Question Number: 15484

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/15/2007

RE: Youth Under 18

George of Albany, NY USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 15449

I'd like to follow up on one element of #15449. You say "Studs up tackles with legs locked and jump in style tactics can be direct red even if missed, they could be cautionable as reckless and even careless as PIADM or attempt to trip or kick."

I have seen players initiate slide tackles from behind or nearly behind, and not make contact with ball or opponent. It's been hard to judge whether these were aborted tackles or just lucky misses. Up to now I have given verbal warnings that if contact had been made, red card, team plays down, 1 game suspension, etc. However your comment suggests that, for the lucky misses, a yellow for reckless attempting to trip is warranted.

How do you handle this situation? What foul recognition skills should I use to distinguish a pull-up from a lucky miss, and does it matter?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If studs are up and from behind, FIFA exhorts us by saying "Decision 4
A tackle, which endangers the safety of an opponent, must be sanctioned as serious foul play." What part of studs up from behind is NOT endangering an opponent? So, you're well grounded in Law for a send-off even if it's a miss. Same as if someone throws a ball or a punch and misses. Likewise, if, in your opinion, a send-off is not warranted, the Law backs you up in a caution, a DFK, an IFK, or a verbal warning. Me, studs up from behind, they're gone no question.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi George,
The excessiveness is actually related to the speed and conditions as well as reading to some degree the intent of the miscreant who by action and deed is endeavoring to get himself removed from the game.

A swing and a miss as in a strike (punch to the head or a two footed stud lunge with murderous intent is to be sure not a common occurrence but both equally violent play!
Ill timed, as well as poorly performed tackles can and do miss, however, as to what degree of reckless or careless or even excessive lies totally with how you as referee view the action!

When you understand that ITOOTR (in the opinion of the referee) weighs in as the primary consideration for how one COULD proceed. As I mentioned there are options available to the degree of what the game requires and the players expect. You need to seriously consider the safety of the players as your primary concern but it is important to feel the game and read the reactions of the players.

There is a misconception that if we execute a tackle and the opponent was severely injured there must be a foul or a card of some sort to compensate. Just as equally mythical if there is no contact and no injury then to see a card or a foul is not necessary.

I have seen players go out under a perfectly good tackle and simply be outweighed or out classed by the opponent. Landing wrong, poor weight distribution, off balance or jumping into a follow through one can wind up broken limbs or a head injury, while tragic, not a foul in any way!

You need to also recall that penal fouls include, attempt to kick, attempt to strike, attempt to trip involve NO contact just as PIADM or impeding have no contact
The penal fouls of
Jumps AT an opponent
Charges an opponent
again do not require actual contact to be considered as reckless or excessive
Just because the attempt fails does not alleviate the misconduct of the act itself.

I sent off a player with a busted nose from a two footed jump in head on at nearly full speed where the diving player as he was trying to avoid the challenge drove a knee into that foolish players?s nose. In point of fact he was fortunate not to have been killed as the knee drove the nose up and into his face.

However as bad as we might feel for the broken nose player that tackle if it HAD contacted the legs of the opponent, he could very well had broken or busted legs or ankles in a career ending injury. The fact the player missed and hurt himself was of course fitting justice of sorts but that tackle was plain stupid, extremely dangerous, totally unnecessary and most important in MY opinion, excessive and violent!

Yes we can yell and rip a strip for a challenge that fails to do as it was intended but consider the game as a whole and the incident in context of previous conduct. Weigh carefully the reactions and the evidence your eyes and gut are telling you. Look at the playing conditions, on a wet slippery day the amount of control for going to ground is by far riskier than on a hot dry one. If the player is making it plain he was out to get that player or if he realizes, crap this is a bad idea? Watch the body language, in particular the eyes and their focus also arm and leg movement if he is bailing he will be trying to dig in and seeking to lower the limbs because he knows this is a bad idea. If he is lining up his prey, watch the body stiffen and legs raised into the body as opposed to along the ground.. Of course where is the ball? On the opposite side of the player meaning I am going through to get there or a realistic opportunity to knock it away?

Is the collision averted because of the miscreant trying to stop himself or the player with eyes in the back of his head 6th senses to jump out of the way? Is the player apologetic and contrite or mad and defiant? In any decision a referee undertakes, to sell it one must believe it is necessary to the well being of the game. Whether you rip a strip and let play continue or stop play with indfk or dfk as the restart and or caution or even send off believe in why you need to do so. Was it a nice clean game and this was a simply a poor decision or has this been festering and a cumulating of retaliation and cheap shots?

I personally feel going to ground is a last ditch effort by a beaten defender more often than not and reckless is often a major component. Tackels from behind at speed and going through are more often too dangerous to allow unsanctioned even if the recieving player manages to avoid major harm. I despise a forward two footed lunge even if the ball is won clean because it is so easy to follow through and injure UNLESS the opponent jumps out of the way." I got the ball ref!" in my opinion means NOTHING in these cases.

In fact I have hit the whistle on tackles that I SAW as red even before the actual contact occurs. On one occasion as I watched in horror at the launch and feet aimed knee high from about three yards away at full speed I was blowing so hard on the whistle even the players on the next field stopped! The player was creamed and injured. I literally wrapped the idiot who did the challenge in my arms and physically removed him to prevent a massive brawl as it was clear to me this incident went beyond normal conditions. Not a recommended tactic by the way to grab a player, this was a beating he likely deserved but I could not allow as the match would likely descend into further chaos.

That player who received the red card was banned from playing in that league as a result of that incident. He took out the knee of the opposing player and that player never returned to play again. I wish I could have stopped that tackle but a player is responsible for his conduct no matter what provication he feels. There is no rationalization for an attempt to inflict harm on another in a soccer match.
Cheers