Question Number: 35290

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 12/20/2023

RE: Competitive Adult

Peter Babbage of Hjorring , Denmark asks...

Striker through on goal. About to shoot but gets scythed down by a defender. Clear DOGSC. However the ball breaks and is tapped in the net. Advantage played and goal awarded. What however is the sanction for the defender who committed the original foul?

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Peter,

If we are playing advantage on DOGSO, then we're effectively saying the OGSO was retained.

Essentially, playing advantage on a tactical card, downgrades the card. If we play advantage for Stopping a Promising Attack, then it's downgraded to no card. If we play advantage on DOGSO, it's downgraded to a caution.

However, if this one falls under a DOGSO-YC category - it occurs in the PA and is an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball, then you'd issue no card.

However, if the tackle is reckless on its own merits, regardless of the tactical situation, you'd issue a YC (similiarly, RC if it's SFP).

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Peter,
the necessary sanctioning is dependant upon the referees' appraisal of the event and what aspects within the circumstances he witnessed he might see as discretionary and forgiven or as traumatic and unforgivable!

Scythed?

Hmm this does sounds like a pretty clear reckless action, a type of foul that could endanger the player's safety and reinforcing our understanding of the decision by a defender that clearly displays the Professional Foul. You know the one that says, "Only 1 shall pass, either player or ball, but NEVER both! "

This dude is not going to go any farther with the ball today. Lets stop this promising attack
even though it will warrant a caution show the yellow card BUT only if it succeeded in doing so! Given it failed to stop the attack or deny the goal the referee can be lenient

In that same mode of thought, assuming we do NOT blow the whistle prematurely and allow an advantage to unfold that results in a good goal enabling a kick off restart! If the entirety of the ball subsequently crosses the goal line under the crossbar between the posts we can now ignore any red card DOGSO criteria that were present at the time of the foul, because subsequently a goal did in fact occur. A caution for the USB action of TRYING to deny a goal is still plausible and indeed likely!

Provided, we were not too quick with the whistle and only blew, AFTER, the entirety of the ball subsequently crossed the goal line under the crossbar between the posts. Sad though it might be, you can not award a goal where the ball enters the goal AFTER a whistle so the PK or DFK restart with a show the red card send off reducing them by a player is the only course of action.

Also if the challenge was, in the opinion of the referee, a reasonable attempt to win the ball while INSIDE the PA there is also no reason to show the yellow card for a careless foul that failed to stop the attack or deny the goal!

Depending on how this challenge unfolded in real time it could merit a caution, show a yellow card for the RECKLESSNESS of such a tackle or if EXCESSIVE in nature, a red card for SFP resulting in a send off, reducing the team by a player!

Cheers
Merry Christmas

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Peter
There are a few considerations here

If it was an offence that denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity with a genuine attempt to play the ball then the red card would be reduced to a caution with a penalty award. If the offence happened outside the penalty area with a free kick restart it remains a red card.

If there was an advantage played and a goal scored then the attempt to stop a promising attack caution is not required. Nothing has been denied nor stopped.

If the challenge in itself is considered reckless by the referee then the offender is cautioned.
If the challenge is serious foul play in that in the opinion of the referee it endangers the safety of an opponent then it is a dismissal no matter what happens.

So there you have it. It can range from no card to a yellow card to a red card depending on what happened.

In your description you say that the player is scythed down which suggests to me at least reckless if not serious foul play. As there is no DOGSO there is no requirement for a card for that specific misconduct either red or yellow.
I suspect that many referees after a goal being scored may not take disciplinary action in a genuine attempt to play the ball even if the player is brought to ground.

I saw a referee recently fail to caution a defender for a DOGSO foul that resulted in a penalty. He opined that there was no DOGSO just a regular penalty.