Quote:
Originally Posted by NICK
This situation is not normal and is not covered in the rules or the casebook. The only reference I have to this is rule 46.13 "The refereee shall have the power to make decisions on any point not specifically covered by these rules" and rule 4.2.2 does not really apply as there is no substitute to go into the game.
cheers
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That's exactly my opinion: we can't read in a player's or coach's mind. If the coach wants a player to sit on the bench, reducing their team to four, we can't force this player to play.
Where's the advantage for this team? Being four against five is a (voluntarily chosen) disadvantage. If they have reasons to do it, it's their choice.
"Objection!" will shout M. T. DeNucci senior (my
paesano 
), "The coach said it's for talking to the player." Well, that player might suffer from some disease and they don't want to tell the world about it.
I know that the rules say that "five players shall be on the court", but this assumes the players are apt to play.
Ciao