Question Number: 31427

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/5/2017

RE: Rec Adult

Russell of Sydney, Australia asks...

Foul or no foul ?

In the Man U v Everton match this morning, soon after the 63 min mark, Man U were into another build up on the Everton goal that ended with a high ball clearance by Everton.

As the ball came down (almost vertically) a Man U player moved in and jumped for the ball, while the Everton player looked like he was trying to tactically position himself between the falling ball and the approaching Man U player.

I hope the following link works, if so, fast forward to the 18:25 mark.

https://weshare.me/2ed59ec13993fb28/utd_eve_2nd_half_eng.mp4

The Man U player ended up going right over the Everton player, how was this not a foul against the Man U player.

I'm all for letting physic's play are part in footy, however, this looks like a foul to me (from the angle shown).

If it is not, please explain why.

Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Russell
There was certainly a foul. Now the question is by whom. Blue does not appear to challenge or try to play the ball yet appears to impede Red who falls over him.. Does Red in his attempt to play the ball hold down Blue by his action?
The referee decided that there was no foul or perhaps that both players were equally guilty of a foul so chose to do nothing. He certainly had a good view of it and chose to make no call.
My sense is that it could have been a more likely foul to Red due to the fact that Blue does not seem to make an attempt to play the ball yet by doing that it would have encouraged complaints from Blue who no doubt see it as a foul by Red.
Now while these incidents may help us in our understanding of the game referees at lower levels should be careful about reading too much into the Pro game referee decision. The Pro game at times allows a higher level of physical contact and players are trained for that. Referees may also ignore certain types of contact such as illegal shielding which technically is a foul.
In the most recent UEFA Referee Assistance Programme there is a video showing *illegal* shielding of the ball inside the penalty area as the ball goes over the goal line. The referee gave nothing in the video while UEFA opines that it should have been a penalty. Every single referee that looked at that was amazed with that opinion. The reason is that it is seen countless times in the game as no foul.
So for me this could have gone either way and as they say it was six of one and half a dozen of another. I have at times in games said to players when no call is made that *both players were at it* meaning both were equally culpable with no one winning out.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Russell,
red jumped on top of blue or blue undercut red?
I can see the referee had a CLEAR view.
I can also see Blue clearly look over at red and at the highball and placed his body to block the angle to the ball.
Red player jumped too early & blue upon rising from the ground felt justified in spreading the arms to ask a question of the referee after he made no call and signaled no advantage. So this presumably at best was a trifling foul or a sequential ignoring by the referee. I tend to agree with you that a DFK out would not be out of order based on the video evidence in question. Yet I saw more than a few knocks go unpunished with no serious ramifications and you have to admit it was a spot on penalty decision late in the match.
Cheers