The Ref Stop

Mike Jones--Arsenal vs. Leicester

S

SLI39

Well-Known Member
I went to the match this evening and Jones had an interesting decision to make with minutes to go following Arsenal's goal. Not sure he got it entirely right, but I'm seeking confirmation.

Fuchs had a throw-in deep into Arsenal territory. Sanchez wouldn't retreat the required two yards (most fans/players unaware of this) and was trying to distract the Leicester player. The referee didn't book him initially, but gestured for him to move away. Sanchez didn't comply, and Fuchs ended up throwing the ball at him in frustration. It went out of play off Sanchez. I know it's legitimate to throw against an opponent with the hope of getting it back, but this seemed to stray into recklessness.
Also, after the referee had come over with Sanchez down and coaches irate, Jones cautioned the Chilean and awarded an indirect free kick to Leicester.
Assuming Fuchs' throw was not aggressive in nature, should this not have been a retaken throw, as it was not completed properly?
 
The Ref Stop
No idfk was correct according to lotg

An opponent who unfairly distracts or impedes the thrower (including moving closer than 2m (2yds) to the place where the throw-in is to be taken) is cautioned for unsporting behaviour and if the throw-in has been taken an indirect free kick is awarded.
 
Fair enough, thanks. Something to revise for next season. Didn't realise it was different for throw-ins, but I suppose for direct free-kicks and corners it is a disadvantage to have an indirect free kick instead.
 
What drove me nuts in this one was the commentator after 13 mins saying something like "he's in an offside position so it can't be a foul".

Ball is in the air. Player in an offside position is pushed over in the box well before the ball arrives. The attacker never has the chance to become active as he is on the ground as the ball sails over. Common sense, old laws, and the commentator say offside... but it's a pen! Impossible sell of course...
 
Yes, that was annoying. Looked like Sanchez had been pushed well before he became active. After all, Jon Moss awarded Arsenal a penalty against Burnley earlier this season by that logic.

Funny also that IFAB decided this season to clarify law 15.2. Mike Jones and his team will at least sleep well tonight, knowing they applied an amendment correctly in an obscure case.
 
With the throw, the near side AR should have been screaming down the mic (or flag straight up would be one option, but the AR could also jiggle the flag and call the foul on Sanchez for being less than 2m) to get the ref to come and manage Sanchez before it gets out of hand.

The AR can't leave the second last defender line in case the throw is taken, so the AR can't come up the pitch to manage it himself, but he has to alert the referee in this case. Already, as soon as Sanchez has been there a couple of seconds the AR could flag this... the more I think about it, the more I think this is on the AR to support the referee one way or the other.

The learning for me, if I was an AR close to this, with a good view of the <2m distance, is to be proactive before it gets out of hand.

Anyone want to give Sanchez a second yellow for feigning injury?


EDIT: sensible stuff from one national rag beginning with G:
"As Christian Fuchs prepared to take a throw‑in, Sánchez infringed closer than the laws of the game allow to try to block the ball being launched into the danger zone. After a couple of false attempts, Fuchs hurled the ball at Sánchez’s shoulder and after a momentary pause the Arsenal attacker fell holding his face. He was booked.

Shakespeare did not wish to make too fine a point of it and Wenger was phlegmatic after the event, explaining: “I think he didn’t know he had to be further away. The referee didn’t tell him, so he thought he was in the right position. After that he got a yellow card because he didn’t respect the rules. On top of that Fuchs was lucky not to get a yellow card because he threw the ball at him on purpose.”"

Arsene right to point out that a YC also for Fuchs would not have been out of the question... if so, what's your restart... ? Is the ball a recklessly thrown object at this point so DFK? Or...?
 
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Padfoot said:
Red card for VC, DFK to Arsenal.
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i completely agree, it's clearly intentional from fuchs, he changes the trajectory of the throw just to hit him as hard as he can

the reaction from sanchez isn't helpful but still a clear act of VC for me.

ref could / should have got involved earlier to prevent this situation from occurring by making sanchez move back and then cautioning him if he didnt
 
I think this is a major balls-up by the referee on two counts to be honest. It's obvious from the first aborted attempt that Sanchez is trying to slow things down - given the context of the match and Leicester needing to score in the next 2 mins for a draw, he should have been straight over there with a YC for delaying the restart.

