Question Number: 33474

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/23/2019

RE: Rec Adult

lonnie hunter of saegertown, pa USA asks...

when 2 defenders challenge (with contact) from opposite sides, thereby sandwiching the attacker preventing him from continuing to play the ball...is this a foul, or something I dreamed up?

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Lonnie,
This is treated the same as any other potentially foul challenge. If either (or both) player(s) has challenged in a manner the referee considers to be careless, reckless or using excessive force, it's a foul. If neither challenge meets those criteria, it's not a foul.

Based on your description it sounds as if there would probably be a foul called on one or other of the players - but there's no special provision for it.

The scenario whereby this would not be a foul, was covered in the FIFA Q&A in 2006, as follows:

''Is it permitted for two or more players to challenge an opponent at the same time?
Yes, provided the challenges were legal.''

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

H Lonnie,
technically a legal shoulder to shoulder tackle could occur simultaneously with the ball in playing distance but the pinching aspect might be considered as holding especially if the arms were kind of pawing to go around. The careless, reckless or excessive force by the manner of how it occurs is also of concern.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Lonnie
There is nothing in the law to say that a player cannot be legally charged simultaneously by two opponents
For those of us around long enough a sandwich was seen as *obstruction* where two defenders conspired together to block an opponent from making progress. Rarely if ever does the action of three players in a row line up for simultaneously legal charges to occur.
In the modern game it is still an offence yet it is seen as holding by one or both players. It can also be impeding yet that offence is rare as the offence always ends up with contact which elevates it to a holding foul.
In a rare situation where the attacker is legally charged from both sides with the ball within playing distance and no arms used a referee could deem that to be fair and it effect might not have the desired effect of holding the attacker back. It would be a very rare event with a lot having to line up correctly for that to happen.
I watched in the France v Brazil game a situation where a French player played the ball between two converging Brazilian defenders and the gap between the defenders shut just as she played the ball between them. As a result she was unable to progress and she went to ground trying to go through the gap that no longer existed. The referee did not see it as an offence and play continued. I believe that was the correct call as the player was trying to progress through an opening that only existed for a fraction and normal movement of players meant that it closed naturally rather than deliberately to hold back the player.