Question Number: 31393

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/26/2017

RE: Rec Under 19

Salvador flores of Indianapolis , IN Usa asks...

Question 1: if an attacker is looking backwards to kick the ball and as he turns he's about to kick the ball, but he kicks the defender's head as the defender header the ball, without the attacker knowing the defender was just there. Is it a foul? Would the attacker be sent off or caution?
Question 2: if a defender headers a ball as his head is low to the ground and right beside the defender is an attacker and as the attacker is trying to kick ball at the same as the defender is trying to win the ball with his head. Is it a foul or a dangerous play? Should the attacker be punish for the kick on the defender?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
See Qs #31335 and #31343 which are on the same topic.
Kicking a player is most times a foul and certainly if it is on the head. It is at least careless to kick an opponent and on the head it is deemed most times reckless even if the player does not see his opponent or until the last second.
It happened in a WC game recently where Whelan of Ireland went to head a ball and Ramsey of Wales raised his boot to play the ball yet did not see his opponent until the last moment. He kicked the player in the head who got a bad cut above the eye. The referee awarded a free kick to Ireland and cautioned Ramsey for unsporting behaviour. As it was an element of accident about the kick the card was yellow as if it had been deliberate then every chance that it would gave been red for endangering the safety of an opponent.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kBufbd_ietg
On the lowering of the head low and close to an opponent a player may have placed himself in danger of getting kicked. That is playing in a dangerous manner (to himself) which is an offence and it has an indirect free kick restart to the defender.
Now there may be a situation when perhaps it is obvious to the defender what is going to happen and he chooses to ignore that. There may times when it is not so clear in that the ball is in both the kicking and heading space. That then becomes a judgement call based on what the referee sees and opines.
If the referee opines that the defender knew what was going to happen and chose to ignore any risk to an opponent then it is a DFK restart for kicking an opponent and certainly reckless which is a caution and a dismissal for endangering the safety of an opponent. That is a very rare offence.
Most times it is the fault though of the player risking injury to himself by trying to head the ball close to the ground which is a foul against that player for PIADM not his opponent.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Salvador,
PIADM is an INDFK offence when a player does something causing the opponents who are close enough to challenge for ball possession maybe unable to play the ball without fear of hurting said individual or being hurt themselves.
The issue is the timing of these events creates a dilemma for the referee as much as the action itself does.

A player falling on the ground on top of the ball will create a moment where the referee has to decide if that ball is unchallengeable without that player being injured and the opponent's are waiting for him to rise and get up off that ball before they try to kick at it.

If the ball is bouncing he scrambles on his hands and knees to head it or keep it under his body or seeks to trap the ball between his legs and barrel roll and the opponents can not play that ball unless they kick him in the head or body then we should award an INDFK against him. BECAUSE if we WAIT the opponents might just KICK at him trying to play the ball a penal DFK foul offence against them. Cards for reckless or excessive force are a possibility

Same as a player who raises his foot high in the air or when performing a spectacular bicycle kick here an opponent trying to head or play a ball off his chest might be forced to avoid getting foot in chest or face. Another INDFK offence if the opponent is affected unfairly. Cards for reckless or excessive force are a possibility.
Of course if the opponent is not affected the action is NOT illegal.

The judgement aspect here is a player trying to clear and a player trying to score EACH is fixated on their chosen duty on a ball that can be played with ANY body part a low diving header can place the head into the path of a hard swinging leg seeking to clear that ball away one might get there first by only a millisecond so we see a goal scored and a head kicked or a cleared ball and the head kicked is one or both a foul?

Have a look at these two videos John Terry is the kickee and the kicker and even plays keeper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5hd-RJUHIg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsdQxvQ85zU



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgX1Yb9p5b8
Petr Cech's Injury the very real issue of why the keeper job is dangerous they throw themselves down into the feet of oncoming players. Note the referee had a word BUT no card. Part of the game involves the occasional coming together Petr Čech sustained a head injury in the match against Reading at the Madejski Stadium on 14 October 2006 when he collided with Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt inside Chelsea's penalty area within the first minute of a Premier League match. Hunt's right knee hit Čech's head, leaving the goalkeeper requiring treatment. Čech was taken off after several minutes and replaced by Carlo Cudicini, who himself was knocked unconscious later in the same game, forcing Chelsea captain John Terry to play goal for the match's remaining minutes. Čech underwent surgery for a depressed skull fracture.Initially unaware of the seriousness of the injury, the doctors later reported that it nearly cost Čech his life, and as a result of the collision, he suffered intense headaches.
Cheers