Question Number: 31716

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 8/17/2017

RE: Semi pro Adult

Luke Morton of coventry, West Midlands United Kingdom asks...

This question is a follow up to question 31712

So awarding a penalty and sending the player off would be incorrect?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

It is only incorrect IF
A. It was not deliberate handling and
B. The handling did not deny an obvious goal.
Both are subjective and opinion based. If the referee deems that it was deliberate handling and that the handling denied a goal then it was the correct decision.

I nor anyone else on the panel can opine if it was right or wrong as we did not see the event. We can all have an opinion and as I outlined in the Kewell incident some believe it was not deliberate handling while others certainly believe that it was. The referee on the day said it was DHB and that is all that matters. Had he not given it there would be as much furore about the non call.

Football is a game that allows the referee a great deal of flexibility in interpreting and applying most of the laws subjectively. Associations try to train referees to be consistent in their application of the Laws yet that is not always possible. Each Referee will have his own style, his own limits, and his own tolerance levels. This flexibility adds to the uncertainty and unpredictability in the game and with handling it is one of those areas that is fraught with difficulty. The referee sees it from one particular view, in real time without replays or freeze frame, slow motion. IFAB the law making body has indicated that it will try to bring greater clarity to the handling area although I think that as the law is formulated this area will continue to pose challenges in decision making for referees for a very long time.

Finally the history of the game is littered with incidents that were hotly debated at the time and continue to be so. The infamous Thierry Henry DHB for France v Ireland comes to mind and the referee team on the day missed it. The decision to not award a free kick was not done deliberately and it just happened that way. Henry admitted afterwards that he handled the ball yet the result stood and that is part of the game. Once the kick off happened after the goal there was no going back on that decision. Referee Hanson admitted afterwards that he and his team missed the incident which they saw subsequently on TV and that the *correct* decision should have been a DFK and a caution. He made at the time what he believed was the *correct* decision based on what he saw or did not see. The outcome of the game stood and as Law 5 states ** The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final. The decisions of the referee, and all other match officials, must always be respected.**

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Luke.
I reread the back chatter to get up to speed on your question.
Based on your description NO penalty NO sending off so YES it was incorrect to do so IF that is what the referee saw!
To award a PK to send off & showa red card reducing his team by a player for DOGSOh the referee must feel it was not accidental but a result of deliberate action on the part of the player
If a referee determines the BALL hit the arm and nothing the player did created this situation then there is NO foul and no stoppage thus no PK.

The issue of foul recognition fort this type of foul 'Handling the ball deliberately ' occurs primarily because deliberate intentions are NOT required . The referee must determine if it was a deliberate action the player undertook that created the arm/ball intervention even if it was NEVER the player's intent to do so!

This is where an understanding of RISK when a player leaves their feet or commits to a tackle as to how their flailing arms might affect the ball or what is considered as NATURAL arm movement versus unusual and the propensity of making ones self BIGGER by taking away space that the ball could travel through by widening or reaching over the head.

In the case of Henri in the Ireland match those many years ago the blatant tap control picked up on camera was unseen by the officials and Henri was not gracious enough to admit to it and ask the official the goal be denied but then neither did Maradona as the winning at any cost overrides the sportsmanship concept.

There is a HUGE difference when you get hit by the ball off the arm and its drops favorably as opposed to creating the advantage by cheating and trying to use the hand or arm to control the ball unseen.

Yet I recently saw a referee award a foul for no reason other than he did not think a favourable outcome of an accidental handling that resulted in a goal would be accepted by those playing so he took away the goal & awarded the DFK . I was very disappointed in the reasoning and support he received for such a decision. The attacker had done NOTHING wrong and was denied a legitimate goal.



We are instructed to utilize the spirit of the laws within a match adjusting the characterization of the expectations where in recognizing players & coaches do not like advantages gained or deflected goals scored off the hand/arm EVEN if totally accidental .


http://metro.co.uk/2012/09/27/miroslav-klose-scores-handball-goal-but-tells-referee-to-chalk-it-off-586966/

I point you to this link below it has the approval of FIFA and is conducted by one of the best referees on the planet. While not directly related to your question it shows how FIFA is using RISK to find fault even if the handling is unintentional in the player had no desire or intention to handle the ball but it resulted off a deliberate action where he could NO LONGER control his body.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1ntPotJzRE&index=5&list=PLsAXIYtop5OuwuRbZmHjRVBsDfvZIzkhC

Esse was my mentor in this great game who I took a great deal of my own personal philosophy from based on the spirit an integrity of this man himself. There is a 5 minute video called 'The referee at the centre of World Cup storm " which is the single greatest video that shows the true spirit of integrity watch it and you will feel and understand why I love and respect this man who I hardly know personally but my life was made better for him being in it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-lNODXuA6k

Cheers

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 31717