Question Number: 35789

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 11/4/2024

RE: Rec Adult

Richard of Seattle, WA USA asks...

In the last minutes of a hotly contested match, two substitutes enter the field of play without referee permission and get in to a verbal altercation and pushing match with opponents. Both received red cards. Does the offending team continue play with a full side, or should they have continued play down two players?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Richard
Thanks for the question.

Very simple answer. The team does NOT play short as it was not players that were sent off. The team just has fewer substitutes to chose from.
A team only plays short if a player is dismissed from the field of play during the game.

It not expressly stated in the Law yet wordings like the following allude to it.
“A named substitute who is sent off before or after the kick-off may not be replaced.”
“A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.”

So essentially players, substitutes and substituted players can be treated differently under the Law depending on the situation.

Another unusual situation is where a player is sent off before kick off. That dismissed player is replaced by a named substitute and again the team does not play short. The substitute cannot be replaced so the team has a substitute less to choose from. That is set out in Law
“” A player who is sent off........... after being named on the team list and before kick-off may be replaced by a named substitute, who cannot be replaced the number of substitutions the team can make is not reduced”

If a player is sent off during the half time interval the team does play short in the second half.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 35791