Question Number: 30518

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/17/2016

RE: Recreational Adult

Rambo of Oakland, CA USA asks...

The attacking player is winding up to take a shot. The defending player pokes the ball away before the attacking player makes contact with the ball. As a result, the attacking player misses the ball and his follow through ends up kicking the defending player's foot.

Is there a foul to call on the attacking player for kicking the defender's foot with no ball contact? What do the rules say about the defending player sticking his foot in the path of an attackers shot mid shot motion?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
Each situation will be different. A defender that knowingly puts his foot / leg in which impedes the kicker,ending up getting kicked, will be seen many times as a foul particularly when the kick is underway whereas the challenge that plays the ball with the player kicking the opponent will be seen as a free kick against the player that kicks the opponent. There can be a fine line between both and body position, timing, distance to the ball, already committed to the kick will all have a bearing on the decision.
For me it is one of those has to see it situation to make a decision. If a tackle is expected or likely and the tackler is kicked while playing the ball then the opponent is guilty of kicking an opponent. In the same situation and the player is in his wind up and the tackler put his leg in to the kicking path say from behind then that may be a foul by the tackler.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Rambo,
These situations are difficult. It is always the responsibility of both players to play in a manner that offers due consideration to players around them (meaning it's the responsibility of the players to be aware of their opponents).

'Getting the ball' isn't mentioned in the laws as meaning there's no foul, but often it is a key factor in deciding whether a foul has occurred.

When a defender sticks his foot in (typically from behind) and the attacker kicks the defender's leg instead of the ball, and the defender has also failed to kick the ball then this is a foul by the defender. Placing one's leg in the path of an opponent's kick is, itself, kicking an opponent.

When the defender has succeeded in his challenge in kicking the ball away I think it would be difficult to consider the defender to have fouled (unless there is something particularly dangerous - say, a raised leg by the defender meaning that the attacker's follow-through collects the defender's studs could possibly be met with a red card, though this is more likely in a front-on challenge) . The referee will need to judge how responsible the attacker is for the kick - could the attacker be argued to have acted without due care to the opponent (and failing to maintain awareness of the opponents could fall into that category)? A foul could certainly be called. The referee may also consider the kick to be completely accidental and unavoidable by the attacker - sometimes it happens. The opportunity that the attacker had to react will be a key determining factor - if the defender came from the side or in front then the attacker should have been aware, and is responsible for mistiming the kick (should have anticipated that the defender would kick the ball first). If the defender has come from behind the referee is likely to be a little more forgiving of the attacker. The timing will also be a factor - did the attacker start their kick at the same time as the defender? A moment after? A moment before? That can make all the difference.