Question Number: 35876

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/10/2025

RE: Competitive Other

Matthew J Plodinec of Gainesville, VA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 35870

All the answers seem to assume that play had
Transgressed for a period of time and the crew is unable to conclusively determine whether the sent off player was involved. What if they can determine he was not involved? Does the definition of involvement match that for offside?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Matthew
I assume you refer to Q# 35870

There would be no connection between Law 11 interference and the extra player interference.

A referee crew would have to determine the reason why the extra player was on the field of play. What we said in the answers was that referees should not be looking for insignificant involvement such as still being on the field while walking off to the changing room or taking a shortcut across a corner of the pitch while play is at the other end or only stepping over a boundary line.

What cannot be allowed is a sent off player returning to the field of play as a participant becoming involved in some part of play which could include being marked by an opponent or participating previously in play as part of the game.

So a referee should look for nefarious reasons why an extra player is on the field and decide accordingly.
For me if a sent off player makes it back on to the field of play to get involved in whatever fashion any goal should be disallowed and the player removed and reported for the additional misconduct.

Good referee mechanics should prevent this happening.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Matthew,
If a player who has been sent off somehow manages to remain on the field for a period and his team scores a goal I don't think the referee or other match officials would or should be looking for a way to excuse that and allow the goal to stand. To do so would to me, be contrary to the spirit of the law - and for that matter, pretty much against the letter of the law as well.

I would agree with my colleague ref McHugh that the criteria for involvement here are not related to the provisions of Law 11. In fact I would almost be inclined to repurpose an old saying that used to be incorrectly used in reference to Law 11 back in the 1970 's, to wit:

"If he's not interfering with play, what's he doing on the pitch?"

It wasn't actually applicable to law 11 but I think it's quite apt here.