Question Number: 30298

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/16/2016

RE: Rec Under 13

Kraig Hanson of Eden, UT USA asks...

I can't seem to make sense of the written laws on pushing/holding vs what is really called. For pushing/holding to be penal, it must be careless, reckless, or using excessive force. Reckless or excessive force involve disregarding danger or danger. Careless shows 'lack of attention or consideration.'

So why can't a player deliberately and with minimal, safe force, push another player away and then stiff arm that player away? It's not careless, and certainly not reckless or excessive -- it's just enough force to move and keep the player away.

Related, I see in several answers here about charging that as long as the arms are down, shoulder to shoulder is OK if it stays below careless/reckless/excessive. But if the arms come up, it's a push/strike/hold penalty. Why is this push/strike/hold immediately viewed as penal instead of being subject to the careless/reckless/excessive criteria like the charge?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Kraig
In the game of soccer the use of the arms / hands is unacceptable. A referee might tolerate a raised arm as part of a innocent fend off / protection from a charge in a play static situation yet at all other times a push, hold will result in a foul being called.
That is just part of the game. The game is about using the feet to play the ball and that the upper body when used will not involve the use of the arms / hands.
Now with any set of law how it is written is only one part of the process. Interpretation and advice including tacit knowledge is also critical. In the case of holding there is no need for that offence to careless as that us not in that section of the law. If a player is held that is a foul as stated in Law 12.
In pushing the referee is given a little discretion in that he can determine that the push is not careless, having limited if any effect on a player. That is then not a foul. The law does not mention the amount of force so that is up to the referee to determine. Most pushes that are called have been seen by the referee as affecting the player by physically moving him off balance or away from the ball.
Now this is not just the referees view of the game. Players, coaches etc expect that when a player uses his arm/s to push a player that a foul should be called. If I had a dollar for every time I heard in the back or arms ref I would have a nice tidy little sum. Many times they are given whereas others I see the contact as trifling and no need to call the foul.