Question Number: 35683

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/6/2024

RE: Rec Adult

Charlie of Sheffield, South Yorkshire UK asks...

I was playing 6 a side yesterday and my team had a kick in. To get into some space, I ran off the pitch and behind my teammate who was taking the kick in. I then received the ball from the kick taker. The ref blew up and gave a free kick to the opposition saying I couldn’t do that.

I asked if that was just the rules in small sided games or in 11 a side and he replied ‘just in general football’.

I’m 99.9% sure that what I did was legal. I can make a run off the pitch. Of course all other rules, in/out, offside (though no offsides in small sided game) etc would still count!

Would be good to get another refs view point. Makes me think, that goal that Bale scored against Barcelona when he ran off the pitch again Marc Bartra would’ve been disallowed if this ref was in charge!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Charlie,
technically the referee is correct, to exit the field deliberately, without the referees permission, is not permitted, without cause.

As to the incident you talked about Bale was "pushed out" and wide by the defender. The referee played advantage even as Carlo Ancelotti was screaming for a foul & while a lesser player might have fallen down Bale simply used his pace, outsprinted the defender and scored a superb goal. Perfectly legal as it was part of the playing movement.

The referee in your match may have felt your tactic was USB and confusing?
During active play there are allowances to be off the FOP to avoid a collision or through momentum and of course to retrieve a ball off the FOP you need to leave to go and get it. Thus the referee in these cases is in essence giving his retroactive permission, "de facto” accepting your reasoning to be there!

Circumstances could play a part for instance you could have left the FOP to retrieve the ball tossed it back to the PROPER spot for a team mate to kick it and benefitted by running onto the FOP further down field and a referee may well not see it as unfair or unsporting thus allowed particularly as you are in fact supposed to return to the FOP BEFORE the restart! .

Here it was at at stoppage and with the kick in at the 6 a side testing phase versus a throw in in 11 aside. It has the ear markings of a basketball pick where an opponent is inhibited unfairly to give chase. You are using your team mate in the same way the goal posts could be used, say on a corner kick, can you imagine running in behind the goal to shake off a defender?

The restart is interesting in if the referee is thinking you as the attacking player leaves the field of play before kick is taken, the referee should address this situation before allowing the kick to proceed.

Here in my opinion is the correct way to deal with this the referee should stop the play and instruct the player to return to the field. Depending on the circumstances, the referee may issue a warning or a yellow card for unsporting behavior if the player left the field deliberately to gain an advantage. The kick would then be taken as usual once the player has returned to the field and the referee is satisfied that everything is in order.

I am under the impression the free kick occurred for the opposition but no caution was shown? I am uncertain just where this free kick occurs?

Was the opposition's free kick just taken from where your (kick in) was originally?
Was the free kick just taken from where you exited the FOP?
Was the free kick just taken from where you re-entered the FOP?
Was the free kick just taken from where you contacted the ball?
Was the free kick just taken from where the ball was in route at the time of the whistle?
Was the free kick an INDFK, not a DFK?
Was a yellow card, caution shown?

According to the Laws of the Game, if a player leaves the field without the referee’s permission and then re-enters to gain an advantage, the referee can caution the player for unsporting behavior and show a yellow card. The restart would be an indirect free kick to the opposing team from the position where the ball was when play was stopped.

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Charlie
As a general rule players are expected to stay on the field of play including at restarts. A player is allowed to leave the field of play to go around an opponent as part of play. Momentum in play is also a key factor.
What is allowed is the Bale type incident where a player goes around an opponent off the field of play. It is specifically mentioned in the Laws.
** A player who crosses a boundary line as part of a playing movement does not commit an offence.**. Note how this has to be specifically mentioned in the Law book which highlights that it is not a free for all on crossing a boundary line.
Obviously being off the field of play to take a corner kick or a throw in or goal kick is acceptable and part of playing the game.

The play in this video is not acceptable
https://youtu.be/cvIArS5DO4w?si=1toNN1RyfcJrXmHA

What is not allowed is players deliberately leaving the field of play at a restart such as at a corner as in the example and going behind the goals or over a boundary line to avoid being marked. If a referee can halt the restart before the kick is taken that is the best way to go.
If not it is a caution and play is restarted with a direct free kick from the position of any interference or with an indirect free kick from the position of the ball when play was stopped if there was no interference. The referee is the judge of interference.

The caution is for deliberately leaving the field of play without permission and the free kick is taken as per Law 12

The key question is the location of the player at the moment of the restart. If the player has returned at the moment of the restart there is no offence. There can be situations of a returning player who was already off the field as part of a playing motion through momentum and the player’s return would be expected. Determining location of a player at the restart can be doubtful so play can be allowed to continue.

I suspect as well that this type of incident is less likely to be a factor in the 11 v 11 game on a full pitch and also less likely to be seen as unsporting unlike on a small sided game pitch where space is a premium.
In the full game referees will not allow players to say stand off the field of play in the goal area or behind a post. I have seen situations at corners where two players are set up to take a corner. Opponents are never bothered about that as it is a marked situation anyway and one less active player in the mix.