Question Number: 32708

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 9/14/2018

RE: High School Varsity High School

Tim Bedsole of Lithopolis, OH United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 19770

A ball is kicked on goal in the air. The keeper catches the ball firmly, has full control, and has taken two steps forward. Opposing player then runs directly into the keeper full speed and a collision occurs. The force of the impact is so strong that the keep is knocked to the ground and actually suffers a physical injury to the face causing immediate bleeding. The opposing player was not tripped, pushed, or bumped into the goalkeeper.

Under the rules of soccer is this not a flagrant foul?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Tim
Yes this is without doubt a charging foul punished by a direct free kick.
It is also highly likely that the attacker should be sanctioned with a card either a yellow card for unsporting conduct or a red card for serious foul play if excessive force was used.
Now there can be times when both players are running full tilt to win the ball and at the last split second one player wins the ball and there is a collision between players. It is a judgement call to decide if there was reckless behaviour on the part of one of the players. It would be reckless in that one player was always likely to be late to the ball and therefore always unlikely to win the ball. In such instances that is at least a caution for reckless play and if excessive force was used a red card for serious foul play
Have a look at this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9XYzG2nyYk
The referee penalises the attacker for the contact in this play. If there is any foul here it is in my opinion by the goalkeeper and if there was no foul it was a throw in to the Blue team. The referee restarted with a DFK to the defending team which many were amazed at. The referee had a different view of this and perhaps he felt that the attacker with his look up at the goalkeeper intended to make contact. The video does not show that. The referee is reported as saying that as the goalkeeper played the ball first it was a foul by the attacker. That is not the opinion shared by many in the game.
In a FIFA game it is a offence to challenge or tackle an opponent in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:.
Reckless is when a player acts with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent and must be cautioned. Using excessive force is when a player exceeds the necessary use of force and/or endangers the safety of an opponent and must be sent off.
No matter what the referee in the Germany game said this is IMO at the very least reckless by the goalkeeper.

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

Tim,
What you described is considered Serious Foul Play or even violent conduct in high school play. Both result in a disqualification (red card) of the player. I hope that was the result in your situation. I also hope that the goalkeeper is now okay.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Tim,
based on your description this appears as serious foul play! An excessive (charging foul) which should result in a DFK and a red card shown to the attacker who is sent off reducing his team by player!

As to the incident my colleague described the Higuain vs Neuer incident is still one of the worst referee decisions at a world cup that I have seen. There are others although Argentina may not have been the best team at that world tournament over all of the games in THAT game they were robbed! That was a PK and red card in ANY game.

How the referee justified the selling of that call was pathetic. He was simply wrong & did not have the courage to admit it! I can forgive a referee for seeing an incident different in full time or even missing due to a bad angle of view but upon review to NOT be able to re-examine the true nature of that incident for what it was, a MISTAKE & in my opinion a SERIOUS FOUL PLAY action by a keeper with NO regard of the opponent is a cop out. BECAUSE Of that lack of truth there are those even now that think that action by the keeper is warranted because he touched the ball just ahead of his knee smacking into the side of the Argentinian's head & that somehow raising a knee is what keepers MUST do to protect themselves.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Tim,
Based on your description, this certainly sounds like a case of serious foul play, for which the player should receive a red card. There may be other factors that we're not aware of but it's difficult to see what those might be, from the way you describe it.