How does the blood rule work when a player is bleeding?

Under the International Laws of the Game (April 2023, used for community ages 13 and over), when a player is bleeding excessively the referee directs the player either to leave the field for attention or to seek medical attention on-field. If the player is replaced because of the bleeding, the replacement counts as one of the team's interchanges.

The referee's signal for a player directed to leave the field to receive attention for bleeding is to draw the hand across the chest from side to side. The junior laws for ages 6 to 12 are a separate rulebook and are not covered here.