Question Number: 30625

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/21/2016

RE: Select Under 14

Manato of Roswell, GA usa asks...

During or son's U13 game last night, he was verbally warned at halftime and a few times during the second half to lower his hands when marking and/or defending a corner kick on an opposing player. I reviewed law 12, touching (light touch)or simply placing an open palm on the hip or lower back isnt mentioned.. is this considered holding or..?

The ref kept saying lower your hands player which in turned, our son's hand never held or restrict opposing players' movement. Our sons elbow stayed bent, at or near hip level and elbow never straight or above the waist. His touch is more of a light touch in marking during restarts. Thought and clarification please.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Manato
Pushing and holding at free kicks and corners has become one of the banes of the modern game. Defenders now raise their arms in a manner that restricts movement of opponents and unfortunately in the Pro game it has largely gone unchecked by officials. Young players now mimic that action with arms raised etc. Coaches also teach the concept of touch tight so players are encouraged to get close enough to their opponent and to touch them. In the Pro game referees many times whistle stop the restart and speak with players to ask them to desist from these actions. I personally do not agree with that approach yet rather if a player fouls an opponent it should be a free kick or penalty kick. Referees do not instruct player not to foul in other parts of the game so why at these restarts. They may give a shout such as hands down, easy etc where a player is perhaps crossing the line into foul actions.
Now the Laws state that a player may not hold or push an opponent. The law makes no provision for how strong the push or hold has to be for a foul to be called so a player with raised arms towards an opponent making contact with the players runs the risk of bring called for a foul.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Perhaps the ref thought that he could be using his arms to impede the progress of an opponent. I recall once, at a much younger age, that the young ladies were lining up for restarts with their arms out. I made the point that, just like we don't use our arms/hands to touch the ball, neither are we supposed to use them to block our opponents.

Another concern, depending on how tall your son is in comparison to other players, is that his elbows might be getting close to the heads of other players.

You are correct, touching is not a foul, but holding or pushing is. The referee gets to make the decision on where a touch turns into something more. Perhaps the ref thought your son was getting close to his threshold, and was trying to keep him from going over it.

Or you may simply have had a referee who was not used to doing games at that age level - he usually does games at either older or younger ages - and was feeling his way through the adjustments he needs to make.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Manato,
Thanks for your question.
Often referees will talk to player during a game as challenges are made to try and prevent players from committing a foul. When players are jostling and the referee is saying 'hands down!', the referee isn't saying that a foul is being committed, but that the behaviour indicates that a foul is likely thus is trying to modify the behviour of the players to prevent a foul being committed.
So given the referee isn't actually awarding fouls, it sounds like the referee views your son's actions as close to a foul or likely to escalate to a foul. In youth football in particular, astute referees will take steps to educate players on the laws where required rather than simply penalise players. After all, proactively minimising fouls reduces free kicks, making it a much more enjoyable game for all.
You are correct that simply placing arms on an opponent isn't a foul - there needs to be holding or pushing. Probably worth pointing out here that I was once penalised myself for placing my arms on the back of an opponent without a hint of a push! Some referees will incorrectly see any hand-to-back contact as a foul. The other risk is that if the opponent moves in a certain way it may appear that a foul has been committed.
Your perception is correct that without any impact upon the opponent there is no foul being committed. Perhaps the referee was being a little over cautious with warning your son.
At this age it can prove challenging for a referee when some players are starting to learn more 'adult' behaviours (such as a light touch on a player being marked), while many players may still be using behaviours taught at a young age and aren't used to this sort of hand contact. Even in adult games, any touch to the back often results in appeals of 'in the back ref!'