The 2019 change

Until 2019, the ball was always in play after hitting the referee. Goals scored from deflections off the official counted. Possession changes caused by deflections stood. The referee was treated as part of the pitch.

That changed when IFAB rewrote Law 9. Now, play stops if the deflection causes one of three outcomes.

When play stops

Play is stopped if the ball hits the referee and:

1. Goes into either goal — directly into one team's goal
2. Changes possession — the team that loses control gets the ball back via a dropped ball
3. Starts a promising attack — a clear goal-scoring opportunity is created that did not exist before

In each case, the referee stops play and restarts with a dropped ball.

When play continues

Many deflections are minor. If the ball glances off the referee and the same team retains possession with no significant change, play simply continues. The official is treated as an obstacle in those cases.

This is how most ball-hits-referee incidents play out — the deflection is small, the rhythm of the match is unaffected, and no one notices.

Where the dropped ball happens

If the deflection is in the penalty area, the dropped ball goes to the goalkeeper. If outside, it goes to the team that last had possession before the deflection.

The drop is uncontested under the 2019 rule changes. One player from the appropriate team receives the ball with all other players at least 4 metres away.

Why the rule matters

The change addressed two problems:

• Unfair goals — a referee accidentally redirecting a shot into the net was the most extreme version of an unjust outcome
• Possession swings — a deflection that gave one team a clear chance felt arbitrary and unsporting

By stopping play in those cases, the law removes the worst-case scenarios while leaving incidental contact alone.

The judgment call

The phrase "starts a promising attack" requires referee judgment. There is no exact threshold for what counts. The standard applied is whether the deflection clearly altered the situation — a defender losing the ball into an attacker's path is a clear case; a midfielder shielding a deflection is not.

VAR can review goals scored after a deflection off the referee, since the question of whether play should have been stopped affects whether the goal stands.

Other officials

The rule applies to all match officials — the referee, the assistant referees, and (in competitions that use them) the fourth official, additional assistants, and VAR officials present pitch-side.

In practice, only the referee on the field deflects the ball. Assistants stand on the touchline and rarely interfere with play.