Question Number: 31475

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/24/2017

RE: Competive Under 17

Christina of New Smyrna Beach, Fl USA asks...

I have a son who plays on the U16 level for a travel team. Yesterday we had a game. My son is a defender. The other team had a corner kick. The team kicked it and another player kicked it towards the goal. My son was standing in front of the goal and the ball came flying at his face. He covers his face and of course the ball hits the back of his hands. Is he allowed to cover his face? He didn't see the ball until the last second since everybody was around. The ref gave him a red card. It was definitely not intentional. Every soccer rules and regulations I have read has stated deliberately is the only way to get a red card. I understand maybe a yellow card and free kick. Just trying to figure out why a red card? I have already reached out to the refs for the club and awaiting a response back.
Thank you :)

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Christina,
The relevant foul is 'deliberately handles the ball' (DHB). Key word - deliberate.
This already causes some confusion - generally speaking, the colloquial meaning of 'deliberate' means a considered decision, but that's not the case in football. I like to think of it as 'could the player have reasonably been expected to avoid contact between ball and hand?'.
The Laws give some guidance on how we consider DHB. For instance, we consider whether the movement is hand-to-ball versus ball-to-hand, we consider the position of the arm, opportunity to react to the ball, and various other matters.
Here, it was hand-to-ball because the hands went up into the path of the ball. But that alone doesn't make it a foul.
With all those things considered a self-protective reflex as you've described is often permissible. The hands go up out of reflex out of control of the player. As you said, while the shot was taken from some distance away, he didn't have a view of it until the last second (and that's more important than how far away it was kicked), so the reflex sounds perfectly understandable.
So then there's a couple more things I'd look at - did the arms just go straight up to protect the face, or did they go out towards the ball to knock it down?
Sometimes also, players put their arm up to block the face and in doing so block a ball that wasn't going to hit their face - eg arms go above the head and block a ball passing above, or arms in front of the face and then the player turns to the side and the arms block the ball that was no longer going to hit the face. These should be fouls.
But visibility at the last minute, arms go straight up just to block the face? That shouldn't be a foul - it's accidental handling.
If the ball would have gone in the goal if it hadn't hit your son then unfortunately a red card is a mandatory requirement for Denying an Obvious Goal or Obvious Goalscoring Opportunity. Either no foul, or foul and red card. If it was going in the goal there's no middle ground.
One final point; in determining if it's a foul the fact that it stopped a goal and may have fallen to his feet is completely irrelevant. It's a foul or not - it doesn't matter what the ball does immediately after. We only consider blocking the goal AFTER we have determined it's a foul. Accidental handling that stops a goal is still no foul.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Christina,
There are two parts of the law at issue here. Firstly, was there a handling offence? Law 12 says that:

''Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with the hand or arm.

The following must be considered:

the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)
the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball)
the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an infringement''

If, based on these criteria, the referee decides that the contact between ball and hand was a deliberate act on the part of the player, then a direct free kick (or penalty) is the result.

Without being there and without seeing what the referee saw, it is difficult to say but it does seem there is a possibility that this could have been considered an unexpected ball and therefore not an offence. The referee in the game however, obviously saw it differently.

As far as a red card goes, the law further tells us that:

''Where a player denies the opposing team a goal [...] by a deliberate handball offence the player is sent off wherever the offence occurs.''

The way this is often expressed is that the referee should ask the question, ''If the player's hands had not been where they were, would the ball definitely have entered the net?'' As you describe it, it sounds to me it could be argued that if the ball had not hit your son's hands, it would have hit him in the face and (very possibly) not gone into the goal. In the game though, the referee apparently considered that but for a deliberate handling offence, a goal would have been scored. If that was how he saw it, then he would have to issue a red card.

I can see how both decisions could have a justification in law, although it would appear, assuming your description is accurate, that your son might have been a trifle unlucky to have been penalised for both a deliberate handball and denial of a goal.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Christina,
The interpretative evaluation of what constitutes a deliberately handled ball is still an OPINION of the match office based on
(1)WHAT did the referee see?
(2) Current understanding of the LOTG
(3) Input provided by AR or neutral official if available

The OLDER the age group and the greater their skill the more likely the standard of expectations will be higher than say a u 12 recreational match for which based solely on your description if accurate is LIKELY not a foul or a card at all. A protective INSTINCTIVE reaction does or should NOT carry the same weight as an easily determined deliberate action.

That being said the moving the arms and hands to stop a ball will look like a warding off of a ball especially if there is any forward push away or the arms /hands cover up additional space in around the head area.

