Question Number: 34590

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/15/2022

RE: Adult

engin ataman of olympia, wa usa asks...

https://twitter.com/Anlikgoller36/status/1525850321058242560?s=20&t=x4QiX8CEzqBqXOtpdqfZgw

awarded penalty kick for this. What do you think?
Thank you

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi there
engin ataman
my perception saw it as a slide tackle that blocked the shot & then the attacker fell over the out stretched legs. I saw no scissoring or high rise of the legs to even accidentally trip the attacker The referee in real time on the FOP possibly saw it as a careless trip, maybe thinking the defender's legs were raised slightly instead of flat on the ground? Hard to speculate on why the referee THOUGHT he saw a DFK foul here and upgraded it to PK status?
The retake of the PK for the keeper marginally off his line was unfortunate as well. In the old days chances are that might not be retaken. One foot on the goal line allows a 3 foot step out. His little bunny hop took him foreword about 6 inches
My OPINION only, based in the angle of view and the benefit of slow motion video, a very soft PK!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Engin
Not a penalty for me. The defender has blocked the ball and the momentum of the attacker took him into the defender who was on the ground. That is not a foul and I can only assume it was for the contact and nothing else?

When looking at these incidents I always try to see what could have been the reason for the decision such as if there was a reckless element to the challenge. Looking at this I struggle to find a credible reason for a foul. While the clip is limited on the face of what is shown it does not present as a foul yet maybe there was a follow up involvement whereby the referee felt that there was something untoward in the forward going to ground?