Soccer's clock stops for no man, but play can be stopped by the referee when the situation calls for it. Often, the case may be that a player goes down with injury, prompting a whistle blow from the referee on-field to pause play, of course, to be tacked on at the 45th or 90th minute of the match.
But what happens when the person going down with injury is the referee?
Well, we discovered just that on Saturday during a match between Southampton and Leicester.
Referee David Webb was hit in the head accidentally by Jordan Ayew as he ran past him and went down to the ground. Play had raged on from players who hadn't seen the incident. Leicester captain Jamie Vardy grabbed the official's hand that had the whistle in it and blew it to stop play.
After the ref went down with an injury, Jamie Vardy took matters into his own hands to stop play. pic.twitter.com/RBGHqy91LQ
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 3, 2025
Webb was replaced by Sam Barrott after leaving with the injury. He was able to leave the pitch on his feet.
Vardy and Ayew both scored in the 2-0 win over Southampton. Both clubs in this match will be relegated to the Championship for next season after being promoted for this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jamie Vardy Took Whistle to Stop Play By Himself After Ref Went Down With Injury.