The fact it was done to stop a ball from hitting him in the face given he is standing directly in front of goal and (that is without considering if the ball DID hit his face it might not go into goal) if the hands are considered to be used to deliberately deny a goal the referee has ZERO choice but to send off the defender IF the call is a DFK for handling the ball deliberately. The referee would have to determine if the ball would have gone wide or over top to only caution and show a yellow card for USB. If he believes it would have hit the face then I have to think he would NOT had called it a foul unless the hands were there in advance pushing the ball down when he might have headed it!

Then there is a matter of foul recognition. There will be an obvious cry for a penalty the moment the ball HITS the hands on a defender no matter if it was or was not deliberate!. Only a brave and certain referee aware the action was reactive, there was no time , that it was the ball hitting the hand thus there is NO infraction will just wave it away and allow play to continue no matter what the ball does after hitting the hands. OPERATIVE PHRASE HERE! (ball hits hands)

Once the referee blew the whistle for the DFK foul inside the PA and was convinced the ball would have entered the goal except for that foul where your son's hands hit the ball , your son's fate was sealed. The CRs opinion on a fact of play is the only opinion that matters on the FOP during the match. If we had a video to see or if we were there we might offer the CR another perspective based on the actual events
.
I also need to make some distinctions, although the foul has the word DELIBERATE given we do not read intent there will be times when a player makes a deliberate movement to play a ball and accidentally winds up using his hands by misjudging the trajectory no intention but it was deliberate!

Just as often the reverse is true where a player will spread out the arms to take away space ahead of a ball being played and have a ball deflect or move in fast
will be called for the foul based on his deliberate actions not necessarily for or because of his intentions!

Another example in a wall players are not permitted to stand with arms raised in the air or allowed to link arms with elbows locked BECAUSE it covers up greater space. These are deliberate actions undertaken even before the ball is in play!

I can assure you despite your misgivings the FIFA LOTG provide NO other option for referee then to show a red card send off the player IF the referee holds the opinion the deliberate handling denied a goal.

Even IF the referee could have erred in assuming it was deliberate and it truly was accidental! Even if the referee did not consider that the ball might have missed the goal and a replay showed it would have!

The restart and punishment would not change because his opinion rules the day and the LOTG dictate his options up until the restart of play.

I mentioned if the AR or a neutral source could convince him he was in error up until he allowed the restart then things can be undone. However, once the PK was taken nothing in the LOTG can undo the situation.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Christina
Thanks for the question.
There are two parts which are interconnected here.
The first one is deliberate handling. This has been a very difficult law for referees over many years and regular viewers of the site will see that it is a regular question. What constitutes deliberate handling? At one end of the scale we have players deliberately moving the ball with the hand which is certain deliberate handling and at the other end of the scale is the ball hitting a arm inadvertently which is not. The part in the middle is the grey area which many struggle with. That grey area includes the raising of arms into the path of the ball. In my game at the weekend a player some 10 yards away from the ball jumped up with his arms raised to stop the ball. The ball hit his arm which I called as deliberate. There was an element of protection in the action yet the alternative was to avoid the ball which was not done. The raised arms assisted the player in playing the ball. There was no great debate about it as it was just a free kick in midfield. Up the ante to the goal line and it will be much more hotly contested.
This is what my association has to say
**Although football is a game in which players constantly move their arms and hands as a natural part of their movement, in deciding if a player is handling the ball deliberately , it is essential to consider the following points:
# Was it a hand to ball situation or ball to hand?
# Are the players hands or arms in a natural position?
# Does the player want to make himself bigger by using his arms?
# Does the player try to avoid the ball striking his hand?
# Distance the ball travelled before striking the players hand
# Is the player able to avoid the ball striking his hand?
# Does he use his hand or arm to intentionally touch the ball?
Referees should also consider possible additional circumstances and consequences, e.g. how and where did the offence occur (stopped a promising attack? denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity?) and they must then punish fully in accordance with the Laws of the Game.**
Now on the second part which is the red card the Laws demand that when a goal or a goal scoring opportunity has been denied by deliberate handling then the player must be dismissed.
The conditions for such an offence is set out in the advice to referees. Quite simply did the deliberate handling stop the ball entering the goal or did the handling prevent the ball going to an attacker who could have easily scored. That is opinion based on what the referee saw on the day.
Now once the deliberate handling was called then there is always the test of whether further sanction of a card is required. If the ball was say going wide or there was no goal scoring opportunity then nothing has been denied. I would say no card is required in such circumstances. However here with your son standing in front of goal, the referee sees him raise his arms which stops the ball entering the goal then every chance that it will end up as a red card. It might be harsh yet the only options are from what you describe once the ball is destined for the goal
1. No foul as it was not deliberate and play on
2. Call the deliberate handling, award the penalty and send off the player.