01/09/2026
From laws of the game.
If the player being substituted has not left the field of play within the required ten seconds:
➡ they must still leave as quickly as possible, usually by the nearest point on the boundary line
➡ play restarts
➡ the substitute may enter the field of play only with the referee’s permission during the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed following the restart
Where the entry of the substitute is delayed because the player being substituted exceeded the ten-second limit*, the substitution procedure is considered to be completed when the player being substituted leaves the field of play. From that moment:
➡ the player becomes a ‘substituted player’
➡ the substitution cannot be cancelled nor a different substitute used, as the administrative part of the substitution is completed
➡ the substitute is considered a ‘player’, even if their entry onto the field of play is delayed because the substituted player took too long leaving
Therefore:
➡ if the player being substituted commits a sending-off offence:
– before leaving the field of play, the player must be sent off and cannot be replaced/substituted
– after leaving the field of play, the player must be sent off but the substitute can still enter after the one-minute period
➡ if the substitute commits a sending-off offence:
– before the player being substituted leaves the field of play, the substitute must be sent off but another substitute (if available) may enter after the one-minute period
– after the player being substituted has left the field of play, the substitute must be sent off and cannot be replaced
*If a goalkeeper who is being substituted exceeds the ten-second limit, the substitute goalkeeper’s entry is not delayed (as Law 3 requires each team to have a goalkeeper) but the goalkeeper being substituted is cautioned (yellow card) for delaying the restart of play.
