Why the term 'leave it' is banned in football

Team-mates shouting 'leave it' to one another during attacking moves was once a big part of football at any level - but it is now banned professionally.

Leaving the ball for a team-mate to run on to - or in a defensive action - can be the difference between scoring and letting a chance go begging, or from keeping out the opposition at the other end.

It can be deemed as misconduct, however, with the shout being frowned upon by the game's lawmakers.

That is because players can use the shout to their advantage - by 'pretending' to be a member of the other team instead to try and cause their opponent to relinquish possession.

Now, the official reason why the term is banned has been revealed.

Why 'leave it' is banned in football

As per a video from Train Effective Official, players can get booked for saying 'leave it' during a match.

This is because, as per football law, a player can be deemed to have verbally distracted an opponent if they shout the term.

Of course, if a player shouts 'leave it', it may not be clear to an opponent whether it is a member of their team, or the other team, saying it, which could lead to them losing the ball or missing an interception or tackle.

The act is counted as being 'unsportsmanlike', meaning the match official can enact the relevant punishment when it occurs.

The video claims that players now come up with code names or code words in order to get around the ban on saying 'leave it'.

A famous example - and perhaps why the shout was outlawed - was in 2017, when Bournemouth's Harry Arter appeared to shout 'Jack's' to Nathaniel Chalobah when the England international was on the ball during a Premier League match.

The main issue was that Chalobah was playing for Watford at the time, and he thought the shout came from one of his own team-mates.

As a result, he left the ball, allowing Bournemouth to regain possession and push upfield.

Former referee Dermot Gallagher told Sky Sports of his belief that the Republic of Ireland midfielder should have been booked for the shout - but Arter escaped punishment.