# What's All This Debris All Over The Soccer Field, And Why Did The Ref Allow It? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 7, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-all-this-debris-all-over-the-soccer-field-and-why-did-the-ref-allow-it/808399 "2018-02-07T23:05:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-all-this-debris-all-over-the-soccer-field-and-why-did-the-ref-allow-it/808399/1 "2018-02-07T23:05:14Z")
In [this clip](https://youtu.be/J6RDR45YSdM?t=1m4s), the players seem to be playing amidst a bunch of trash - maybe the fans had just rioted or something. How bad would the field have to get before the refs stopped play to clean up? ASIDE: Soccer seems to put up with a lot from its fans. MLB will stop play for a beer cup on the warning track, to say nothing of a bunch of trash in the field of play. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-all-this-debris-all-over-the-soccer-field-and-why-did-the-ref-allow-it/808399/2 "2018-02-07T23:14:32Z")
That is confetti that gets sprayed on the field after a home team goal. There are a few teams in the MLS that do this, and it has always looked tacky as hell to me, like something out of minor-league baseball. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-all-this-debris-all-over-the-soccer-field-and-why-did-the-ref-allow-it/808399/3 "2018-02-08T00:45:05Z")
It would have zero effect on the play of the game. Now, if it was a stray beach ball…