Every day is a school day
The term ‘leave it’ is one you’d think would be commonly associated with football however if you say that while playing, it will land you in hot water.
Leaving the ball for your teammate can either result in a goalscoring moment or even worse, end in defeat depending on the scenario but you have to find your own way to communicate your instructions.
It can be deemed as misconduct, with the lawmakers of football determining that it can be used by opposition players by ‘pretending’ to be a member of their side and subsequently causing the team to surrender possession.
A video shared by Train Effective Official shows that players can even receive a yellow card as it is classed as being ‘unsportsmanlike’ and that players code names or code words to avoid facing punishment.
One example that has been used in the past is during a game between Watford and Bournemouth in which Harry Arter appeared to shout ‘Jack’s’ to Watofrd’s Nathaniel Chalobah.
Thinking it was a fellow Watford player who said it, Chalobah left the ball and allowed Arter to take the ball back and push Bournemouth further up the pitch.
Arter wasn’t booked however many felt he should’ve been given a yellow card for failing to comply with the laws of the game.
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