Question Number: 21842

Law 3 - Number of Players 8/27/2009

RE: Pro Adult

Richard of Cloetesville, Stellenbosch South Africa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 17931

I agree that the team with 9 players can fill up their team to 11 during the game, but can they now also use the other substitutions to replace an infield player.
Does'nt the team starting short forfeit the opportunity to use more than 11 players during the match by way of replacements? The FIFA law indicates that a team can fill up until 11 if they are short, but what happens with the other subs that were not used? Am I right to say that the remaining subs cannot be used after the team have reached 11 players during the match?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

In competitions that require naming players and subs, there are two lists:
-- players (the starters)
-- nominated substitutes (the bench)

If not all the people on the player list are there at gametime, the team has two options:
-- play short until the named players arrive
-- make substitutions from the nominated sub list

If they choose to play short, the newly arrived player can be put into the game once his equipment is checked and any identification routines have been complied with (pass-cards, signatures, etc.)

If they choose to make substitutions, they may have used up X of the allowable Y substitutions they may make that day based on the rules of the competition. In addition, the late arriving people from the player list have been substituted out of the game and they may not play should they ever get to the field that day.

When refereeing a game that allows unlimited substitutions, we don't have to worry about all this. Any person on the roster may play all, any or no minutes in the game.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Richard, why would think legal subs could not be used? Subs are players, who have NOT taken part in the game. Obviously a certain number of subs are allowed. This right cannot be suddenly taken away just because they started short. Perhaps you mean that two subs have been used temporarily until the 'players' arrived. If that was the case, those late players are substituted players and cannot take part in that match. Naturally they now have two subs less.
Think of it this way: the starting 11, the subs and the substituted players. In a pro game the starting 11 is named and if others take part they must come from the subs list.
It is quite permissible to start with seven to ten players and place more 'players' on as they are available.
All this is irrelevant in unlimited subs. In those games there are no 'substituted players'. Everybody on the team list can play; those who are playing at any moment in the game are players and those who are not, are subs.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

How many ways are you going to ask this question? At the beginning of a match there is a game card. On the game card will be a list of all the players and the nominated substitutes. there may be 11 or 15 or 18 or whatever total number of players/subs are allowed but each and every one of those people on the card may be allowed to participate in the match. Why do you think a team would forfeit it's right to use nominated substitutes simply because they were not there at the beginning of the match? As long as they are on the game card, they may participate in the match regardless of when they show up.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The rules of competition generally will identify what happens if a someone nominated as a substitute begins the match instead of someone listed as a player. A 2006 FIFA Q&A indicated that if the referee has NOT been informed of the change, the person who began the match is a substitute improperly on the field of play.

If your question is whether, after informing the referee, the replacement of a starter with a nominated substitute before the match begins uses up one of the allowed number of limited substitutions, again the answer is found in the rules of competition.
For example, for the 2010 World Cup, the rules of competition provide that the first 11 listed on the roster must start, but if they 'are unable to start for any reason, they may be replaced by any of the seven substitutes. During the match, three players may still be replaced.'