Question Number: 31807

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/22/2017

RE: Rec Adult

Walter Rios of SOUTHAMPTON, Pennsylvania United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 31803

So, as I'm understanding it, based on the scenario outlined, and Referee McHugh's words, 'Now as described there is no offence due to the inadvertent nature of the contact and play should just continue. As described it is a coming together,' there should be no call on either player and play just continue?

In the situation outlined, the referee had a clear view of how everything unfolded, and even stated, 'He didn't mean to run into you, he just didn't know you were there.'

Many refs in this league will make that call against player O, giving an IDFK to the opposing team.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Walter,
the fact a player might turn left instead or right or pivot right instead of left as players are on the move and get caught up but if a player is stationary and the opponent runs into him it is a foul accidental or not, moving into space without looking is at minimum careless . If the referees in your league are ONLY awarding an INDFK then they are not yet applying the latest LOTG which state impeding with contact is a DFK offence
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Walter
With contact it cannot be an IDFK it must be a direct free kick.
Now the reason most referees will give the free kick is that it will look like the defender stopped his opponents run towards the ball. The defender has to be somewhere, he just cannot evaporate into thin air. Now if the defender moves which probably will happen it will look like 99.99 times that it is into the path of the attacker hence the call against the defender
Sometimes refs just make the call that is expected and rarely would the foul go the way of an attacker unless the force was such that it knocks a defender to the ground or the referee felt that it was careless rather than a coming together.
I also have seen players many times run deliberately into opponents looking for free kicks. I never oblige and in fact if there is no advantage I will make the call against the attacker.
Have a look at this video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f4j1jJBB1yo
A penalty was awarded and most will say it was correct yet I am of the opinion that Blue made a deliberate movement against Red which will make it look like a foul all day long once Red got nothing on the ball. At pace with a limited angle of view the decision that is expected is a penalty and at the Pro level it is winning a penalty.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Walter,
If an offence is being called here, whether it is against player O or D, it should never be an indirect free kick. Any offence involving physical contact can only result in a direct free kick (or penalty).

Also, to say that a player didn't mean to do what he did is something of an irrelevance to the decision-making process. Intent has not been a consideration in physical contact fouls since 1995. Even if a player did not mean to commit a foul, if they cause physical contact in a way that is at a minimum, careless, it is still an offence. However if the referee decides that neither player was even careless then it can be let go as a simple 'coming together' as ref McHugh mentions.

This is again (as is quite often the case) an example of a call that could go either way but I would agree with my colleagues that in my experience it is probably called more often against the defender than the attacker.