What authority do referees have?

Under World Aquatics rules (Part Six, Article 3.5), referees have overall responsibility and full authority to direct players, team officials, other technical officials, spectators and anyone else at the venue to enforce the rules. Everyone must follow their decisions and instructions.

Referees may:

• award or not award any ordinary, exclusion or penalty foul, including holding back to play advantage;
• remove anyone (player, team official, spectator or official) whose behaviour prevents the match continuing properly or stops officials doing their job impartially;
• pause or abandon a match if behaviour or any other circumstance prevents it continuing or being properly finished, or for the safety of anyone present;
• abandon a match if a player or team official refuses to leave when ordered;
• order a match or part of it to be replayed to correct a mistake found during the match.

Referees don't presume facts; they interpret what they see, using video review or information from other officials where the rules allow. If a match is abandoned, the rules say the outcome is decided by World Aquatics or its designee.