Let me preface this by telling you that I had this exact situation in a recent HS BV game. I'll tell you at the end of this post how I handled it. (So, if you don't wish to read this lengthy post, you can just skip to there.
)
The coach generally wants to selectively apply certain details of the rules when it suits him.
While I truly feel that this is a petty, little game which some coaches play, it does warrant some discussion because it is purely rules based.
Well, I'm pretty good with the rules book, so if the coach wants to play that game, I have no problem with it. He just better be prepared for me to hit him with every detail of it in return!
In the long run this is a battle that the coach is going to lose.
So let's take a look at the revelant NFHS rules and evaluate the coach's (and your "partner's"
) claim. You will see that there is a hard way to handle this, but also a very simple way.
First the complicated stuff dealing with substitutions in Rule 3.
3-4-1 ...To request a substitution, a substitute who desires to enter the game shall report to the
scorer,
giving his/her jersey number and the number of the player being replaced.
My comments: 1) if you don't have a scorer on the sideline, then this obviously doesn't apply. 2) I have never known anyone to enforce the underlined part! (If you have a moron coach like this, I would enforce it. The next time he yells "sub" deny it because his player didn't properly report.
See how he likes that.)
3-4-1 part (a)
The substitute shall remain at the scorer's table until a referee beckons the substitute onto the field of play.
When there is no separate scorer/timer, incoming substitutes shall report directly to the nearest official from the official area.
My comments: 1) The beckoning matters. We'll get back to that later. 2) The book clearly does say that the sub must report to the
nearest official, so the coach has a valid point here, but now we need to ask what do you consider reporting to be? Is standing in the technical area at midfield enough? Do you make them actually say something to you? Must they state their number AND the number of the player being replaced? Is THE COACH saying "sub" allowed or do you insist that the kid coming in actually be the one to say it? And who exactly is the nearest official? Depending upon the position of the referees this changes during the match for both the Dual system and the DSC. Sometimes the Center is physically closer to the benches than the AR1.
3-4-1 part(d)
When an entry is taking place on a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner kick, the
substitutes must have reported to the scorer (
or official area)
prior to the dead-ball situation.
My comments: 1. So the kid MUST be in the official area before the ball goes out of play. No subbing from the bench/team area.
I definitely enforce this. It really sharpens up the administration of the game. 2.
What other business does a team member have being in the official area during the game? In my opinion, this is your key to handling this situation. (See my advice on using Rule 1 to your advantage below.)
Play Ruling
3.4.1 Situation: Player substitute A12 reports to the scorer as the kickoff takes place. Eight minutes elapse before the first opportunity for a substitution occurs.
The referee beckons A12 on the field; however, A12 is withdrawn by the coach of Team A.
RULING: Player A12 must enter the game once beckoned.
My comments: 1) So there is a clear rule that says once beckoned, he must enter. 2) Why is this the rule? To prevent time-wasting. The NFHS clock does not stop during a
normal substitution, nor can time be added later to account for any loss as in FIFA/USSF. Therefore, it is important not to waste it. 3) If the referee stops the game because he decides that there is a substitute wishing to enter AND
beckons him, then that kid MUST enter now. It is the
opinon of the referee that matters on whether or not the team member is a substitute, not the coach's. To do otherwise would be a waste of game time.
However, since the reporting issue is not handled precisely by the vast majority of officials, including myself (I consider standing in the official/technical area reporting.), when there is not an official scorer and timer present, it seems that the coach still has a valid point to argue in this substitution issue. Therefore, here is how I put a stop to any foolishness.
I use Rule 1 to my advantage. The NFHS rules clearly state where the coach, other bench personnel, and team members who are not playing are supposed to be during the match.
1-5-1 ...There
shall be designated specific areas for each team's bench, separated by an official area
for entering substitutes, scorers and timers. ...
1-5-3 ....Coaches, bench personnel and team members shall be restricted to the team area.
Penalty: A coach, player or bench personnel shall be cautioned for unsportsmanlike conduct for violation of this rule.
In short, they have to be in the team area or they are subject to a caution!
Notice that the rule says the official area is "for
entering substitutes"! If he doesn't wish to enter, then he can't be there. This is the simple rule which I use to control this activity.
In my recent match, white got a corner kick. When I looked over to the area between the benches, white had two players there and green had one. Thus I prevented the corner kick from being taken and gave the signal to my AR1 to adminster the substitution process (two quick blasts of the whistle). White's coach now made a fuss claiming that he didn't want to sub on the corner and that green shouldn't be allowed to get their player into the game. I told him that if his players were over there, then they had to sub. He disputed that. So I stopped the clock, trotted over to him, and quietly explained that unless they were over there to sub, they couldn't be out of the team area, and in that case I would have to give each of them a caution. Obviously this didn't please him at all. So as I backed away I asked the coach, loudly enough for the opposing bench to hear, "So, your guys really do want to sub, right?" He now said, "Yeah." I told him that was an excellent answer and we got on with the match.
