Question Number: 31724

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 8/21/2017

RE: Adult

Colin Brown of Warrington, UK asks...

If the ball is in play rolling along the goal line between the post and edge of penalty area and two players chasing the ball are off the pitch due to momentum. If the defender pulls the shirt of the attacker to prevent him getting the ball, where is resulting free kick given from or would it be a penalty.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Collin,
if the two players are off the pitch due to momentum and are in pursuit of the ball on the FOP. The defender by pulling the shirt is holding the attacker so the location of the restart will be at the nearest point along the goal line for a DFK . Keep in mind one can STILL play advantage and if say the DFK hold started outside the goal lines not in the PA, but was to continue until it did, the restart location is advanced. In this case because that point is inside the PA, it would upgrade to a PK . There likely would be cautionable conduct involved with a card being shown. This change in the LOTG came recently and is befitting the needed punishment as opposed to the inadequate INDFKS and drop-balls as before!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Colin,
In the situation you describe, the offence would be penalised by the award of a penalty kick to the attacker's team.

As ref Dawson mentions, this was a recent change to the Laws, brought in as part of a major re-write of the Laws for the 2016-17 season.

In the ''Details of all Law changes'' section, the change was explained as follows:

''Law is changed as football would expect that if 2 players leave the field as part of normal action and one fouls the other off the field, a free kick should be awarded. No one would understand if the referee gave a RC/YC and then restarted with a dropped ball (or IDFK). The FK is awarded on the touchline/goal line nearest to where the foul occurred; if this is on the goal line in the offender's penalty area a penalty is awarded.''

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Colin
As described under the amended Laws the decision is a penalty kick and certainly a caution for the pull of the shirt. If the conditions are such that in the opinion of the referee the action of the offender denied a goal scoring opportunity then it is a red card for that offence . Only genuine attempts to play the ball in the award of a penalty kick are exempted form being dismissed under the amended law. So a pull back, shirt pull, deliberate handling are all still possible dismissals for denying a goal scoring opportunity.