Question Number: 31572

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/30/2017

RE: Competitive Under 17

Paul Virdo of Milton, Ontario Canada asks...

Question about advantage on a careless foul that interferes with a promising attack.

Let's assume there is no question that if I blow my whistle I am issuing a caution.

If I allow advantage, am I essentially saying the promising attack is still in progress, thus no caution? Or do I still issue a caution at the next stoppage?

What if the attacking team scores? Does this change anything?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Paul,
first off on a careless foul there is no real reason TO caution unless perhaps it was one of a series of fouls for PI (persistent infringements)

IF you apply advantage and the foul is reckless as to how it was done and the force used you would go back and show the yellow card at the next stoppage, no matter the result. This would be the only time you have to caution as you cannot caution after the restart.

If the foul was only careless but you thought there was deliberate misconduct in that it was done thwart a promising attack as say a shirt pull or a deliberate handling but in applying advantage a goal resulted then the need to caution the USB is not as necessary as it would be to caution the harsh physical unsafe challenge of a reckless foul.

A team scoring after a well played advantage may not be looking for retribution but any harsh clearly yellow card cautionable action that goes unpunished there are those players that take note and look to equal things out if they feel the referee is lax in his dealings with such actions.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Paul
The Laws allow for a referee after playing advantage to return to the offender with a card at the next stoppage in play. The card must be issued before play restarts. So in your example a referee COULD if he so wished go back to caution the player who committed the foul after the goal is scored and before the kick off.
In the case of a careless foul where advantage has been played and a goal has been scored it may not be necessary to caution yet there could be reasons such as persistent infringing of the Laws by the player or for match control purposes. The scoring of the goal changes nothing other than a careless foul had little impact on play and therefore questionable as to the need to caution. If it was a reckless foul then the referee should caution.
Another example would be the situation where a defender tries to stop the ball entering the goal with his hand yet fails. In that case advantage is played, the goal is awarded and the player MUST be cautioned before the kick off under the updated Laws. In the past there was discretion given to the referee whether to caution or not. I suspect some will still use discretion at the lower levels of the game