Question Number: 30080

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/4/2016

RE: Youth to adult, comp and rec.

Barry Stewart of Chilliwack, BC Canada asks...

This question is a follow up to question 30073

On the question of impeding that escalates to body contact: say I'm a defender, running toward a ball, with an attacker on my heels.

I see my keeper coming out for the ball, so I slow my pace¦ then stop dead, 5 paces from the ball. My intent is to avoid a collision -- and keep the attacker from getting into a crash with my keeper.

The attacker piles into me from behind.

If we were driving cars on the road, the 'attacker' would be found at fault for the collision. I sense that on the field, the defender would be at fault¦ or is the straight line of the run an important consideration?

If I haven't been dodging around, holding out my arms, or angling through the attacker's line¦ is it not the attacker's fault, for following directly behind me?

As an aside:On plays where the defender comes in from an angle, to provide a momentary protective shield for the keeper, I like to see them get within playing distance of the ball. We all know they don't really WANT the ball -- but they have to show that they COULD have played it if they needed to. Not just running a 'pick.'

Thanks again for this absolute treasure of a resource for refs, players and fans.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Barry,
we appreciate the sentiment. You always stimulate us with useful information and thoughtful questions.

Eerily I can recall an exact situation you describe! I was almost involved in a altercation with a grandfather, overly concerned I had mistreated his grand daughter on the FOP supposedly by ignoring a grievous foul against her .

Wind at abut 15 miles an hour. Red team pounds a loose ball high into the air against the wind lobbed over the heads of the blue team. A blue defender is turned and running at top speed giving chase, a red attacker is almost stride for stride but just back off her right shoulder. The ball alights onto the field but rather than compressing & rebounding forward it had BACKSPIN and a 15 mile an hour wind whereby the ball comes BACK in the opposite direction into the face of the retreating defender who abruptly stops!

Yup you guessed it our attacker runs her left side jaw into the right shoulder arm elbow hand of our stopped defender who is awaiting the ball to impact her about chest high.

My decision to not to award a foul was instantaneous because I was situationally aware of the circumstance surrounding the defender. She did not POINT the elbow back hands palms down into the face of the attacker more raised the hands pointing upwards up about shoulder height as in trying to play a ball off the chest that has unexpectedly come towards her

The defender did not wing out the arms wide trying to hold back the attacker in my opinion the attacker was simply following too close. The defender was on a straight run directly to the ball was not swerving about trying to fend off the attacker just trying to get to the ball first.

I grant you for a defender to abruptly JUST stop and create a collision is suspect especially if the arms are spread so the following attacker cannot easily get by and the ball is not close enough to play.

In this case I contemplated, stopping play if only to check on the attacking player (she was not badly hurt) just stunned that she was given a rap in the jaw without fault being cast at her opponent. But in reality if there was a foul, it was trivial and it was her doing. Granted she got the worst of it, a bit of a face mush and the defender was jostled but not knocked down or even cognizant the attacker was affected adversely. She was attempting to control the ball and clear it to safety. I could hear the whining along the touchline so I called out to my AR, Did we miss anything other than the attacker who ran into the defender? My AR shouted back no I said thank you and play continued.

The attacking team was FULLY convinced I had missed a deliberate elbow to the face, such is the perception of those who watch from distance and with vested interest in the outcome

Opposition attackers who are running the SAME line of sight path as defenders and are stride for stride have to be aware of the circumstances where a player changing speed to slow down or stop is part of normal play. One can not have their head down not paying attention. You are correct in your theory as long as you are not swerving about or waving out the T shape arms to hold off the guy who tries to run over or through you is often more at fault .

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Barry
The key is how far away is the ball. We tend to err on the generous side on playing distance yet when it is clear that the defender has only one intention which is to deliberately hold back an opponent with his body from a distance and the ball is many yards away then that is foul. It is probably accompanied by a movement to the side to prevent the player going around the side.
Your analogy of the car accident is interesting and it depends on the circumstances. Say the defender is genuinely stopping to prevent a collision with his keeper then there is every chance the ball is within playing distance which is legitimate shielding then the attacker can be guilty of charging from the rear. If on the other hand it is just a deliberate stop to hold back the attacker with the ball nowhere near then it is the other way. The caveat in all of this is can the contact be avoided. Does the attacker deliberately run into the back of the opponent in an attempt to look for a foul.
What I will say is that it is certainly one of the least called fouls in the game and it happens quite regularly including shielding the ball over the goal line. I called one recently on a defender who stepped across an opponent to prevent him getting to the ball to challenge the defenders team mate. The ball was close yet it was not shielding just holding back an opponent.

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

See Question: 30081