|
Let It Be
Why require Team B to send anyone on the field? They're not required to be there by rule and their injury risk is presumably reduced by not being on the field.
I had a similar situation occur in a sub-varisty game several years ago. Team B was down by about 40 when they scored with 0:05 left on the clock. As I was getting ready for the free kick, Team A's coach commented about whether it was worth going through the motions. I told him he wasn't required to field a kick return team and that the likelihood of Team B scoring more than once in the allotted time was very unlikely. Of course, he sent a kick return team out and no injuries occured during the free kick.
Similarly, if the losing team didn't want to line up to watch their opponent take a knee from across the neutral zone, I don't think forcing a team to put 11 players on the field is productive. If the outcome is not in question, I don't believe it's appropriate for officials to force a team to put 11 players on the field to wait for the clock to expire. Nonetheless, I doubt many coaches would not field a team regardless of the score and time remaining.
|