Question Number: 15912

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 6/29/2007

RE: select High School

kim of middleville, MI USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 15839

I was reffing a U11 girls match. Player A from a team falls down on the ground with the ball by her legs. No other player is in playing distance of the ball. Player B from other team comes in a kicks the ball near Player A lying on the grond. I whistled dangerous play on B for coming in and creating a dangeroius situation by kicking the ball at player on the ground and awarded player A team IFK. Correct call?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

It's not playing in a dangerous manner to kick the ball while standing up with an opponent on the ground nearby. I would want to know if the player on the ground was doing anything to try to get up. If not, the player on the ground is creating the dangerous situation NOT the player kicking the ball. If you felt the player kicking the ball was being careless, then you should have called kicking or attempting to kick an opponent in which case a DFK would be awarded.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Does not sound like the correct call was made. If the player on ground made no effort to get up, then it should have been a dangerous play on them. If the player on ground made an effort to get up, then you could consider a kick on the other player. This completly depends on the nature of the kick though. If you felt the kick was careless, reckless, or done with excessive force...then you could call it and the restart would be a dfk.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Was there a player disadvantaged by what ever it was you saw? Did anyone give up play for the ball? Was lying on the floor even a dangerous thing? ALL these things need to be answered YES before playing in a dangerous manner is present, even at U-11!

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Let me see if I got this pegged right, a player is on the ground by accident and the ball is lying close to her legs.

This player is not lying on top of the ball correct?

An opponent comes in and kicks the loose ball and it strikes the downed player?

So the danger was created by who and just why was it dangerous?

What was the player on the ground doing? Was she playing the ball by kicking at it as well? Was she trying to shield the ball with her head or hands so it could be kicked by the opponent? Was she laying her legs on top of the ball?

The ball hitting the legs or body can be painful but I would need to see it to judge if it was at all dangerous in the sense of unfair!

I am sorry but I see no INDFK based on the description of events.
The downed player was not playing the ball in a dangerous manner and if the ball is loose nearby I fail to see why it can not be kicked?

While a player does have to be carefull not to kick or deliberately injure an opponent for PIADM the opponent must in effect refuse to play the ball because of that danger to himself or the player.
Cheers