The Misconception About Falling Over After Being Fouled

It hasn’t been a good couple of footballing weeks for the Bluefields.com CEO. Last week he was booked after a player who he fouled supposedly dived over his leg. This week he was booked for diving after a player actually fouled him (apparently, although secretly I wouldn’t be surprised if he did actually dive…Gattuso comparisons have been rife over the last week). He states he could’ve stayed on his feet, but there was no point trying because he wouldn’t have got a free-kick. In order to prevent himself getting sent off, the raging central midfielder stormed off the pitch and went straight home.

There is a problem with refereeing and players going to ground easily, and it is an important point to make that the players are not necessarily cheating.

Somehow, falling over has become the signal to referees that you have been fouled and want a free-kick from it. This has become widespread due to referees’ determination to not give a foul if the player stays on his feet, even if he loses the ball as a result of the foul.

The Problem

The problem here is that players are being consistently punished for ‘doing the honourable thing’ and staying on their feet. There is no incentive whatsoever to stay up after being fouled, so the obvious thing to do is go to ground. Nine times out of ten you will be awarded a free-kick for going to ground, I suggest you’d only get a free-kick three or four times out of ten if you stay up, and I feel I might be being generous there.

The most frustrating thing is when referees shout ‘Advantage!’ when the situation is not more advantageous than winning a free-kick at all. This is especially the case when you’re fouled in your own half and are quite likely to lose possession quickly. Surely the Advantage law should only be applied when continuing the play is more advantageous than a free-kick would be? (It would be easy to delve off topic here and talk about how non-playing referees simply can not understand the game as much as referees who play football, but I won’t.)

The Solution

So what can referees do to rid the game of such problems? Firstly, they must understand that you can be fouled and not fall over. Every week there are examples of pulling shirts, pushes and body-checks that are fouls but aren’t given. If, as a referee, you see such a foul, wait for a couple of seconds to see if playing on has been more advantageous than winning a free-kick would be, then make that decision from the team’s perspective, as you are making the decision for them. Of course, it would be impossible to get it right every single time, but giving the decision more thought will more than likely result in a better decision.

The Effects

Hopefully, a noticeable change in refereeing behaviour will result in a gradual acceptance from players that going to ground isn’t the only option. In this situation, staying up could only be beneficial, as the advantage played would be a preferable option to the free-kick.

Also, a change would require a certain patience from players, who should be willing to accept that the referee might take longer to make a definitive decision, but I’m convinced it’s better to wait a bit for a correct decision, rather than getting a potentially incorrect decision straight away.

All in all, it’s just another suggestion to slightly improve the game we love to play and watch, yet once again the onus is on those who educate referees to make such a change. Once that happens, players will be able to respond suitably, and the game will be more fun to play, and less aggravating to watch.

(Image courtesy of Alasdair Middleton)

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