Question Number: 31278

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/20/2017

RE: Rec Adult

russell of Sydney, Australia asks...

Challenges after shots taken.

In the Barcelona v Leganes match, Messi is played in by Suarez for a shot on goal, in which the keeper makes a good block.

A Leganes defender looks to have cleaned out Messi after the shot, and seeing where the ball popped up from the keepers block, is there grounds to say Messi was denied a second attempt?

ok, so there was no one asking for a penalty, least of all Messi, however, that might be due to he did get a shot away and therefore masking the late challenge.

fast forward to the 4.05 match in the following clip.
http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2017/02/19/barcelona-vs-leganes-highlights-full-match/

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Russell
Yes technically this could be a foul yet the game allows for a certain amount of contact. Here Messi gets away a shot and the defenders momentum in the challenge bring into contact with Messi. It will look to the referee that the shot is parried away for a corner and that there is no possibility of a follow up with the contact being a coming together.
You will note not one appeal from Barca and that is because it is not expected that the coming together after the shot is foul contact. Say Messi stopped and dragged the ball back in the same situation it would be a stonewall penalty.
Always remember whose game it is and not to go looking for *offences* that teams do not see as that. You can imagine had the referee awarded a penalty here there would have been uproar.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Russell,
You are not incorrect in that he was fouled. The referee choose not to award it perhaps thinking as my colleague Ref McHugh states the ball was not reachable on the rebound! Personally I am not so sure but as noted there were no appeals for a PK. The feeling seems to be as long as the shot was taken then a bit of contact after seems to be part of the price paid for a missed opportunity!
One wonders if say the tackle left Messi injured whether the same forgiveness would be there?
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Russell,
I cannot comment on this specific incident as I have not seen it but I would say that there is indeed a tendency for a challenge made just as (or just after) a player gets a shot away, to be treated somewhat leniently. Sometimes such challenges can be, as Ref McHugh says, just a 'coming together' but I also think there are times when defenders get away with what in almost any other circumstances, would have been given as a foul.