Category: Law 3 – Players

Law 3 – Players

"Inventive Coaches"

THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS

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Question:
A team chooses to play a game with the minimum # of players, but have an injured player on the bench. The team then gets a red card putting them under the minimum requirement to play, however they elect to sub in the injured player to maintain the minimum requirements on the field because there is only a couple minutes left in the game–are they allowed to use that player to maintain the minimum and continue the game?

USSF answer (September 7, 2011):
Unless having had a player sent off actually created the situation, there is nothing in the Laws of the Game to forbid a team that has been playing under strength — for whatever strange reason — to augment its numbers to a greater (but still within the number established by Law 3 or the rules of the competition) by inserting a substitute already listed on the roster (if rosters are required in this competition), not as a replacement for the red carded player, but to augment an understrength team. The only problem in this scenario might be the ability of the “injured” substitute to play.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

SUBSTITUTE ATTEMPTS TO PREVENT GOAL (REDUX)

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Question:
Follow-up to August 23 question about a substitute trying to prevent a goal by entering the pitch without permission. You answered what to do if the goal is made, but . . .
(1) What if the goal is NOT made?
(2) What if it was definitely an OGSO?
(3) What if it was an OGSO and NO foul was committed, but the ball was “fairly” taken/played from the attacker by the substitute (who is an illegal player at this point)?
(4) do any answers change if the scene happens outside the penalty area versus inside the penalty area?

I understand at a minimum a yellow is coming, and a red if denying the goal with a foul.

Mainly, my question is what is the restart to each scenario above?

USSF answer (August 28, 2011):
The original question and answer:

Question: A substitute, warming up behind his own goal, enters the field of play, touches the ball and tries to prevent the ball entering the goal with his foot. The ball, however, enters the goal.

What action does the referee take?

Answer of August 23: The referee should play the advantage and award the goal. The referee should then caution the substitute for unsporting behavior for entering the field of play without the referee’s permission, including all details in the match report. (The referee could also consider a second caution for unsporting behavior for interfering with play and thus send off the substitute for the second caution in a match.) Finally, the referee should prevent substitutes from warming up behind the goals. However, in some stadiums warm-ups are allowed behind the goal (because there is no space along the touchlines).

Answer to current question:

(1) Indirect free kick for the attacking team from the place where the ball was when the referee stopped play for the misconduct.
(2) and (3) A foul or misconduct, regardless of the circumstances, which is not committed against an opponent and which is not handling is not a sending-off offense under Law 12 (at least not under reasons #4 or #5). If it was a tactical foul (which this was not) and was the offender’s second caution, then there would be a send-off, just not under sending-off reasons #4 or #5. Restart as in (1).
(4) No, but it is even less likely to have been an obvious goalscoring opportunity. …

"Inventive" Refs

SEND-OFF BEFORE KICK-OFF

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Question:
The referee blows her whistle for the opening kick-off, but instead of kicking the ball, the red attacker runs across the center circle and violently strikes a blue opponent who does not retaliate. The referee quickly intervenes and sends off the red attacker. As a result the red team must play shorthanded for the entire game.

USSF answer (August 26, 2011):
Is this a statement or a question? If it is a statement, then it is incorrect. If it is a question, then the answer is no, the team does not play shorthanded. Because the game does not begin until the ball is put in play, the red attacker may be replaced by a named substitute; the team thus maintains its starting eleven, but loses a named substitute.…

Advantage

SUBSTITUTE ATTEMPTS TO PREVENT GOAL

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Question:
A substitute, warming up behind his own goal, enters the field of play, touches the ball and tries to prevent the ball entering the goal with his foot. The ball, however, enters the goal.

What action does the referee take?

USSF answer (August 23, 2011):
The referee should play the advantage and award the goal. The referee should then caution the substitute for unsporting behavior for entering the field of play without the referee’s permission, including all details in the match report. (The referee could also consider a second caution for unsporting behavior for interfering with play and thus send off the substitute for the second caution in a match.) Finally, the referee should prevent substitutes from warming up behind the goals. However, in some stadiums warm-ups are allowed behind the goal (because there is no space along the touchlines).…

Law 18 - Common Sense

GOALKEEPER OUT OF THE PLAY? TOO BAD

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Question:
The goalkeeper is forced to come to the edge of the penalty area on the left side to clear a ball away and in doing so has to slide outside the area to clear the ball into the stands.

