Soccer Ettiquette Question: Giving the ball back to the opposition

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the etiquette of returning the ball to the opposing team in soccer, particularly in situations involving player injuries or contentious plays. Participants explore various scenarios where this practice occurs and its historical context within the sport.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe instances where teams return the ball to the opposition following an injury, suggesting it is a common practice rooted in sportsmanship.
  • Others note that this behavior is not codified in the rules of soccer but is rather a gentlemen's agreement that has become expected over time, particularly since the 1980s.
  • One participant mentions that the referee can stop play for severe injuries, leading to a face-off situation, where the team that did not have possession typically does not attempt to win the ball back.
  • There is a discussion about the unwritten rules of soccer, with references to the historical context of these practices and their acceptance among players and spectators.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about which specific situations (injury vs. contentious tackles) the gentlemen's agreement applies to, indicating a lack of consensus on the nuances of these practices.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that returning the ball is a common practice in certain situations, but there is disagreement regarding the specific circumstances and the historical development of this etiquette.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various unwritten rules and historical practices without resolving the specifics of their origins or the conditions under which they apply.

berkeman
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I've seen this in local elite team play, and have seen it at least twice in the World Cup matches going on now (amazing come-back win by Germany yesterday, BTW). There seem to be some circumstances where a team will elect to give the ball back to the opposition, based on something that happened in the course of play.

I've found one situation online, where there is an injury to a player on team 1, and team 2 ends up with the ball and can attack the other way, but decides to stop play so that the player on team 1 can get looked at. Team 2 kicks the ball out of bounds to stop play, and after things are resolved, Team 1 inbounds the ball but send it back into the back court to team 2 to continue play. Very nice.

https://coachingamericansoccer.com/features/sportsmanship-upon-injury/

But I think I've seen at least one instance in my local teams' play where there was a disagreement between the teams over a hard tackle where one team got the advantage and the referee did not call a foul, but it was contentious enough that the team that tackled decided to kick the ball back to the other team. Is that part of soccer/futball etiquette?
 
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This is a gentlemen's agreement and meanwhile expected behavior. It's not part of the rules, and I think it became "usual" in the 80's. A player that won't follow this code normally gets booed by the spectators.

Btw., it's neither soccer nor futbol. It's football. The other game is handegg; or Rugby if played properly. :biggrin:
 
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fresh_42 said:
This is a gentlemen's agreement and meanwhile expected behavior. It's not part of the rules, and I think it became "usual" in the 80's.
Which one? The injury one, or the contentious hard tackle one?
 
The referee can also stop the play action, which he does if e.g. there is blood to be seen or another severe injury. In this case the game will be continued by a ball drop between two players like a face-off in Hockey. But in this case, the player of the team who hasn't had the ball before normally takes no action to win the face-off.
berkeman said:
Which one? The injury one, or the contentious hard tackle one?
The gentlemen's agreement. The tackles had been harder in the past.
 
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Often if there is a seriously injured player on the field who ever has the ball can put it out of play so the injured played can get help. The opposing team then gets the ball and instead of playing it, they will knock it back to the other team's defense or keeper giving back possession. It's an unwritten rule.
 
And yes, it appeared around seventies or eighties. I don't remember when it happened for the first time, but I remember it being discussed by commentators as a novelty.
 

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