Question Number: 14767

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 1/30/2007

RE: Class III - Select Under 13

Thomas Henderson of Alameda, CA USA asks...

Defender, with her back to the ball - face to her own goal (about 10-15 feet from the ball and 15-20 feet from her own goal), is marking an attacking player in the box. While in the act of marking that attacking player, a shot is taken by another attacking player, and the Defender starts to turn towards the shot taking player.

This is a whipping movement, hands about waist high and extended out (45 degree angle), a natural position. Without ever seeing the ball, it (the ball) strikes the Defenders hand, deflecting a poor shot, but a shot none the less.

Ref blows the play dead, does not issue a card, but gives the attacking team a PK.

Was this the right call?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

I, for one, would have to be there and see what that player had been doing during the match. I would then have a sense of how she played.

Without that information and being there to see through the referee's eyes and think with his experiences I can not make a determination regarding fair or foul play.

What you saw might well have been tainted with a bias toward your player. The referee usually doesn't have that problem when taking a decision...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Bad call! Laws of Game are clear...PLAYER DELIBERATLY HANDLES THE BALL. This was a pure accident and the player did not try to use hands. Correct call = no call.

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

OH LORDY!!! From your description, it doesn't appear to be a deliberately handling of the ball. I agree with Ref Fleischer that this kind of thing really needs to be seen/judged as it happenen and by the referee. Just because the ball hits the hand does not automatically give it handling. I learned this lesson several years back while working a line for a referee whose status was much greater than my own. The ball took a bad hop for the player, whose hand was up over his head....sort of a balancing stance, and believe it or not, looked perfectly natural for what he was doing. The ball hopped up from a spin and hit hand whilst over his head. God and all His glorious creation saw it and.....I raised my flag to "assist" the ref with the "obvious hand ball" which was promptly refused by the referee. He said out loud "no, it must be deliberate." During the half time interval and after the game, we had a discussion about the merits of this call (or no call) and I walked away from that match with a better understanding and deeper appreciation for what the LOTG meant by "deliberately handles the ball."

However, coach, having said all of that, and now having armed you with this knowledge, do remember that the job of instruction to referees is not the job left to the coach, player, sub, team manager or parent/spectator. It is for the referee administration.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

By your description (and we only have yours), this is a horrible call. How can what you describe be considered deliberately handling the ball? That said, I'd have to be there to judge properly.

Answer provided by Referee Nathan Lacy

This is definitely one of those "gotta see it" events. As described, however, I would be hard-pressed to call a PK. All the best,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Thomas,
as in all what ifs, for things unwitnessed the element of doubt as to what the referee saw or did not see will hang over the discussion!

Just working off your description it is hard to see it as a lock on handles the ball deliberately worthy of a dfk offence now a pk!

Either the referee saw it differently and applied the law correctly or he has poor foul recognition. In which case a mentor or assessor could hopefully set him straight!

Cheers

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 14796