Most foosball players are willing to admit when they've broken a rule, or will stop doing something that is against the rules when you call them on it. However, if you come up against one of those poor sports who flagrantly breaks the rules, you should ask for a ref. Inform your opponent that you are getting a ref, and that counts as an official time-out (doesn't count against your two time-outs).
Now, you may be lucky to have a certified official available at your local tournament, but even if you don't, you can always just have a knowledgable neutral party oversee the match. If the teams can't agree on who they will accept to perform this role, then it is up to the tournament director to decide how to handle the situation (or handle it him/herself).
At a larger event (regional, national, etc.) there will be plenty of refs around, but you'll probably have to pay for it. The cost of the ref is split among the players, and may be a couple of bucks apiece. The ref will ask some questions about the state of the match, and you should explain why a ref was summoned, as well as certain infractions for which you wish them to be watchful (time of possession, resetting, jarring, distractions, etc.).
If it turns out that the referee is making bad calls, or completely ignoring rules infractions and making no calls at all (which has happened to me in the past), you do have the right to ask for another ref. However, a request for a second official DOES count as a regular time-out. After that, no more refs can be requested.
The bottom line is... if you think the conditions of the rules being broken during your match is impacting your ability to play and/or win, and the other team is refusing to correct their behavior, then you should not hesitate to call a ref. And do it before it's too late to recover, or you'll kick yourself about it later.
Jeff
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