Question Number: 17768

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 11/8/2007

RE: Adult

Tony of Sydney, Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 17698

Further to question 17698. Law 12 says under sending off offences " A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits ANY of the following seven offences: SO1 to SO7"

So I am not clear why the substitute can not be sent off for SO5 as the law seems to state that he should be.(Restart IFK). The FIFA Q&A does not cover this scenario.

If the illegal substitute commits SO4 then he IS sent off (restart IFK).FIFA Q&A covers this scenario.

If the illegal substitute enters the field and just denies a goal scoring opportunity with no foul - then this is a caution only. FIFA Q&A covers this scenario.

Please help me understand so I get this right - send off or not if a substitute enters illegally and commits DOGSO by a penal foul against an opponent.

Thanks for your help.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

A substitute or substituted player cannot commit the infraction necessary for SO1 and SO5 because he can not be guilty of foul play. The reason is for foul play to be committed it must be committed by a player on the field against an opponent whilst the ball is in play. When a substitute on the field without permission is identified he is cautioned and removed the restart of play is IFK where the ball was when play stopped. The fact he is guilty of SO4 as well doesn't change the restart. A substitute can not be guilty of committing a penal foul because direct free kick offences are defined as being committed by a player.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Tony, SO1 is not ever a possibility, as you noted. It can only be VC. And SO5 is a weird animal. If the infringement (has to be misconduct with a sub - nothing else counts) meets the 4 D's and if the substitute is the one who commits misconduct that denies the goal scoring opportunity, then you send him off, because misconduct is punished with the award of a free kick. In no case, as Ref Fleischer noted, can you ever punish the sub's misconduct with a direct free kick, but you can send him off and award the IDFK. Such convoluted machinations, but sometimes it is hard to put into plain language what should be a simple concept so folks can't screw it up. However...