Coaching Education content presented in partnership with The FA Learning

Fouls and Misconduct

The game of football is meant to bring pleasure and enjoyment to all who play it. The rules are written to ensure that play is fair and therefore have to be clear about what constitutes unfair play and how it will be discouraged through punishment.

Infringements of the rules are reprimanded firstly by awarding the restart to the opposing team, therefore reprimanding the offending team.  Sometimes, the player who committed the offence is also punished by disciplinary action. Offences are treated differently, depending on their nature, and referees must know how each offence should be treated, and what punishments it attracts.

Dou you know how each offence should be treated, without reading the rest of this article? Supporters may often think the penalty given was unfair or harsh, but some offences attract certain penalties, regardless of the way they were committed.

Direct Free Kick
There are ten offences that are considered more serious than others and are penalized by a direct free kick or a penalty kick – depending on where they are committed on the field of play.

A direct free kick can be kicked straight into the opponents’ goal, especially if within close proximity to the goal, and therefore it is a serious award, as is a penalty kick, which usually results in a goal.

The first six of the ten actions that are classed as penal offences give the referee the responsibility of judging the way the action was carried out as well as judging the action itself. 

The referee has to decide if the player was:

• Simply careless
• Reckless and taking no account of the opponent’s safety
• Performing the offence with an unnecessary amount of force and putting his opponent in danger

Whichever manner (of the three described above) the referee decides the offence was carried out in he/she will award a direct free kick or a penalty kick. The referee may, however, decide to punish the player as well as the team with some disciplinary action.

A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following six offences in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:

• Kicks or attempts to kick an opponent – remember that to attempt to kick, trip or strike an opponent is as serious as carrying it out successfully as far as the rules are concerned.
• Trips or attempt to trip an opponent – referees watch for players tripping with the body by stooping in front of, or behind, an opponent to make the player fall.
• Jumps at an opponent – Jumping for the ball is not an offence, but jumping at an opponent is – so the referee watches the action of the player to see if the player’s eyes are on the ball or watching the opponent.  Sometimes, players go in for a tackle jump at their opponent and put them at risk of serious injury from contact with their boots (cleats).
• Charges an opponent – physical contact through shoulder charges in safe areas of the body (the opponent’s shoulder area) is still allowed, but careless or reckless charges with excessive force are not permitted.
• Strikes or attempts to strike an opponent – a goalkeeper who strikes an opponent with the ball or pushes the player with it should be penalized.
• Pushes an opponent – pushing with the hands is fairly obvious and reasonably easy to spot. However players also push with their chests, hips and backs into opponents to push them away, and these are also considered offences.
• Tackles an opponent to gain possession of the ball, making contact with opponent before touching the ball – players often shout, “I got the ball ref!” but this is not the only consideration – the player must touch the ball before the opposing player, not after touching the player.
• Holds an opponent – besides shirt holding, a player can hold an opponent by:
  • Holding out his arms to hold a player off
  • Jumping with his arm over an opponent’s shoulder to keep him down
  • Using the opponent in front of him as a device to jump higher
  • Deliberately blocking an opponent to prevent him going past him to get the ball or to get into a good position (we know this as a body check)
• Spits at an opponent – this is a disgusting offence.  However, it must not be confused with players spitting on the ground.
• Handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area) -  The referee must be sure that the offence was deliberate. He must watch to see if the ball struck the hand (no offence) or the hand struck the ball (offence). Sometimes a player will put up his hands to protect his face and sometimes this is understandable self-defense. Do not expect the referee to penalize simply because the player was advantaged by the ball hitting his arm.

 If the referee is clear it was a deliberate act he may consider it unsporting behavior if it was intended to rob an opponent of an advantage, such as a defender reaching up to catch a ball that he knew his opponent was going to run on to.  Unsporting behavior is a cautionable offence.