Question Number: 5114

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct

RE: rec Adult

Jose Vasquez of Riverside, Ca USA asks...

Can a player on the same team call for the ball. I was called for talking during my last game and told that I could not talk to my own teammates. I was told by the soccer coordinator that it was a FIFA rule. I downloaded the rule book but wasn't able to find an answer.

Answer provided by Referee Powell

Jose,..There is no such Law that states you are not allowed to call for the ball and communication is an integral part of Soccer...A referee may penalise you with a caution and award an indirect free kick against you if you delibrately try to deceive an opponent by saying "Leave it" for example...Keep Smiling.Steve Powell

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Jose trying to put off an oppenent by shouting is a form of unsporting behavior and may be the cause of a caution as Ref Powell says...Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Dawson

Free speech is alive and well at least in my neck of the woods. Calling out MINE! or Leave it! in the context of communicating to teammates is NOT a problem! ..Where the clouds seem to fall is if in the middle of a crowd of players going for the same ball. The words I GOT IT! or MINE! ring out. If the opposing players were to stop or be affected by it, this COULD be construed as USB ONLY if it was done to intimidate or decieve an opponent. This is the same as yelling ARRRRRGH! into the ear of an opponent as you are running after him hoping to cause him to flinch or cause anxiety. Yet often these challanges for the ball continue unaffected and in this sense no infringement could be attributed to the verbal outcry...I constantly try to damper such activity and request, PUT a name to it! or ask, Who is up for it? when a group of players clash on airballs, simply to remove this isssue from ever being one. There are those who will as game management strategy nail the first utterence of MINE! in a crowd with an INDFK to the opposing team as a lesson not to do it. This is contrary to the letter of the law in that if you stop play for USB a caution must accompany the deception. I would a prefer a referee to admonish the player and restart with a drop ball as an inadvertant whistle if there seemed to be conflict for the players. Then warn the players this COULD be construed as USB so why risk it? USE your name!, even as a coaching tactic it helps identify challanges in a safer manner even from keeping teammates from colliding by going for the same ball...IT is not considered as impeding although if it WERE to be classified as such in law then perhaps this issue would not be so confusing. Cheers