Having failed to apply preventative refereeing, he's given Fuchs the opportunity to carry out VC and I think regardless of the fact that Sanchez has clearly simulated an injury (2nd yellow in one incident?), he's obliged to send Fuchs off at that point?

All very avoidable if he'd just managed the situation properly in the first place.
 
es1 said:
i completely agree, it's clearly intentional from fuchs, he changes the trajectory of the throw just to hit him as hard as he can

the reaction from sanchez isn't helpful but still a clear act of VC for me.

ref could / should have got involved earlier to prevent this situation from occurring by making sanchez move back and then cautioning him if he didnt
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GraemeS said:
I think this is a major balls-up by the referee on two counts to be honest. It's obvious from the first aborted attempt that Sanchez is trying to slow things down - given the context of the match and Leicester needing to score in the next 2 mins for a draw, he should have been straight over there with a YC for delaying the restart.

Having failed to apply preventative refereeing, he's given Fuchs the opportunity to carry out VC and I think regardless of the fact that Sanchez has clearly simulated an injury (2nd yellow in one incident?), he's obliged to send Fuchs off at that point?

All very avoidable if he'd just managed the situation properly in the first place.
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This is what has saved Fuchs.....Jones has a horrible realisation that he hasn't done anything to prevent the situation, so clearly decides to try and bluff his way out of it by ignoring the VC and cautioning Sanchez.

Would be very interested to know what the observer thought of it, although I fully expect they will just cover it up/ignore it.
 
I don't agree it's VC but I do think it's a caution for USB. As GraemeS says, the ref should have been over much more quickly with a caution for Sanchez. If he was cautioned for delaying the restart he might think himself lucky he didn't get another for simulation. That was embarrassing.

(I'm an Arsenal fan.)
 
So much ignorance in the stands, added to the tension of the moment, made this one of the most entertaining bits of an excellent display of the Leicester rearguard (nearly).

In the end, I must say Jones didn't err in applying 15.2--C1, IDFK. However, by not taking preventative action (immediate C4/5), which could have saved him a lot of hassle and the trouble of working out whether Fuchs used excessive force (not enough for me), he didn't give an altogether brilliant impression of control.

Agree in general that this linesman was a bit passive all match in instances where he should have been able to help the referee.
 
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Trip said:
I don't agree it's VC but I do think it's a caution for USB. As GraemeS says, the ref should have been over much more quickly with a caution for Sanchez. If he was cautioned for delaying the restart he might think himself lucky he didn't get another for simulation. That was embarrassing.

(I'm an Arsenal fan.)
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There's a fairly strong precedent for deliberately attempting to hit another player or official with the ball being considered as violent conduct. I don't think "excessive force" considerations apply here - if you think about it, what level of force is considered non-excessive when attempting to use an object to hurt someone else?
 
No way is that VC. He's thrown a football at him, and using a legal throw, and Sanchez should be charged for his reaction (just as Rivaldo was at a World Cup).

That said, it was terrible refereeing to let it get that far. You could see it coming a mile off and it could have easily been managed before it escalated.
 
To respond to Graeme S, you may have a point. The only difficulty with that interpretation is that the laws expressly permit a deliberate throw against a player (and I presume officials, as they are blades of grass??), provided it does not stray into VC. Deciding what constitutes VC here and where to draw the line are difficult, though; all I can say is that I would be looking for more force than Fuchs used. The fact that he more than likely did this in frustration probably shouldn't sway the decision, especially as Sanchez's offence came first.

As for why Mike Jones wasn't proactive here, I sense he didn't want to reach for a card and perhaps disrupt Leicester's momentum for an equaliser.
 
SLI39 said:
The only difficulty with that interpretation is that the laws expressly permit a deliberate throw against a player (and I presume officials, as they are blades of grass??), provided it does not stray into VC.
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To be more precise, as long as the referee does not deem it careless, reckless, or excessive force.

For me, the throw falls between careless and reckless. At a minimum, a strong word is required.
 
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