Rules & Interpretations
Home 1: Technical specifications 2: Time 3: Team 4: Match officials 5: Technical and event officials 6: Sanctions and actions 7: Advantage 8: Centre pass 9: Scoring a goal 10: Stoppages 11: Playing the ball 12: Passing distances 13: Footwork 14: Offside 15: Out of court 16: Obstruction 17: Contact 18: Game management 19: Foul play 20: Simultaneous and mutual infringements 21: Variations for other levels of play

Rule 20: Simultaneous and mutual infringements

While this is a relatively short rule, it's important to be clear on the correct procedures.

When Does Rule 20 Apply?

The rule book outlines several situations where simultaneous or mutual infringements may occur, including:

  • Two opposing players gain possession of the ball at the same time.
  • Two opposing players simultaneously send the ball out of court.
  • Two opposing players go offside at the same time and one or both touch the ball.
  • At a centre pass, two opposing players break at the same time and one or both players touch the ball.
  • Simultaneous contact between two opposing players.
  • Any other mutual infringement.
Possession Hand Signal

Possession Hand Signal

Key Principle: In all of these cases, possession is awarded to the team who last had control of the ball immediately before the infringement. The ball can be taken by any onside player from that team—and if in the goal circle, the GS or GA may shoot for goal.

Centre Pass & Offside Exceptions

If both players break early or go offside but neither touches the ball, play continues.

If one umpire blows the whistle while the other plays advantage, the whistle stands and the sanction is applied.

Simultaneous Whistles from Umpires

If both umpires blow their whistles at the same moment for opposing infringements, the infringement with the more serious sanction stands—based on the following priority:

Priority Order
1
Foul play
2
Major infringement
3
Minor infringement or action awarded
Equal Severity: If the infringements are of equal severity, the controlling umpire's decision stands.
Note: This only applies when both infringements are penalised at the same time. If one infringement is called, followed by another (even if a game management action is involved), the second should stand unless advantage can be played.

Practical Application

In reality, true simultaneity is rare—one player almost always infringes slightly before the other. In such cases, it is usually best to penalise the player who infringed first.

This maintains clarity for players and avoids the confusion that can arise from awarding possession under Rule 20, which is not commonly encountered in most matches.

Focus on identifying the chronological order of events rather than applying Rule 20 unless the infringements are genuinely simultaneous.

Practical Tip: If you're unsure which infringement occurred first, chances are the players are too. A confident, decisive call—delivered clearly—will usually be accepted without challenge. Players are more likely to respond to how you sell the decision than to the finer details behind it.