Question Number: 28440

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/19/2014

RE: Rec Adult

Mark Jones of Sacramento, Ca. USA asks...

Where is the 'line' drawn on a foul at the top of the penalty area. For example, if the keeper, or anyone else for that matter,is just inside the penalty area and fouls someone just outside the penalty area, do you go by the point of contact or where the offender was standing or sliding. Maybe a better explanation is a slid tackle that started just inside the penalty area and the actual contact was made 1 yard outside the penalty area. Restart is a PK or a DFK right outside the area.
Thank you for your answer in advance.
Mark

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mark
The foul is awarded at the point of the foul contact. It can be difficult on a continuous slide tackle to determine where the point of foul contact is. It is easier on say a holding foul that starts outside the penalty area and continues inside. That is a penalty kick.
If the referee deems that part of a slide challenge happened inside the penalty area then a penalty is awarded The line by the way is part of the penalty area.
Here is an example of what you refer to.
In my opinion this is a penalty as there are a number of foul contacts here both inside and outside the penalty area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skqVR_35wXs
Remember as well the referee does not have freeze frame, action replay to make up his mind. This looked to me like a penalty when I saw it first. Some have argued otherwise saying that the foul that brought the player down was outside?
Look at it another way. If the Blue player did not foul then the referee does not have to make the tight call.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Mark,

The laws state that lines form part of the area they enclose. As you know, when a ball leaves the field of play, if the slightest sliver is still above the boundary line it's still in play - because the boundary lines are part of the area they enclose.

Following that, the lines around the penalty area form part of the penalty area themselves. After that, a foul always occurs at the point of contact.

Occasionally a player will have his front leg in the penalty area with the back leg out, and you can see it's the back foot that's clipped. That's a direct free kick outside the penalty area. If contact is made on the line, it's a penalty kick. It's the point of contact with the opponent (or in the case of an 'attempted' foul, it's where contact would have been made).

If it's deliberate handling we're looking at, then all that matters is the location of the ball, inside the PA or outside. We're going to break it down to where the ball was when it was handled, not on what part of the ball was handled.