Question Number: 30122

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/18/2016

RE: competive Under 18

james mcmullan of howell twp nj 07731, nj monmouth asks...

the attacking team crosses over center line a player yells ' i am going around ' she leaves the field of play runs down the touch line and re-enters the field near the penalty area receives a pass from a team mate and takes a shot on goal.no goal was scored.i think this is a set play that this team uses often. is this leaving the field of play without the referees permission.should the player be cautioned?i was a ar and the referee did nothing.he said she left the field in the normal course of play??.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi James, going around what? If she was weaving in and out of the oppositions bench or technical area, running in and around the off field opponents, subs the 4th and AR or in behind the goal it would take a pretty liberal group of officials to allow runs completely outside the touchlines as part of normal momentum and play when it is not to avoid a collision or a directional run at speed and unable to stop. The LOTG state if a player ACCIDENTALLY crosses one of the boundary lines of the field of play, he MAY be considered to be part of a playing movement. When it is a deliberate,action it could easily determined as a form of misconduct, unless it was to show non involvement in offside or had a valid reason attached , to avoid a large puddle etc...
If they are running along a touchline to get wide and are straddling the touchline I might be ok with it as long as they are not running into my ARs or going around or through technical areas . But deliberate running outside the boundaries more than a body width (1 yard) is not truly ACCIDENTALLY and we just MAY not see it as ok!

From additional guidance
Quote
Any defending player leaving the field of play for any reason without the
referee's permission shall be considered to be on his own goal line or touch line
for the purposes of offside until the next stoppage in play. If the player leaves
the field of play deliberately, he must be cautioned when the ball is next out of
play.
It is not an offence in itself for a player who is in an offside position to step
off the field of play to show the referee that he is not involved in active play.
However, if the referee considers that he has left the field of play for tactical
reasons and has gained an unfair advantage by re-entering the field of play, the
player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. The player needs to ask for
the referee's permission to re-enter the field of play.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi James,
Players are allowed to leave the field as part of normal play - running around a defender standing on the line for instance. Following from that, the attacker is required to make a fair attempt to return to the field in a timely fashion.

Leaving or remaining off the field to gain some sort of tactical advantage, however, is definitely not on. One example would be an attacker leaving the field at a corner kick, running behind the goal then entering the field on the other side of the goal. No 'normal' reason for him to leave - he's doing it to avoid being marked.

If they're 'just off' the touch line then I probably wouldn't worry about it too much. I might just warn the player and caution if repeated. If they've gone some fair way back off the field or I can see it's clearly impacted how the defenders are reacting, then a caution is the only option.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi James
What has the player done that was unsporting? Do the opponents know that she is there? Is she entitled to be on the field of play as part of play? Does the defending team have to do anything different to mark her or factor her into their defending? Has the run prevented the opponents from doing anything that they want to do? Is offside a factor? Personally I dont see any issue here as the laws allow for a player to move off the field of play as part of playing movement. It does not say how short or long that playing movement has to be. If Im an AR looking across I probably cannot see the touchline so the player is viewed as normal just a few yards wider.
Now the exception to this is using the frame of the goal to evade marking or restrict movement of opponents. A player may not run behind the goal to use the frame and nets as a barrier or restriction in opponent movements or marking. That is unsporting behaviour punished by a caution for USB and an IDFK restart from where the ball was when play was stopped.