Football official accepts deceit for respite (6)
I believe the answer is:
relief
'for respite' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'football official accepts deceit' is the wordplay.
'football official' becomes 'ref' (short for referee).
'accepts' is an insertion indicator.
'deceit' becomes 'lie' (I've seen this in other clues).
'ref' placed around 'lie' is 'RELIEF'.
(Other definitions for relief that I've seen before include "Lightening of a burden" , "Relatives" , "Relaxation following distress" , "Alleviation, easing" , "Deliverance; assistance (to poor)" .)