Question Number: 21678

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/21/2009

RE: Rec and Competitive Other

Rattan of Ottawa, ON Canada asks...

This question is a follow up to question 21666

Thank you for your responses.
I referee games (usually alone) from U11 to oldtimers, both recreational and competitive. The scenario most often happens in U11 to U15 games where player size can vary quite a bit. A big forward going up to head a corner kick at same time as a short goalkeeper can result in incidental contact where GK ends up on short end of the stick. Parents and coaches expect a call against the forward every time the GK is hurt!

The motion of jumping up and heading a ball does involve some arm movement on behalf of the forward. Is it reasonable to expect that there be no contact between a forward's arms and GK when they both approach a high corner kick at the same time?

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Rattan, I am 6'3' tall and I always got the short end of the stick when a scrawny little runt would shoulder to shoulder check me and naturally, by the Laws of Physics he would go flying. Utter rubbish! My 210 pounds, (which is considerably more now) against 110 pounds carried more weight if you get my drift. Of course parents of runts are much more protective of their midgets and therefore much more vocal. My parents didn't have to protect me; hell they didn't even come to the games! But I heard plenty of 'bully' 'pick on your own size' etc. from the little people on the sidelines.
As far as arms making contact is concerned as a referee what you need to look for is that extra little shove or jerk of the arm as they go up for the header. Of course arms are going to touch! They are on the outside of our bodies! So be fairly close to the play and each challenge has to be judged if it was fair or not.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Ref Nagy makes a good point about not prejudging a challenge between bigger and smaller players. On a championship middle school team, one of my defenders was little - 5 feet nothing, and 100 pounds soaking wet. He was a fierce defender - fast, fearless, with very sharp elbows. Big guys going up against him always got called, yet in my observations from the technical area, 75% of the time the first offense was cleverly delivered by my defender.

The bigger guys often have learned to rein in or change their play around smaller players because of the disparity in calls in favor of the little guy. That's not fair - neither is it fair to let bigger guys beat down on the smaller guy.

We, as referees, need to pay little or no attention to what the crowds of very biased and often uninformed folks on the touchlines are saying, and instead spend that attention - our focused attention - on what is actually happening between players of differing sizes.

Focused attention - that's how you solve this puzzle. Move!! Get a better angle, let them hear you as you are observing the play and in quiet asides just after play. And then follow what your eyes, experience and heart tell you is the fair thing to do within the Laws.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

I agree with the general discussion about contact between large and small. During the regular course of play, using one's size against an opponent is fair play. It is a fair, competitive advantage, just as is superior speed, ball control, endurance, etc. The laws of the game do not override the laws of physics.

The specific question, however, was about corner kicks into the goal mouth. There, goalkeepers (even smaller ones) have a huge advantage from the ability to use their hands - sometimes as much as a two foot advantage. If both players are running to the same spot, the only way the attackers can defeat this advantage is to cheat: by fouling the goalkeeper. (Conversely, when the attacker start in the better position, the attacker may be fouled by the goalkeeper.)

A fair charge requires both players to have at least one foot on the ground. The player jumping to head the ball over the outstretched arms of the keeper probably has both feet in the air. Call the foul, and protect the keeper.

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

See Question: 21686