On Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:36:31 -0500, Chris Mohr <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>Just as the white striker started his shot motion, the black player put his
>arm on the back of the white player's left shoulder, IMHO in a desperate
>attempt to gain just enough balance to attempt to swing his legs in front
of
>the shot without crashing into the white player with his body or legs. The
>white player did get off the shot, the black player missed crashing into
the
>white player HOWEVER at the cost of exerting just enough leverage into the
>white player's shoulder to spin him just a bit and affect the accuracy and
>power of his shot, which went harmlessly directly to the GK.
>
>But back to the issue of the proper threshhold standard for fouls in the
>PA - do you think I have it right, or does it sound (without holding you to
>a YHTBT standard) like this is something you might have let go yourself? I
>think I made the right call, but I'd like to hear what y'all think.
>
My view is that all offenses should meet the same standards, irrepsective
of their location, so if this is something you would call in the PA, you
should also call it at midfield, and in the opponent's end. This said,
however, your post raises two other questions: First, was there an offense
at all, and, second, did it rise to the level of a penal foul?
In my reading of the Laws, I find no rule about placing a hand on an
opponent's shoulder. What I do find is that if a player strikes or pushes
an opponent in a manner which I deem to to careless, reckless or with undue
force, or holds an opponent, and, such an act disadvantages an opponent (is
unfair), then a foul has been committed and I must stop play and restart to
restore the fairness to the game.
Based upon this understanding, it is not the push or strike which is the
offense, but the manner in which the push or strike occured. Therefore, in
your example, if you judged the hand on the shoulder to be a hold, and the
hold disadvantaged the attacker, then the PK was the appropriate restart.
If you judged the hand on the shoulder to be striking or holding, and not
at least careless, then it was nothing, just part of the game, and no
reason to restart because, irrespective of the result, foul had occurred.
Finally, if you felt that the defender pushed or struck the attacker
carelessly, and the attacker was disadvantaged as a result of the careless
act, then signal the foul.
I am a little curious, since you allowed the shot as to whether you
initially signalled advantage play on, or whether it was just a slow
whistle to judge the outcome. Using APO to indicated the foul early might
have made it easier to sell the call.
Just some thoughts on the coldest day of the year so far.
