Question Number: 28303

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/3/2014

RE: Rec, Adult

Lucian of Doha, Qatar asks...

Hello,
If the ball is in the air with a defender in front of the attacker,and the attacker screams ' leave it' or 'me' is it a foul???
If it is foul, where can I find it in the laws of the game???
Thank you!

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Lucian
The referee has to determine the reason for the shout. If it is done to distract or deceive an opponent then that is unsporting behaviour and he should be cautioned. The restart is an indirect free kick from where the offence took place.
You will find the offence listed on page 123 under Law 12 Cautions for Unsporting Behaviour in the current Laws booklet.
Now I would point out that genuine communication with a team mate without the use of a name is not unsporting and it should not be punished. The test for the referee is whether the shout is deserving of a caution. There is no IDFK offence on its own for this.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Lucian,

This is one of those myths that goes around. Saying 'mine' or anything similar is not, and has never been, an offence, despite what many people think.

What becomes an offence is when a player verbally distracts or deceives an opponent. Standing behind an opponent saying 'leave it', 'mine', 'backheel' or anything similar so the opponent thinks the player is actually a teammate is unsporting behaviour and if it impacts upon play is a cautionable offence.

While I've seen plenty of players say 'mine' in a crowded area, in all my years of refereeing I've never seen a player do it in order to distract or deceive an opponent - so it's very rare that the referee actually needs to intervene here.

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See Question: 28334