Question Number: 17963

Law 3 - Number of Players 11/19/2007

RE: rec,select, competitive High School

Dan Curran of honolulu, HI USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 17699

I agree, if 12th player problem is discovered before restart, then indirect free kick for team that was "scored" on and caution for whoever the 12th player was... if discovered after restart, goal counts and then 12th player gets a caution. But here is my problem with previous referee answers: The laws of the game are to be adhered to by the participating teams and this violation of the laws is not the "referee's fault"--- the responsibility to abide by the laws of the game rests with the team that put an extra player on the field-- Isn't putting an extra player on the field unsporting behavior, thus requiring a caution as soon as it is discovered by the referee crew? The referee cannot be at fault (they can be slow to realize, incompetent, or wrong in application of infractions) but the onus of following the laws, including number of players on field, rests soley with the teams playing the game!

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

When we were speaking about the "referee's fault" that there might be too many players on the field, it is because of sloppy mechanics. The referee doesn't ensure that an equal number of players go off before the new players come in. Some referees wave them in when the coach yells "Sub", and don't look to be sure that the correct number of players are on the field before allowing the restart to take place. In that case, the referee has contributed to the problem. The team and coaches most likely weren't looking to cheat, they just weren't paying attention. Just like the referee. If the referee attempts to caution someone when he gave permission for her to be on the field, problems will arise.

Now if a coach slips a 12th player across the line while play is ongoing, that certainly is a team attempting to cheat, and both the player and the coach should be sanctioned.