Entering & Leaving the Field Without Permission

Players must have the referee's permission to enter or leave the field of play during a match. Doing so without permission is a cautionable offence.

The full rule

A player cannot enter or leave the field during play without the referee's permission. This applies to players returning from treatment for injury, players adjusting equipment, and substitutes entering. A player who deliberately leaves the field and re-enters to gain an advantage, such as running behind the goal line to appear onside, can be cautioned and their position for offside purposes is considered to be on the boundary line. If a player leaves the field and re-enters without permission and gains an advantage, they must be cautioned when the ball is next out of play.

Key points

✓Players must have referee permission to enter or leave the field
✓Deliberately leaving to gain an advantage is cautionable
✓Player who leaves is considered on the boundary line for offside purposes
✓Substitutes must wait for the replaced player to leave before entering
✓Returning from injury treatment requires referee permission
✓Player who enters without permission and affects play is cautioned

Scenarios

Scenario 1

Injured player returns without permission

Foul

A player who went off for treatment runs back onto the pitch during play without waiting for the referee's signal.

Correct call: Play is stopped and the player is cautioned for entering without permission. They must wait for the referee to signal before re-entering.

Common mistake: Allowing play to continue because the player appeared fit to return. Permission is required regardless of fitness.

Scenario 2

Attacker steps behind goal line to appear onside

Offside

An attacker deliberately steps off the pitch behind the goal line during open play, then re-enters to receive a pass in what would have been an offside position.

Correct call: The attacker is considered to be on the goal line for offside purposes. If they gain an advantage, caution them when the ball is next out of play.

Common mistake: Ruling onside because the player was technically off the pitch. The law explicitly addresses this loophole.