From:               Alfred Kleinaitis

                        Manager of Referee Development and Education

Subject:            Supplemental Memorandum 2008

Date:                November 13, 2008

Earlier this year, USSF distributed its annual memorandum outlining the changes in the Laws of the Game approved by the International Board at its meeting on March 8.  The International Board, in a Circular announcing the Law changes, noted that, apart from these formal revisions in the Law (which were rather few in number), the language of the Law had been revised in several places effective this year and would appear when FIFA published the 2008-2009 edition of the Law book.

These revisions were intended to clarify and simplify the Law in certain areas and to include specific language on some matters which had previously been commonly or traditionally understood but not found in the Law itself.  Finally, the section which had been titled “Additional Instructions and Guidelines” in the 2007-2008 Laws of the Game was being revised and renamed “Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees” (referred to here and in the accompanying Memorandum simply as “Interpretations”).

Unfortunately, the USSF annual Law change memorandum was distributed before these further revisions were available for review and thus the earlier memorandum could not identify any matters which might need further clarification for officials in this country.  That is the purpose of the attached Memorandum 2008 Supplement.

Please draw the attention of your referees to the availability of the “Interpretations” section on the USSF website (under “Laws of the Game”).