Law 5 Clarification

[one]

Here is a scenario worth thinking of for those in the know.

Player injured in a foul near TA and play is stopped. He doesn't want physio on but asks to roll over off the field and you say OK. Play restarts and he is seen by physio off the field. 20 seconds later with ball in play (or at a stoppage) he asks to come back on. Can he?

How about a similar senario but he asks to go off while ball is in play?

They are both scenarios of injured player treated off the field but wanting to come back on in less than a minute.

 

[ARF]

Here is a scenario worth thinking of for those in the know.

Player injured in a foul near TA and play is stopped. He doesn't want physio on but asks to roll over off the field and you say OK. Play restarts and he is seen by physio off the field. 20 seconds later with ball in play (or at a stoppage) he asks to come back on. Can he?

How about a similar senario but he asks to go off while ball is in play?

They are both scenarios of injured player treated off the field but wanting to come back on in less than a minute.

If the player leaves the FoP voluntarily to get treatment, they don't need to wait a minute to re-enter, so either way it's fine.

 

[RefereeX]

Here is a scenario worth thinking of for those in the know.

Player injured in a foul near TA and play is stopped. He doesn't want physio on but asks to roll over off the field and you say OK. Play restarts and he is seen by physio off the field. 20 seconds later with ball in play (or at a stoppage) he asks to come back on. Can he?

How about a similar senario but he asks to go off while ball is in play?

They are both scenarios of injured player treated off the field but wanting to come back on in less than a minute.

My suggestion would be that they can - spirit of the law.
The idea of the law being to stop the game being slowed down. Neither of these examples slow the game down.

 

[Archer]

Here is a scenario worth thinking of for those in the know.

Player injured in a foul near TA and play is stopped. He doesn't want physio on but asks to roll over off the field and you say OK. Play restarts and he is seen by physio off the field. 20 seconds later with ball in play (or at a stoppage) he asks to come back on. Can he?

How about a similar senario but he asks to go off while ball is in play?

They are both scenarios of injured player treated off the field but wanting to come back on in less than a minute.

 

[one]

View attachment 8831

One can argue the fact that he did actually received treatment (and asked for it) can trump both those points. But in principle I agree with all responses.

I think this would become a common scenario for actually 'injured' players whose team is trailing in the game.

 

[ARF]

One can argue the fact that he did actually received treatment (and asked for it) can trump both those points.

I don't think you can argue that. Not using the LotG, anyway

 

[JamesL]

Here is a scenario worth thinking of for those in the know.

Player injured in a foul near TA and play is stopped. He doesn't want physio on but asks to roll over off the field and you say OK. Play restarts and he is seen by physio off the field. 20 seconds later with ball in play (or at a stoppage) he asks to come back on. Can he?

How about a similar senario but he asks to go off while ball is in play?

They are both scenarios of injured player treated off the field but wanting to come back on in less than a minute.

There is an exception to the 1 minute for this scenario.

 

[bester]

Was expected this answer.

My question

"Good Afternoon,

The referee stops play for a suspected serious head injury ie restart will be a drop ball.

When the whistle goes the player jumps straight back up and voluntarily leaves the pitch.

Does the one minute off no longer apply as the player has voluntarily left the pitch?"


IFAB reply

"
Good morning


Thank you for your e mail and question.


The one-minute does apply as the player caused play to be stopped "

 

[one]

"Good Afternoon,

The referee stops play for a suspected serious head injury ie restart will be a drop ball.

When the whistle goes the player jumps straight back up and voluntarily leaves the pitch.

Does the one minute off no longer apply as the player has voluntarily left the pitch?"

Yes. No need to apply one minute unless he has delayed the restart (from your description, it doesn't sound like he did).

The wording in law needs a bit more clarity on this though.

 

[bester]

@one They're saying the play would have to stay off for a minute as the player caused play to be stopped.

My assumption was always that stoppage was meant to mean a non-injury stoppage, and despite their parsing they didn't mean for voluntarily leaving to be an exemption after play was stopped for an injury

Players would still go down holding their head if they could voluntarily go off and avoid the one minute time-out.

 

[one]

@one They're saying the play would have to stay off for a minute as the player caused play to be stopped.

My assumption was always that stoppage was meant to mean a non-injury stoppage, and despite their parsing they didn't mean for voluntarily leaving to be an exemption after play was stopped for an injury

I see your point but I am interpretating it the other way. That's why i said the wording needs to be more clear.

Players would still go down holding their head if they could voluntarily go off and avoid the one minute time-out.

I think even the voluntarily leaving clause is clear on this. If you feel that they have "delayed the restart" you have to ask them to stay off for one minute.
For me, to decide this, context is very important.

 

[El__Juez__]

Football’s Laws should be clearest when referees are being asked to enforce something new. The new one minute rule for injured players achieves precisely the opposite.

Referees must often decide within seconds whether an injury is sufficiently serious to stop play. Under the new rule, stopping play may carry an immediate consequence for the injured player and their team: the player must leave and the team may be reduced to ten players for at least a minute.

That creates the wrong incentive. A referee may hesitate before stopping play because doing so could disadvantage the injured player’s team. In a marginal case, that hesitation could mean that a serious injury is not recognised or treated as quickly as it should be.

Of course, the Laws still require play to be stopped where a player is seriously injured, and there is an exception for severe injuries. But referees do not have the benefit of a medical diagnosis when making the initial decision. The difficulty lies precisely in distinguishing, in real time, between an injury which appears minor and one which may be serious.

The drafting itself adds further uncertainty. The relevant provision attempts, in a single sentence of more than 70 words, to explain when play should be stopped, whether treatment may take place on the field, when the player must leave and when and where the player may return.

It says that a player “may only re-enter one minute after play has restarted”. Does that mean precisely at the one minute point! The accompanying protocol refers to a one minute “running clock”, but the Law itself does not.

There is also uncertainty over an injury which results in “the restart of play being delayed”. How much of a delay is required? Does any delay count?

These are not merely drafting complaints. Poorly expressed Laws become match management problems. Players and coaches need to understand why a player cannot return. Referees need to be able to apply it consistently, explain quickly and enforce without allowing the possible disciplinary consequence to influence a decision about player safety.

A rule intended to prevent tactical delay should not create even a perceived reason to delay stopping play for a genuine injury.