Question Number: 16621

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/9/2007

RE: Other

Toni DeCarlo of Vista, Calif usa asks...

Where does it state that when a player gets ejected that another player can not take their place? They play down a man?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Toni,
the game has been around for a long time and traditionally the actual wording is not within the the written content but remains a known spirit of the law and is inferred to by the way all responses are worded in the other laws. Law 3 deals withthe number of players and if you read throuh the Q@A as well as the law it is evident this is the WAY things are done!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

It's not in the Laws because long ago, there were no substitutes. There was no one available to replace anyone sent off. Although that time is long past, now "everbody knows" that the sent-off player cannot be replaced, so IFAB never put it in the text of the Laws.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Football is a Game in which some things are passed from father to son or daughter or mother to daughter or son. Didn't your parents tell you a sent-off player is not replaced? They would have been right...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

It's not exlpicitly stated, though it is implied.

The only way the laws permit a player to be replaced is via a substitution (see law 3). A substitution must follow an exact proceedure and part of that is a player must leave in order for a substitute to enter and become the new player of record.

Law 12 states that a player is sent-off the field and shown the red card. The moment the referee decides to send the player off, they cease to be a player of record, and they may take no further part in the match. Seeing as how this person is no longer a player, no legal substitution could be made for them. Now that they may not be substituted for and they must leave. As all substitutions MUST follow this one-off, one-on concept, it is therefore only possible for the match to continue with the offender's team having one less player in their side as that team may not put a player on without taking one of them off.