If a team substitutes a player without informing the referee during halftime, what should the referee do?

In this situation, the correct course of action for the referee is to allow play to continue and report the matter. This response aligns with the principles of good officiating and maintaining the flow of the game. The referee is expected to maintain control and ensure that the rules are followed, but if a substitution is made without prior notification, it is often viewed as a breach of process rather than a violation that disrupts the integrity of the game at that moment.

The rationale here is that the referee recognizes that substitutions can occur and that they need to be managed correctly—but if a team inadvertently fails to inform the referee, it does not warrant stopping the game immediately. Instead, the referee can record the incident for reporting purposes later, ensuring accountability while not disrupting the current match flow.

This approach also emphasizes the importance of communication within the game, as teams are responsible for notifying the referee of substitutions. Choosing to report the incident afterward allows for an opportunity to remind teams of the necessary protocol without detracting from the continuity of the game.

Other strategies might involve halting gameplay or penalizing the team, which could be overly punitive for an unintentional oversight, thereby leading to unnecessary interruptions in the match.