Soccer: Does a "speech play" rule exist?

[Puckoon]

Ive been told on more than one occasion that a player calling to another team mate to "leave it" or "let it go" constitutes speech play - and is therefore illegal.

I just happened to score after telling one of our players to leave it yesterday - only for another team mate to tell both me and the ref that "thats speech play - you wouldnt get away with that at home". The teammate is a former lisburn distillery player - so id believe he would know the rules - unless he was mis informed.

There is no reference to this in FIFAs laws of the game (the official rule book) and id like to know if y'all have any ideas/experience about/with this so called rule...

[Our Nail Loney]

First I have heard, sounds a pile of balls!!

Any match you watch sure you see the players talking to each other, calling for the ball etc..

[pintsofguinness]

I heard it depends on what shorts the player in question is wearing.

[Carmen Stateside]

As far as I know your friend is right.  You cant call out leave it or my ball, instead you have to call your name, Puckoons ball

[Puckoon]

Im going to have to call in some fermanagh and western referee heavy weights.

can find nothing in the rule book.

[FL/MAYO]

Puck, the boys are correct, you cannot say my ball and the like. Congrats on the goal.

[Main Street]

Im going to have to call in some fermanagh and western referee heavy weights.

can find nothing in the rule book.

There is nothing in the rule book about your goalkeeper saying to a defender "leave it"
or for that matter a defender saying to a midfielder.
Why should there be? it's perfecty normal sporting behaviour.

What is in the rule book is 'unsporting behaviour' and if it is not spelt out then it is left up to the referees discretion.
Part of 'unsporting behaviour' is gaining an advantage by cheating or deception.
So it's generally regarded as 'unsporting behaviour' if you shout to an opposition player to leave it.

[David McKeown]

I remember when I was doing my referees course many moons ago, it was said that we should penalise all shouts of leave it etc as unsporting behaviour.  The reason for this, I was told at the time coming from an Italian match involving Juventus and AC Milan during which Roberto Baggio had shouted leaved it (I assume in Italian) at an opposition defender who duly left it for Baggio to score.  This caused such uproar in the media that the Italian FA, UEFA and eventually FIFA had to issue a directive on the matter.  Not sure how true that is but thats the story I was told by the referee coaching the course.  The two amateur leagues I coach and occassionaly referee in both enforce such a rule.

On a related note one of my friends who was on the books at a few English teams was telling me recently that it was common practice for goalkeepers and defenders to come up with a specific word for every half of football for the keeper for example penguin. In order to shout keepers ball theyd then shout penguin so that the defender would know that it was an opposition player behind him trying to get him to leave it.  So the opposition team wouldnt catch on too quickly thed change every half

[5 Sams]

A commonly heard appeal in my Carnbane soccer days.

"No name Ref!" When someone shouted leave it or my ball. Usually resulted in a free against the caller.

[Puckoon]

No official ruling, but this is what I was informed by a Fermanagh and Western Refereeing stalwart.


Leave it = Free kick and cautionable offence under unsporting behaviour

Leave it "hardstation" (when hardstation is my team mate) perfectly acceptable.

[fred the red]

keepers shout 'keepers' instead of 'my ball' probably for this reason.

[Puckoon]

Im going to have to call in some fermanagh and western referee heavy weights.

can find nothing in the rule book.

There is nothing in the rule book about your goalkeeper saying to a defender "leave it"
or for that matter a defender saying to a midfielder.
Why should there be? it's perfecty normal sporting behaviour.

What is in the rule book is 'unsporting behaviour' and if it is not spelt out then it is left up to the referees discretion.
Part of 'unsporting behaviour' is gaining an advantage by cheating or deception.
So it's generally regarded as 'unsporting behaviour' if you shout to an opposition player to leave it.

Youd need to be a serious eejit to just have a blank shout of "leave it" when your team mate AND opponent were in the vicinity of the ball.

What I did shout was "Leave it Elliot" which he duly did and thank f**k I buried it otherwise Elliot wouldnt have been a happy camper. Had no intention of cheating or gaining an unfair advantage - just figured it was a better idea than him trying a snap shot with a defender up his hole.


On the whole unsporting behaviour thing - Im not a fan.

Ive played against too many wee cnuts that will try and scream in your ear as you shoot - or indeed try to trick an opposition player  by either calling for the ball (i.e. Drop ball) and tricking the opponent into playing the ball to them, or as you mentioned - shouting leave it to trick an opponent.

[Main Street]

Do you remember when Smichel tried to fool De Canio by sticking his hand up for offside.

I thought that was cute play, not unsporting.

[Rav67]

Do you remember when Smichel tried to fool De Canio by sticking his hand up for offside.

I thought that was cute play, not unsporting.

That was Barthez, di Canio just rolled it in the corner anyway and Barthez looked a complete twat.

[haranguerer]

Started playing a wee bit of soccer a couple of yrs ago, and coming from gaelic where you can shout what you want, got caught out by this stupid rule on more than 1 occasion. Its even more frustrating, because invariably when you get the free given against you, you're in an attacking position yourself.
Btw,in my experience its as everyone says, shout a name and you're ok, but 'my ball' or 'leave it' isn't, presumably because it could confuse opposition players.
I'm gonna get the fu*kers tho: I'm waiting for an opportunity, then i'm going to shout an opponents name, in the hope his team mate leaves it. Work that one out ref!