plays the ball, not the man

Verb

form-of indicative not the man present singular third-person

Third-person singular simple present indicative form of play the ball, not the man

Japanese Meaning

動詞『play the ball, not the man』の三人称単数現在形単純指示法（活用形）

If a defender plays the ball, not the man, the referee will not call a foul.

ディフェンダーが相手選手ではなくボールを狙えば、審判は反則を取らないでしょう。

Sense（1）

Third-person singular simple present indicative form of play the ball, not the man

plays the ball

（ canonical ）