Question Number: 15416

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/8/2007

RE: Adult

Gediminas of Kaunas, Lithuania asks...

Player scores the goal and goes celebrating to his team mates on the bench(leaves the field of play).Should referee show him a yellow card for deliberately leaving the field of play?Thank you

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

No. Play was stopped once the ball left the field, and now he's just taking the scenic route back to his half of the field for the kickoff. Goals are impressive things and should be celebrated with reasonable abandon.

Of course if the scenery is too much for him and he delays the restart, he may be cautioned for that. Or if his celebration is so excessive as to be taunting the other team, it could be Unsporting Behavior. And there's no way he's taking his shirt off, right?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Celebrations after a goal are part of the Game, at least they have become part of it in the recent past. As long as it doesn't involve going into the stands, removing the short, rubbishing the other team or its supporters or excessive delay we're going to bear it.

I'm sure grounds keepers enjoy the furrows made by sliding knees so that little demonstration takes care of itself. When you see a rehearsed dance like gridiron footballers do in America you might want to be close by and put a speedy end to it.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

A goal is something to cherish and enjoy. So why kill the celebration with teammates. It's better for the player to go to his bench than to have subs enter the field which is going to draw cautions to all of those subs. So allow this to a point, but don't allow unusual celebrations that taunt opponents or bring the game into disrepute.