Question Number: 30793

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/20/2016

RE: Competitive Under 18

Dave Bermingham of Herndon, Virginia USA asks...

Two high level U17B teams are in the 80th minute of a 90 minute match with the score Blue 0-1 White. The play has been fast and hard but generally clean all game, with play mostly compressed in the middle third. Blue finds a pass to the right forward in space with a good opportunity to attack, but still 40 yds from goal. White's left center back sprints over to tackle Blue as he settles the ball. White commits to a hard sliding tackle and just before contact Blue taps the ball away into space. Blue creams White with the tackle and I stop play for the foul. I assess that the Blue player rolling on the ground is sore, but not injured and then call the White player back away from the point of the foul, where he tells me 'Sorry, I couldn't stop'.
The question is whether to caution or admonish the player? I did the latter and the rest of the game went without issue, but afterward I thought about the incident from the perspective of game to game consistency for the players and what consequences might follow on to other crews. I would appreciate the thoughts of the panel.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Dave, based on your fairly detailed description I would say that White has acted with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent. According to the law, this would make it a reckless tackle requiring a caution. The very fact that the defender says he couldn't stop, indicates that he was not in full control of his momentum and although it doesn't really sound like the action went so far as to involve the use of excessive force, if you judged that it was the case, it could even have been a red card.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Dave
As described stonewall yellow card for a reckless challenge. **Sorry could not stop** is not a defence and it is the definition of reckless. Indeed if excessive force was used it is a rd card.
Okay the referee can take into account the mood of the game and the circumstances. While the time of a challenge should never make a difference perhaps in a clean game with no problems played in a good spirit the referee might let it slide in the manner in which you dealt with. Now such challenges can set the tone for the game and pehaps can be a moment of truth.
In a game at the end of last season I did not caution o a foul in the 85th minute. It was questionable although it probably was a caution and I chose otherwise. I had no cautions to that point however the last 5 minutes after that was testy and I felt afterwards brought that by not cautioning I *created* the difficult last few minutes. Team may have felt that the referee has not dealt with this so we will without fear of sanction. When we think we know the game in in control it has a habit of biting back unexpectedly. In your instance as the game went well for the remainder that it was not a moment of truth that beefing dealing with.