Question Number: 30314

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/18/2016

RE: Adult

Alan Jackson of Cardiff, UK asks...

In a crowded penalty area an attacker grabs the goalkeeper and pulls him to the ground; and at exactly the same time a defender grabs an attacker's shirt and pulls him to the ground. What would be awarded?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alan
The answer depends on which offended happened first or for that matter what one the referee saw or how he saw it. He could miss one , see the 2nd one or miss both.
As described it would be a free kick to the defending team. Whether it works out that way would depend on many factors.
The game between Leicester City and West Ham at the weekend was a perfect example of multiple fouls in such situations. On one such incident the referee focused in on a drag down by the defender and he awarded the penalty. There might have been another foul that was previous that was missed.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Alan,

99% of the time, one incident would occur just before the other - and in that case, the referee penalises the first incident. If, hypothetically, both occurred at the exact same moment and both were of equal severity (eg both worthy of a free kick only), then a drop ball is the correct restart.