An attacking player quickly grabs a new ball from a ballkid and throws it in while the goalkeeper is caught way out of position.

As a referee, I would make the attacking player retake the throw-in, giving the keeper time to get back to his penalty area.

(My rule of common sense) These extra balls certainly speed up the game but are increasingly used to gain advantage.

Especially with home teams.

Is there a memorandum regarding this or is it a referee judgement call?

And what should the ruling be?

USSF answer (August 23, 2011):
The Law does not ask us to compensate for the mistakes of players. Indeed, the Law clearly instructs us NOT to compensate for such errors. However, the referee might be more sympathetic in some cases, based on the age and experience level of the teams. This Q&A from the IFAB’s “Questions and Answers” 2006 (Law 3) provides the information you need:

“20. During a match, the goalkeeper sprints from the goal to stop an opponent. He kicks the ball out of the field of play and a throw-in is awarded to the opposing team. The momentum of the goalkeeper takes him off the field of play and before he can return, the throw-in is taken and a goal is scored. What action, if any, should the referee take?

“A goal is awarded since no offence has been committed.”

As for procedure in replacing a ball that has left the field , the referee should ensure throughout the game that the ball boys and girls provide equal service for both teams.

In addition, there is always the possibility that the referee COULD question the legality of the new ball (“Did I really check this one before the game or is this a different one?”) while, of course, requiring a ceremonial restart..…

Law 18 - Common Sense

ADDING TO PLAYER ROSTER ONCE THE GAME HAS STARTED

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Question:
Can a player or substitute be added to a roster once the game has started?

In an amateur match, a team asked the assistant referee if he could add a player’s name on the roster – the official allowed the coach to add another name to the roster. This incident occurred during half-time and after all the players and substitutes were previously checked in before the kick-off had started. Is this legal? Is a team allowed to added a player’s name to its roster during the match and/or at half-time?

USSF answer (August 15, 2011):
The rules of the competition (league, tournament, cup, etc.) dictate what will happen in this situation. We will provide the rules used by FIFA for its competitions, but many competitions use different rules. Our motto: Know your local rules!

The following rules appear in the International Football Association Board’s “Questions and Answers 2006,” the last year in which the Q&A were published. As they have not been restated in the Laws of the Game in any other way, they continue to be valid. The particular points occur in the Q&A under Law 3, questions 21-23:

21. A competition rule states that all players must be named before kickoff.
A team lists only nine players and the match begins. May two other players who arrive after play has started take part?
No.

22. If no substitutes have been named and a player is sent off before play has begun, may the affected team complete the side with a player who subsequently arrives?
Yes.

23. A team reports the substitutes’ names to the referee before the start of the match, but they arrive after the kick-off. Should the referee admit them?
Yes.

…
Advice to Referees

LEAVING THE FIELD TO PLAY THE BALL HELD IN THE CORNER

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Question
ATR 3.9 states: “if a player . . . contesting for the ball passes over the touch line or the goal line without the ball to beat an opponent, he or she is not considered to have left the field of play without the permission of the referee. This player does not need the referee’s permission to return to the field.”

Attacker A shields the ball at the corner flag from Defender B1, attempting to run down the time. Defender B2 leaves the field over the touch line and tackles the ball while re-entering the field from outside the touch line. Is this legal?

USSF answer (July 18, 2011):
You have neglected to cite the entire first paragraph Advice 3.9, which states unequivocally:

3.9 LEAVING THE FIELD IN THE COURSE OF PLAY
Players are normally expected to remain on the field while the ball is in play, leaving only to retrieve a ball or when ordered off by the referee. If a player accidentally passes over one of the boundary lines of the field of play or if a player in possession of or contesting for the ball passes over the touch line or the goal line without the ball to beat an opponent, he or she is not considered to have left the field of play without the permission of the referee. This player does not need the referee’s permission to return to the field.

