Royals fans will have read recently of the complaint by their Australian goalkeeper, Adam Federici, who felt he has not received sufficient protection from referees against opponents trying to stop what he claims is his unique clearance kick. This was brought to a head in Reading’s home game with Preston North End, when their striker, Stephen Elliott, deliberately obstructed Federici as he was about to launch the ball upfield. Although referee, Mike Jones, gave a free kick to Reading, Federici felt that wasn’t enough. He believed Elliott should have been cautioned.
Apparently the Reading coaching staff questioned the referee after the game, asking why no yellow card was shown. The referee’s reported reply was that he had warned the player that if he did it again he would be cautioned. Federici told the
Post, ‘I don’t know what the rule is but I don’t think you get one chance, but it might be just what the referee said.’
There are three questions posed here. Firstly, is it an offence to stop a goalkeeper releasing the ball, secondly is it a cautionable offence and thirdly is a referee within his rights to issue a warning instead of a yellow card?
Law 12 says quite clearly that ‘a referee will award an indirect free kick if, in the opinion of the referee, a player prevents the goalkeeper releasing the ball from his hands’. This law was introduced the season after the six second rule for goalkeepers was brought in. Because it became an offence for the goalkeeper to retain possession of the ball in his hands for more than six seconds, coaches told their players to stand in front of the goalkeeper to stop his release of the ball and hopefully gain a free kick.
The International FA Board then brought this change in as a restriction of this tactic. The definition of
'prevents' is taken to be ‘crowds’, ‘hinders’ or ‘restricts’. The guidance for referees also says that a player must be penalised if he attempts to kick the ball when the goalkeeper is in the process of releasing the ball. This includes if the goalkeeper has actually released the ball from his hands in order to kick it. The goalkeeper has to be allowed to kick it and even then, if a player tries to block the kick, this is taken as dangerous play and again an indirect free kick is awarded.
It is quite clear then that Federici was fouled and the referee acted accordingly, but should a caution have followed? Nowhere under
'cautionable offences' is this listed. I remember, however, watching a game at the Madejski Stadium when Reading were in the Premier League, where a player was cautioned for a somewhat similar offence.
Reading were a goal in front and the opposing goalkeeper came up for a corner with a few minutes left on the clock. However, the ball was caught by Reading ‘keeper, Marcus Hahnemann, who went to throw the ball to a Reading player well up the field, who would have had a virtually free run towards the opponents' unattended goal. As Hahnemann went to release the ball his opposite number, still in the Reading penalty area, put his arm up knocking the ball out of Hahnemann’s hands. The referee showed a yellow card to the opposing ‘keeper. The difference was that by his action he had prevented a promising attack which is listed as a cautionable offence. Federici claims that his kick is special and could also have set up an attack but that is slightly more speculative, and had the referee decided to show a yellow card, it would have been for unsporting behaviour.
Nowhere are warnings mentioned in the Laws of the Game but the referee can use his discretion as part of his management of the game as he did in this instance.
Dick Sawdon Smith
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© R Sawdon Smith 2009