Question Number: 33484

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/26/2019

RE: Travel (competative) Under 13

Matt James of rochester, ny USA asks...

Can a player, running with the ball, dribbling, be called with a excessive force/charging rule? Contact was made face to face and minimal attempt was made by the defending player to play the ball.

During a game a forward was running towards the goal, about 20 yds out and a defending player ran towards them and didn't attempt to player the ball. My estimate is the defending player was probably moving at 3-4 miles per hour and the player with the ball was running at 7-8 miles per hour.

What's the call?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Matt
The answer is yes and as I say to players all the time the ball does not make difference in committing an offence. Playing the ball or being in control of the ball is not a get out of jail card nor does the ball have to be present for the referee to deem that a player has challenged or charged or pushed in a careless or reckless manner.
In your example it reads like the defender simply ran into the attacker which is a charging foul punished by a direct free kick against the defender. Is that what the referee saw?
I have seen many situations where attackers push the ball past defenders and then runs straight into opponents claiming fouls. The foul is against the attacker who makes no effort to avoid an opponent yet either tried to win a foul or simply charged his opponent illegally. I have seen attackers with the ball push opponents to the ground which is a foul against the attacker
As to your example it is difficult to say what the referee saw. Perhaps he felt that the attacker was overly aggressive or ran into the opponent making no effort to avoid him, knocking him to the ground. Perhaps there were a series of contact on opponents by the player that the referee did not like. There can be games where a large player is *using his weight* or size to be physical with opponents. Possession of the ball does not confer a right to contact players in a way that is careless or reckless.
At Underage safety is a key consideration and the referee could be erring on the side of caution on all heavy physical contact.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Matt,
Yes they can. Having possession of the ball does not exempt the player from the laws of the game. If a player with the ball ends up in a challenge for the ball with an opponent (or is considered by the referee to have charged the opponent) in a way that is careless, reckless or used excessive force, the referee should penalise them accordingly. Please note that if the referee judges that excessive force has been used, the player receives a red card. If the referee sees the player as having been reckless, it's a yellow card and if merely careless, just a free kick. Depending on the exact circumstances and how the referee judges the respective players' conduct, either the player with the ball or the one challenging for it, could be penalised.

On the other hand, when two players challenge for the ball even if there is physical contact, the referee could see it as merely a 'coming together' with nothing careless, reckless or excessively forceful from either player. In this case, the referee could just allow play to continue - unless of course, one (or both) of the players have what is judged to be a serous injury, in which case the referee will stop play so the player(s) can receive treatment. Most injuries involving the head or face will lead to a fairly quick stoppage, and even more so when it involves children.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Matt,
players can come together with no malice as part of the playing conditions but the player with the ball in playing distance being challenged by an opponent within playing distance both will be judged on the careless reckless or excessive force of any action undertaken to retain or get ball possession.

Without actually seeing the incident it is tough to say which player is responsible for a foul but based on the description you provided, it seems the defender played the attacker not the ball, yet the attacker moving faster knocked the defender over and thus the referee awarded a free kick against the attacker when it was likely you think the defender was at fault?

If a defender cuts into the flight path of an attacker to where an impact is unavoidable and has made no effort to play the ball, simply impeded with contact, chances are the defender will be at fault. Yet if say the attacker had successfully placed the ball past the defender, who then was making an attempt to turn or chase and we could see the attacker put the shoulder down and rather than run in pursuit of the ball just alter his run slightly to smash the defender we might see that as a deliberate way to draw a foul except the foul is really his.

In youth larger players can be both seen as a bully using their size and weight to knock over players or essentially be unfairly targeted because normal players cannot expect to win 50/50 balls . They bounce off these larger players through NO fault of the actions of the larger player just simple mass, speed and friction physics .

Now it will be an opinion if the referee of the match whether the bigger faster attacker steamrolled over the defender or the defender simply choose a poor tactic to try and win the ball.
Cheers