In the scenario you lay out, the defender’s action was not accidental. It was, however, solely for the purpose of getting to the ball and lasted only long enough to get around an opponent. Accordingly, the defender’s momentary departure from the field was “in the course of play” and therefore entirely legal. In fact, the defender was only forced to take this action by the attacker who placed the ball and his body in such a configuration that the only way the defender could get to the ball was to leave the field.…

Advice to Referees

LEAVING THE FIELD AT A RESTART

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Question:
On a corner kick, player A places ball in the arc. Player B runs out of play and around the goal to the resume position on the back post. Opposing team had players on the post. Corner is crossed in by Player A and scored by Player B who ran out of play. Should Player B be allowed to return to the field since he deliberately ran off the field? Should Player B wait to be signaled back on by the official after the corner was played in? Shouldn’t this be a yellow card?

USSF answer (July 15, 2011):
The Advice to Referees tells us:

3.9 LEAVING THE FIELD IN THE COURSE OF PLAY
Players are normally expected to remain on the field while the ball is in play, leaving only to retrieve a ball or when ordered off by the referee. If a player accidentally passes over one of the boundary lines of the field of play or if a player in possession of or contesting for the ball passes over the touch line or the goal line without the ball to beat an opponent, he or she is not considered to have left the field of play without the permission of the referee. This player does not need the referee’s permission to return to the field.

If the player ran out of the field after the ball was placed and before the kick was taken _and returned only while the ball was in the air_, that player has left the field of play without the referee’s permission. Blow the whistle, cancel the goal, caution the errant player for leaving the field without permission, and restart with an indirect free kick for the defending team from the place where the ball was when play was stopped.…

Interpretations/IFAB

ENCROACHMENT AT PENALTY KICK; PLAYER RE-ENTERS FIELD

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Question:
The Blue goalkeeper and Red player are in position for a PK. After the referee signals, but before the kick is taken, a Red teammate encroaches into the penalty area. The referee allows the kick to be taken. The Blue goalkeeper saves the shot, deflecting the ball to the Red teammate who then kicks it into the goal. What is the restart? Should the PK be retaken and the encroaching Red player cautioned?

Another question:
The referee gives a Blue player permission to leave the field to care of an injury. A Red player heads directly toward the Blue team’s goal with only the Blue goalkeeper between him and the goal. The Blue player reenters the field without the referee’s permission and runs across the Red player’s path causing him to slow down and allowing the Blue goalkeeper collect the ball. What is the misconduct? What discipline should be taken? And what is the restart?

USSF answer (June 25, 2011):
1. As there was no goal from the original kick, the referee stops play and the match is restarted with an indirect free kick to the defending team, from the place where the infringement occurred — that place on the penalty area line where the player entered the penalty area early. See Law 14.

2. First some essential background information: When a player who has been given permission to leave the field returns without permission, the Law requires that the referee (a) stop play (although not immediately if the player does not not interfere with play or if the advantage can be applied) and (b) then caution the player for entering the field of play without permission.

It is not clear to us precisely what happened in this situation, so we will provide two possible scenarios and their solutions:
(a) The Blue player did not impede the Red player and (after entering the field illegally) but did slow him down by running in front of him while Blue was within playing distance of the ball. Referee action: Caution the Blue player for entering the field without permission. Because there was no physical contact and the Blue player did not impede the progress of the Red player, the only other thing to do is to remove the Blue player from the field. If the referee stops play for this, the match is restarted with an indirect free kick, to be taken by a player of the Red team from the position of the ball at the time of the stoppage (see Law 13 – Position of Free Kick).
(b) If the referee is certain that the Blue player impeded the Red ;player, then the Blue player has denied an opponent a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity, then the Blue player is sent off and shown the red card. The game is restarted with an indirect free kick for the Red team from the place where the foul occurred (even if it is within the penalty area)…

Interpretations/IFAB

FORCING A PLAYER TO LEAVE FOR A SUBSTITUTE?

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Question:
What happens if the player does not want to go out the field when a substitution is called? Can the ref force the player out? Who has the final say?

USSF answer (May 26, 2011):
The player cannot be forced to leave the field. He or she might be in trouble with the team, but no one can make him or her leave. As the Law tells us, “play continues.”…