Question Number: 34055

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 11/17/2020

RE: Under 16

Doug of Folsom, CA US asks...

This question is a follow up to question 34046

"Hip Check"? - On the first foul here at 5 min (https://youtu.be/yOy0UuZP6SY?t=298) w replay about 6:45, isn't this a hip check, not shoulder to shoulder? It was also a trip after the hip check, which may be the more important foul.
I saw a referee penalize hip instead of shoulder contact many years ago, and give a verbal warning about it, followed by a caution the next time (perhaps PI), but I do not see it penalized often.
Is the initial hip to hip contact with any momentum an unfair challenge by definition?
Thanks as always. /Doug

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Doug
as a panel we commented on this incident earlier Question 34046 but call it what you will, it was a foul and a caution yellow card with a PK restart in my opinion would be a correct response.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Doug
This we opined was not a fair challenge for the ball and from our angle of view which is the camera view it was a penalty kick and a caution.
I am not sure why the referee did not give it unless he felt it was a legal charge which it wasn’t or that the ball was played. A hip check is not a legal charge which involves a challenge for space using the shoulder against an opponent’s shoulder. Sometimes a player uses the full side of his body against an opponents side and that is fine. This was a lunge for the ball with a leg followed by a trip in what is a tackle. If the ball was played it should have been a corner kick. Looking at the defenders reactions they fully expected this to be a penalty kick!
I could see that if a corner kick was awarded that the referee viewed it as a challenge which played the ball and then a coming together but that is not what happened. The AR signals for a goal kick so he sees no contact on the ball.
Later in the video there is a penalty awarded for what in my opinion was not a foul yet it was the defender playing the ball with his left foot and then a coming together. As the referee saw that as a foul then the first challenge was most certainly a foul.
Anyway the referee made the calls and as my good colleague Referee Dawson says His Game, his Call, his Reputation. I would like to have heard his lengthy explanation to the coach!