Question Number: 33112

Mechanics 3/4/2019

RE: Rec Adult

Russell of Sydney, Australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 33106

A few minor points on this foul recognition debate...

I was never asking for a view based on VAR (although, the terms of VAR to determine 'clear and obvious' mistakes is a very reasonable basis to judge on).
I (like Barry) side on the thinking there is more foul then not as it just feels to me that if a foul was awarded, there would possibly be no debate (that said, naturally, the whole debate of foul/no foul is amplified due to the play resulting in a goal).

I think a bigger and more important picture is painted very well with Ref McHugh's observation of 'the learnings' to take out of this - the reading of the game by match officials and how that might, could, should influence our positioning.

The other important one for me is the 'ITOOTR' of passages of play. And this is the crux of my original question - so that I can hear others thoughts, so that I can factor these into my on field 'as it happens' decision making.

While in this instance I still see this as more of a foul then not, the point that Ref McHugh mentions around 'positioning' is the big tip on how I have to work at being in the best place to make the right call / no call.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Russell
The best position to view any challenge is side on not from the front not from behind.
That is difficult to achieve all of the time yet the use of the diagonal patrol path helps greatly.
I would rather see a challenge from 25 yards side on rather than 15 yards from behind or the front. Case in point is this challenge. While the referee is not in view I suspect he was looking from behind here with an obstructed view through the two players. He in my opinion interprets the contact the way play unfolded with the ball moved away from the toe poke and probably relied heavily on his AR.
In a recent game I was involved as an AR there was a foul missed by the CR as he had a view from behind of the contact. I saw it and I new from the eye contact with the CR that he did not see it. I think he got static and the way play unfolded he got blind sided behind the players. I flagged for the foul which he gave.
I believe that if the AR saw a foul in the Arsenal game he would have flagged.