Читать книгу Now You Know Soccer онлайн

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Unlike other sports, a soccer team can have more than one captain. This allowance holds over from days when substitutions were illegal and it was advisable to have more than one captain in case any one of them got injured or sent off. During a coin-toss meeting before the start of a match, when the captains and the referee are assembled near the centre of the field, if either team sent more than one captain, the referee will ask which one is the “speaking captain,” meaning which one is authorized to make binding decisions at the meeting.

Quickies

Did you know …

• a ball rolling along outside the touchline remains in play as long as part of the ball is over the touchline?

What happens at a coin-toss meeting?

Exact procedures can vary from place to place and from referee to referee, but the basics are as follows: When all the teams’ captains and the referee gather near the centre of the field, the referee makes note of the numbers (and maybe the names) of the teams’ speaking captains. Then one team’s speaking captain will be chosen at the referee’s discretion to call the coin toss. After the toss, the referee will ask the winner which end they want to defend, and then make sure everyone present is clear on which end they will attack and which they will defend at the start the game. The referee then tells the losing side that they will kick off, and the meeting is over.