A pass leaves the boot and the ball suddenly loses its familiar shape. The players may instinctively keep chasing it, but a defective ball creates a specific rules problem. Replacing it is not simply a matter of a substitute throwing another one onto the pitch.
IFAB Law 2 sets out the procedure. If the ball becomes defective in open play, the referee stops play and the restart is a dropped ball. The ball cannot be changed during the match without the referee’s permission.
The moment of the defect matters
The law treats a defect at a kick-off, goal kick, corner kick, free kick, penalty kick or throw-in differently: that restart is retaken. It also specifies a retake when the ball becomes defective during a penalty or shoot-out kick while moving forward, before touching a player, crossbar or goalpost.
That timing is why a short clip can be insufficient. Look for whether play had already restarted, where the ball was, and what it had touched. Do not work backwards from whether the attacking team would have preferred another attempt.
How to review an unusual incident
Pause a replay before the apparent failure. Identify the phase of play and then watch the referee’s response. A visibly odd bounce does not by itself prove that the ball was defective; the match official assesses the equipment and circumstances.
For a club practice discussion, use an invented sequence: a ball fails during an ordinary midfield pass, then compare it with a ball failing during the taking of a corner. Explain which part of Law 2 applies to each before discussing the separate dropped-ball procedure.
Keep replacement balls ready through the competition’s approved arrangements. Players and spectators should not introduce one while the original remains in play. Understanding this small equipment rule makes a rare stoppage easier to follow without treating every interruption as a foul by somebody on the field.