Question Number: 17571

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/28/2007

RE: COMPETETIVE High School

AL RIOS of WILLIAMSBURG, VA USA asks...

We had a situation inside our 18. An opposing player ran toward our goalie in pusuit of a bouncing ball. As our goalie extended his hand to grab the ball, he was stricken in the face by the opposing players exposed cleats. Our goalie maintained possesion of the ball. As the whistle was blown, our goalie pushed the opposing player. The ref, red carded the opposing player for the open cleat attack and our goalie for the push. In addition, he awarded a penalty kick. In reviewing FIFA laws, I see 2 errors; the awarding of the penalty kick and the red card for the push. While the red card for the push is a judgement call, I believe the overall consensus within FIFA would call for a yellow card. The push was not extrodinary, he did not fall from the push, it was a frustrating response to be cleated in the face. What are your thoughts to my comments

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Al,
as a coach teach your players when they are fouled and they hear a referee whistle that foul or call out advantage the referee has seen it and is now dealing with it. My suggestion is LET HIM.
GET AWAY from trouble. DO NOT RETALIATE! A referee will have an opinion as to what constitutes violent conduct do not even let him form the idea never mind follow through on something he might choose to see. I still am choked over Beckham in the WC several years ago getting sent off for a leg touch with the foot.
Yes it seems unfair but the keeper, upset though he maybe, needs to withdraw gracefully and allow justice to be dispensed.

I am flabbergasted that we go from a cleat into the face onto a PK against. You could protest the decision and ask how does a stoppage for a cleat in the face go with a red card for misconduct for your keeper into a different restart for your opponents since play is not restarted the dfk foul for your keeper being kicked in the face and the opponent sent off for doing so still must happen???

I now see the USA high school on your id tag and now I understand or rather I know why this was allowed to happen.
USA high school referees are not soccer referees but selected because they get time off work during the day! I apologize to those referees who do justice in the high school domain but truthfully far too many of these incidents are being highlighted at this level.
cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Play stopped with the studs to the face. This is a discipline problem the referee needs to deal with. The keeper takes it unto himself to discipline the opponent, this is a discipline problem as well. The discipline is mentioned in the NFHS rules where serious foul play [SFP] is defined as a direct free kick offense uses disproportionate and unnecessary force when playing for the ball against an opponent. Right, that handles what the attacker did to the keeper. The keeper, in order to be sent-off [disqualified in high school] need only exhibit violent conduct or taunt because he can't give SFP, the ball is not in play. These two things lay to the opinion of the referee and not the coach.

The restart of play remains direct free kick against the studs open player. Unless, of course, the referee has no clue about what happened. If that's the case someone needs to have the athletic director get hold of the referee assignor and hold school on them. Feel free to use this as a reference. Even though we are not associated with any of the three national associations in America we seem to have a clue in most cases.

Regards,