Soccer: Does a "speech play" rule exist?

[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.

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

It was Barthez, they all look the same to me.

Your opinion on Barthez is irrelevant to the question, anyway it's pretty obvious that he'd look a twat for not pulling it off.

He played the part convincing enough like no other goalkeeper would think of doing.
If DiCanio thought he heard a whistle and saw Barthez looking relaxed it is not in the realm of impossibilities that he might have stopped playing.

Robbie Keane has a habit of trying to catch out a goalkeeper who forgets that he is lurking there, in his last attempt he came close to pulling it off, a ref said that if he had scored then he would have dissallowed it for unsporting behaviour.

[Goats Do Shave]

It is ungentlemanly conduct!

You must use a name!

[Minus15]

Robbie Keane has a habit of trying to catch out a goalkeeper who forgets that he is lurking there, in his last attempt he came close to pulling it off, a ref said that if he had scored then he would have dissallowed it for unsporting behaviour.

The ref said that he would have done so because Robbie Keane left the pitch. It is against the rules to leave the playing area in order to gain an advantage on the opposition. This was against david James. Although Robbie has successfully scored in this fashion before and I seem to remember Dion Dublin doing likewise against shay given in his coventry days.

[Main Street]

The ref said that he would have done so because Robbie Keane left the pitch. It is against the rules to leave the playing area in order to gain an advantage on the opposition. This was against david James. Although Robbie has successfully scored in this fashion before and I seem to remember Dion Dublin doing likewise against shay given in his coventry days.

A player only need the refs permission to return if he goes off for treatment or a piss etc.

Where is this rule in the book?
"It is against the rules to leave the playing area in order to gain an advantage on the opposition".

I think it all falls under the referee's interpretation of Unsporting Behaviour.

That referee, Durkin, first consulted his linesman, then awarded the goal, he didn't think that Dublin was guilty of unsporting behaviour.
Even if he does look as if he is loitering with suspicious intent for a second or two before going in for the kill.

[J70]

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...

We used to invariably get penalized in the various Dublin leagues I've played in for shouting "leave it" or "my ball". Unsporting play I think was basically the rule.

I have no idea if it is the official rule book.

[Hardy]

That's right and when I used to be a soccer keeper, you had to shout "keeper" not "leave it" or "g'way ta f**".

I remember Bobby Charlton being penalised one time for shouting "leave it" instead of a name to his team mate, so it goes back that far at least.  Also, I don't know if it's still the case, but when I used to watch soccer, players could run off the pitch to avoid being offside.

[full back]

players could run off the pitch to avoid being offside.

You cant be offside unless you are on the pitch

[AZOffaly]

That's true, but you can't deliberately run off, to stay onside, and then run on again to get an advantage. That's 'unsportsmanlike' behaviour. You are only supposed to leave the pitch with a referee's permission, even for a drink.

[Evil Genius]

There is no rule that says a player must use a name when calling for the ball. He only risks being penalised by the referee if he does so in a manner which is liable unfairly to deceive an opponent i.e. unsporting behaviour.

For example, if a centre half on the edge of his own penalty area goes to play a long clearance upfield from the opposing keeper, when there isn't an opponent nearby, his keeper may simply call "Leave it", and collect the ball himself, since no devious advantage is gained.

However, if there were opponents in the vicinity, who might conceivably have thought it was one of their own teammates who had called "Leave it", and so stopped, then the Referee is entitled to penalise the goalkeeper. Adding a name merely helps to avoid the suspicion that deceit is being used. (Indeed, as somebody else pointed out, calling out an opponent's name to trick him into leaving it for you would be penalised as a particularly stark example of "unsporting behaviour".)

Afaik, this has been the case for decades (possibly since soccer's very earliest days?), when it was formerly known as "Ungentlemanly Conduct". In any case, it far pre-dates the Baggio example cited by someone else, where I suspect FIFA used that prominent example to remind people of the situation.

[Hoof Hearted]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxNKwGSVqg

did anyone click on the funny football link after this clip is over
hilarious

[The Watcher Pat]

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...

You have to call your name when shouting for a ball...It's classed as ungentlemanly conduct...Its to try and stop forwards getting behind defenders and calling "leave it" and the ball coming straight through to them.....I have been called up on it thousands of times........

[Bensars]

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

can find nothing in the rule book.

It has been enforced in the Fermanagh and western and higher divisions for years now.

It was in force 20 years ago

[Evil Genius]

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

can find nothing in the rule book.

It has been enforced in the Fermanagh and western and higher divisions for years now.

It was in force 20 years ago

As you will see from my post above (#21), there has never been any specific Rule which says a player must always include a name when calling for the ball, or that a punishment must automatically follow in the absence of a name.

However, the Authorities at various levels, from FIFA right down to F&W, have long since construed calling without a name, depending on the circumstances, as being capable of constituting "Ungentlemanly Conduct/Unsporting Behaviour" and send out Directives to referees to remind them of this from time to time.

[his holiness nb]

When I played as a teen (a while back now) the refs in the Dublin leagues always gave a free against you for this.

Whether in the rules or not, I wouldnt argue, its sneaky stuff.

[Puckoon]

When I played as a teen (a while back now) the refs in the Dublin leagues always gave a free against you for this.

Whether in the rules or not, I wouldnt argue, its sneaky stuff.

Clarify whats sneaky?

Do you think that me calling to a team mate to leave it (with his name) is sneaky?