SSL Referee Box—Frequently Asked Questions

This page captures the questions frequently asked by teams to the Technical Committee or to the mailing list. As such, it is an evolving page and feedback, suggestions and new questions are welcome.

Please notice: the rulebook supersedes this page in case of any contradiction. This is a best effort page to address common questions and does not have rule binding effect.

Q: If somehow our AI gets stuck, what will be the procedure until we can get a timeout?: A: timeouts can only be given during game stoppages. As such, the recommendation is to gently signal to the referee that you intend to request timeout when the game stops. When it actually does, clearly indicate you want timeout.
Q: In what situation do we get a normal start command?: A: Normal starts are issued after kickoffs and penalty kicks. For direct and indirect free kicks, after the command announcing it (either the 'f', 'F', 'i', or 'I'), the kick can be taken immediately.
Q: How about force start? When is this command used?: A: The force start is used when the referee has to halt the game, or when a team cannot serve its indirects, kickoffs or faults. In such cases, the referee stops and then issues a force start, which indicates the ball is in play and both teams can go for it.
Q: If one of our robots get a yellow card, then are we going to play with one player less in the field for the next 2 minutes?: A: Correct.
Q: What is the use of the cancel button?: A: In case the referee makes a mistake in issuing a timeout, this button rolls back the timeout, resetting both the count of available timeouts and the timeout clock to its value before the timeout started. In case the referee makes a mistake in issuing a yellow or red card, the cancel button instead cancels the card.