CHICAGO (Thursday, November 14, 2002) - At the National Referee Committee meeting on September 28th, the issue of national referees filling positions of assignors was raised.  After discussion it was decided that the national office would remind national referees of the conflict of interest that can be inherent with active national referees filling such a position.  National referees who assign for leagues or clubs are reminded that they must consider these possible conflicts of interest in the course of their job duties.

• Referees cannot officiate in the league they are assigning for, except in an emergency.
• As an assignor, your first duty it to insure that the best available official is assigned to the match, regardless of their personal or professional connections. Please review the following Assignor Code of Conduct from the U.S. Soccer Policy Manual:
  Policy 531-11, Part III, Standards of Conduct, Subpart D - Code of Ethics for Assignors

Failure to abide by the Assignors Code of Conduct will adversely affect the game and your reputation. It could result in ethic charges and even a suspension from all soccer activities.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Julie Ilacqua.

"Assignor Conduct: Conflict of Interest" announcement is also available to download as a .pdf.