Was Robertson's Throw-In Trick Legal? The Rule Behind the Viral Move

Liverpool left back Andrew Robertson, 32, has had a more difficult season and is expected to leave at the end of the campaign, with Tottenham reportedly set to sign him. He went viral after using an unusual method to work around the five-second limit on throw-ins: he placed the ball on the ground before his teammates were set, then waited to take the throw, effectively trying to stall the restart.

The move appears to have been inspired by basketball, where players sometimes let the ball roll in the backcourt to use up precious seconds. But football's laws do not clearly protect Robertson's approach. The official wording says a referee may start counting if a player delays a throw-in unfairly or receives the ball slowly.

The key point is that the delay does not have to begin only when the player is holding the ball. In this case, the referee can decide to begin the five-second count even while the ball is on the grass, which means Robertson's tactic can be treated as time-wasting.

By contrast with the usual automatic counting when a player already has the ball, this situation is left to the referee's discretion. The law states that if a player unfairly delays a throw-in, the referee should count to five with his hands, and if the throw is not taken, possession goes to the other team. A player is warned only if he delays the throw after the ball has already gone out of play.