must wait.

The whistle is not needed for every obvious throw-in, corner kick, goal kick, goal, dropped ball, or ordinary free kick. If the referee has clearly told players to wait for the whistle, a quick restart before the signal is not allowed and the kick is retaken.

Advantage means the foul still happened

When the referee extends both arms and calls advantage or play on, the referee is allowing the non-offending team to keep a useful attack instead of stopping immediately for the offence. If the expected benefit does not develop within a few seconds, the referee can bring play back for the original offence.

Advantage does not erase misconduct. A player can still be cautioned or sent off at the next stoppage if the original challenge or tactical offence deserves it. For more detail, see the advantage rule.

A raised arm means indirect free kick

For a direct free kick, the referee points in the attacking direction of the team awarded the kick. For an indirect free kick, the referee raises an arm above the head and keeps it raised until the kick has been taken and the ball touches another player, goes out of play, or it is clear that a goal cannot be scored directly.

The raised arm matters because a goal cannot be scored directly from an indirect free kick. If an indirect free kick goes straight into the opponents' goal without another touch, the restart is a goal kick. For the restart rules, see direct and indirect free kicks.

Pointing to the penalty mark awards a penalty

When the referee points to the penalty mark, the decision is a penalty kick. That signal means the referee has judged that a direct-free-kick offence by the defending team occurred inside its own penalty area, or that another law requires a penalty restart.

Players still have to wait for the referee's whistle before the kick is taken. Goalkeeper movement, encroachment, rebounds, retakes, and double touches are handled under the penalty-kick law, not by the pointing signal itself. See penalties and goalkeeper rules.

Yellow and red cards show discipline, not the whole decision

A yellow card is a caution. A red card sends off a player, substitute, substituted player, or team official. Cards may be shown for reckless fouls, serious foul play, dissent, delaying the restart, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, second cautions, and other misconduct listed in Law 12.

The card does not always tell you the restart. The restart depends on why play stopped, where the offence happened, whether the ball was in play, and whether the misconduct was connected to a foul. See fouls and cards for the practical distinction.

The flag gives information to the referee

Assistant referees help with the ball out of play, restart direction, offside offences, substitutions, penalty-kick duties, and offences the referee could not see clearly. Their flag should be visible, deliberate, and held until the referee acknowledges it or the guidance says the signal can be dropped.

At higher levels, assistants may also use beep flags or headsets. Those tools support communication; they do not change the basic authority structure. The on-field referee remains the final decision-maker.

A horizontal flag shows throw-in direction

When the whole ball crosses the touchline, the assistant referee normally points the flag along the touchline to show which team has the throw-in. If the decision is close or uncertain, the assistant may first raise the flag to tell the referee the ball is out, make eye contact, and then follow or confirm the direction.

The signal does not decide whether the throw-in is legal after it is taken. Foot position, delivery, the ball entering the field, and second touches are judged under the throw-in law. For related restarts, see throw-ins, corners, and goal kicks.

Goal kick and corner flags depend on who last touched it

When the whole ball crosses the goal line without a goal being scored, the restart is a goal kick if an attacker last touched it and a corner kick if a defender last touched it. Assistants help by signalling which restart applies, especially when the ball left near their side or the decision is tight.

For a corner kick, the assistant points the flag down toward the corner area. For a goal kick, the assistant points the flag across the field toward the goal area. If the ball clearly went out and the restart is obvious, a signal may be minimal or unnecessary.

Offside uses two parts of the flag signal

For an offside offence, the assistant referee first raises the flag straight up. If the referee stops play for offside, the assistant then lowers the flag to show where the offence occurred: down for the near side of the field, straight out for the middle, and up for the far side.

The raised flag does not mean every player in an offside position has committed an offence. The assistant must judge involvement in active play, interference, advantage from a rebound or save, and whether the attacking phase should be delayed under modern wait-and-see practice. See offside.

An assistant can flag unseen fouls

When a foul or misconduct happens near the assistant referee or outside the referee's view, the assistant may raise the flag, make eye contact, and use the agreed flag technique to indicate the offence and restart direction. The assistant should not flag every contact just because it is nearby; advantage and the referee's view both matter.

For defender fouls near the penalty area, assistants are expected to help the referee with whether the offence was inside or outside the area. Some movements and communication are agreed before the match, so the exact presentation can vary by officiating team.

No flag can also be a signal

When a goal is clearly scored and there is no offence to report, the assistant referee usually makes eye contact and moves back toward the halfway line for the restart. If the ball crossing the line is not clear, the assistant may raise the flag to get the referee's attention and then confirm the goal.

If the assistant stays still, raises the flag, or communicates with the referee after the ball enters the goal, it may mean there is a possible offside, foul, ball-out-of-play issue, or goal-line question to resolve before the goal is awarded.

The substitution flag is shown at a stoppage

When a substitution is requested and the assistant referee is responsible for notifying the referee, the assistant signals at the next stoppage. The familiar signal is the flag held above the head with both hands.

Substitution procedures can be managed by a fourth official where one is appointed. Competition rules decide how many substitutions are allowed, how substitution windows work, and whether special procedures such as concussion substitutions are available.

The TV signal belongs to video review situations

In matches using VAR, the referee may use a screen-shaped signal to communicate a video review or a decision made after review. VAR is limited to the categories allowed by the VAR protocol: goals, penalty decisions, direct red-card incidents, and mistaken identity, with the relevant clear-and-obvious or serious-missed-incident threshold.

The signal itself does not make every incident reviewable. If the incident is outside the VAR protocol, the referee cannot use VAR simply because the decision is controversial. See VAR checks.

Common signal mistakes

• "The flag means play has stopped" is wrong. Play stops when the referee stops it or the ball is out under the law.
• "A raised referee arm means advantage" is usually wrong. A single arm held above the head means indirect free kick; advantage is shown differently.
• "A card explains the restart" is incomplete. The restart must still be identified from the offence and where play stopped.
• "Offside is called as soon as the attacker is ahead" is wrong. Offside position alone is not an offence.
• "The whistle is required for every restart" is wrong. Many ordinary restarts can be taken without a whistle unless the referee has told players to wait.

Source material

• IFAB Law 5 - The Referee
• IFAB Law 6 - The Other Match Officials
• IFAB Guidelines - Body language, communication and whistle
• IFAB VAR Protocol