Question Number: 32041

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 11/20/2017

RE: Adult

Sasha of SF, California United States asks...

Hey many, a quick question: during the corner kick, can referee call penalty kick for players holding and pushing BEFORE the corner kick has been taken, meaning the player is about to take it but still didn't kick the ball back into play. Does that considers to be 'before the restart' of the play thus making the penalty kick a bad call?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Sasha,

Anything that occurs out of play doesn't change the restart. For instance, if before a corner kick is taken, a player punches another player, the restart is still the corner kick.

The referee can certainly talk to players and even issue cards for incidents before the kick is taken - but it doesn't change the restart.

A penalty kick can only be awarded if the ref perceives the incident to occur after the kick is taken. Sometimes there can be multiple 'events' - a player may have fallen over before the kick, ref turns around as the kick is taken and sees a secondary kick or something on the player on the ground and awards the penalty based on that.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Sasha,
A penalty kick can only be awarded if the ball is in play. So if the penalty was definitely given for something that happened before the ball was kicked it was indeed a bad call. Now if the holding started before the kick and continued during and after the kick was taken and the referee did not spot the offence until after the kick, that would be more understandable.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Sasha
A foul can only be awarded when the ball is in play. If the ball is out of play foul contact can be misconduct only.
So the key is the moment the ball is kicked. If the pushing / pulling happened before the kick then there is no foul.
Now we know that holding is a continuous foul unlike a push. A push is over the moment the players hand has left the opponent whereas holding continues for as long as there is contact on the player. So every chance that at a corner kick where a player has a grip of an opponent that she will not let go before the kick is taken. Every chance it will be seen as a foul the moment the ball is played.
It is also a decision that is in the opinion of the referee in that the referee has to determine the moment of the kick and the moment of the foul. They can happen in a split second of each other.
Defenders run the high risk that foul contact can be punished in doubtful timing situations where the ball may just have been played. If the foul contact does not happen the question does not arise. If a player asks a decision call of the referee she might not like the answer.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

HI Sasha,
ANY physicality BEFORE the kick occurs is MISCONDUCT it should NOT change the restart if it is being dealt with in the form of warnings or a card . Yet if such conduct is continuous and the CR allow the kick to proceed if he decides that only now is he going to judge the actions as a FOUL where the previous pushing and shoving BEFORE the restart was trifling or not worth holding up the restart then yes a PK could result just as a free kick out could result depending on how the transgressor was.
This micro managing at corners and free kicks where the players are basically in a scrum setting of jockeying for position is often dealt with therefore holding up the kick and running in warning these guys to desist. Yet I see on most any corner kick a foul that could be called be it a PK for holding by the defence or a pushing foul by the offence.
Cheers