Question Number: 17127

Law 3 - Number of Players 10/6/2007

RE: SELECT

Franco of Bloomington, USA asks...

Players cannot leave the field of play without ref's permission.

This sounds like a BLACK and WHITE rule, but really it has much grey in it or does it...

All situtaions below are without permission or at least no formal permission is given (no verbal, whistle, head nod, eye contact, hand gesture or written rule). All questions are while the game is on and ball is in play, except for # 9. How did you give permission or do you make a call:

1. steps off field to tie his shoe
2. immediatley leaves for a nose bleed
3. runs outside the touchline to surprise the opposing player from his or her blind side or to avoid a mark or to keep ball in play
4. performs slide tackle and exits the field due to the momemtum of the slide.
6. to get a drink of water, such as keepers commonly do.
7. Is holding the ball (ball is on ground not moving) and looking for teammates. The ball is on the touchline, but the player's body is completely outside the touchline facing the field of play.
8. player steps over goal line or touchline to indicate to the ref that they are in an offside position but not interfering with play.
9. steps off field to talk to the coach during a stop in play due to an injured player stoppage
10. steps off field to take a hit of their asthma inhaler because they can't breath.

Franco

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

It is to prevent confusion.
You need to understand reasonable people can do reasonable things! Permission is in fact granted by the referee in understanding and accepting the conditions of what occurred as reasonable that he was always going to give permission. So by not objecting he has in fact permitted the leaving. Heck the referee might know about the medical condition and already in the pre-game permitted the player to leave for the inhaler if he needed too!

Now he might choose to warn a player, "Look you need to get my attention or fixing your shoe does not require you to leave the field to do it or showing non involvement in offside and stepping out is not necessary. Leaving the field through momentum is part of the game.

WE expect players to remain inside the field but accept there are brief moments when they might leave to avoid a challenge or be unable to slow down or slip, or go around playing the ball etc... I mean if the player runs out and ducks under cover in the stands to hide then springs out 30 yards down field to reappear that will not be tolerated because it is not reasonable behavior!

Think on an injury, nose bleed it is a blood fountain and the referee is unaware , or the player is feeling sick and needs to vomit. He runs off holding his nose to get treatment or covers his mouth does his business along the bush line and we whip a yellow card for what?. The yellow card matching his puke colored stomach contents?

Referees like to receive respect for the position they hold and while we can overlook something?s we can also lose patience if the things are repeated after having been told no! No referee will deny a player a drink of water but the laws are clear the water is to be along the touchlines so a player does not have to leave the field.
We might overlook a reach out to get a rolled away water bottle but up into the stands and talks with the girl friend as he does is likely not going to fly.

Players leaving and milling about off the field say during an injury timeout decide to switch if it is a match with unlimited subs the substitution process is not followed and who is to say the referee is aware of which 11 were on the field to begin with?

No referee wants or at least he should not want to get a player on a needless techy call just to say I gotcha.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

1. Technically could have tied shoe on field but at best this is trifling, 2. Good for him, 3. Perfectly legal, 4. Again, perfectly legal. Happens through normal course of play, 6. The keeper is a foot over the goal line. WHo cares? 7. I don't understand this one, 8. Perfectly legal, 9. Who cares? 10. Thank God they had enough sense to do this instead of waiting for the referee. Advice To Referees specifically covers some of these.