A&H

Foul or no foul?

G

Gary Milton

Member
Level 7 Referee
Hi All - just a quick query I would like advice on from yesterdays game... is it a foul or no foul?

Blue has the ball dribbling into a bit of space, coming up to the halfway line, plenty of red defenders about 10 yards in front of him, red running from behind/to the side closing him down. Blue kicks the ball 3 yards in front of himself, looks back and shoulder barges the red over and continues to the ball and onwards.

Now i didn't give a foul, really just seeing it as blue being a little stronger than the red to keep the ball, but was i correct?

The coaches on the other other hand couldn't believe it as he "Looked over his shoulder first" and "Deliberately barged the red" etc etc.
Opinions?

Ta Gary
 
The Referee Store
Hello Gary,

Every player has a right to their position on the field of play. From what I've read it sounds like a foul on the red player but I think you have to be there to call it accurately :)
 
I think it's the three yards that makes the difference here. If he knocks the ball far enough away not to be able to play it then he can't really use his shoulder. It sounds similar to when a player knocks the ball past an opponent and then pulls them back whilst going for it - generally we think of the person who isn't in possession being the offender - but it's not always the case.
 
Many thanks for your responses. I think I agree with you both to be honest, I think that on reflection he hasn't any intention of playing the ball, and completely goes for the man, with your example of pulling back making complete sense and does resinate with this incident. Ah well, learning experiences!

Gary
 
Which defender was it, and where was the defender at the time?
If this was the defender to the side, then if he's made a deliberate step across this is an off-the-ball challenge (even if the ball is in possession this still sounds like a foul), and a charging foul
 
Two things I always use in these circumstances. Proximity to ball and whether it's actually shoulder to shoulder. If a player has no chance of getting ball for example then it's a foul or if it's not on the shoulder it's a foul
 
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