Obstruction

[Emmer Green Royal]

I've always been mystified about why defenders are allowed to shepherd a ball out of play, keeping an attacker from getting to it.

In the Stevenage v Tottenham match a Stevenage attacker just stepped across a defender to stop him getting to the ball and was (quite correctly, I think) penalized.

So why is a defender allowed to obstruct an attacker, but not the other way around?

[Elmer Park]

An attacker can do the same but the situation mainly seems to occur when a defender is seeing the ball out for a goal kick.

The law is not usually enforced correctly by referees in my opinion as it states that a player may shield the ball as long as the ball is kept within playing distance and does not hold off an opponent with arms or body and you often see defenders stick out their backside or lean into the opponent thereby moving him away from the ball and holding him off with their body.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Probably my biggest gripe in football.

Its obstruction anywhere else on the pitch, so why the f*ck is it allowed when sheperding the ball out


Sometimes you see defenders so obviously block the attacker that they are about 5 feet from the ball when it runs out

[cmonurz]

Probably my biggest gripe in football.

Its obstruction anywhere else on the pitch, so why the f*ck is it allowed when sheperding the ball out

Agreed, top of my list of gripes too.

Second fwiw is that there are seemingly a 100 types of fouls that will be given almost everywhere on the pitch except the penalty area.

[soggy biscuit]

Asked a football league ref about about it and he said he hates it. It has just become what it is and he said it wasn't worth his career I'm trying to change it

[Royal With Cheese]

Asked a football league ref about about it and he said he hates it. It has just become what it is and he said it wasn't worth his career I'm trying to change it

What a feeble respnce - does not surprise me one bit.

[Ian Royal]

But it's exactly the same with diving, feigning injury, time wasting, mouthing off at the officials, pulling shirts, feigning assaults...

It's incremental and by the time anyone recognises it as a problem its too prevalent to do anything about it without ruining a season or two sending players off and banning them left right and centre. Some of this sort of thing can also be subjective and very difficult to spot or judge with any real certainty.

[moo]

Could it be classed the same when an attacking team takes it to the corner flag to defender a lead late in a game?

[Ian Royal]

Could it be classed the same when an attacking team takes it to the corner flag to defender a lead late in a game?

They're playing the ball, so it's a little different IMO.

[From Despair To Where?]

Still the reason behind John Motson's finest ever momement as a football comentator. Lee Dixon shepherds the ball out, only to be penalised for obstruction. Dixon in full view of the camera (although not picked up on audio) turns to the ref and says "What the oxf*rd was that for?", to which Motty, quick as a flash replies "I think it was obstruction, Lee".

[TBM]

Being a striker, it annoys the hell out of me when defenders do this.......then as soon as you try and get round them, they fling themselves on the floor and get a free kick

[Mr Angry]

As long as the player is deemed "in control" of the ball, he is allowed to prevent an opponent from getting to the ball. Being in control can mean that the player isn't physically touching the ball, and its generally recognised that as long as the ball is within 2 metres (6 feet) of the player, then he is in control of it.

It hacks me off as well, but there you go.

The Stevenage player wasn't in control of the ball; it had run past him and all he did was deliberatly baulk the run of the opponent; blatent obstruction.

As for the corner flag thing, I spoke to a ref and he said that they have been given instructions to blow up as soon as possible for a free kick against the team doing the time-wasting for ANY infringement spotted, as the refs association recognise that whilst in the laws of the game, its not in the spirit, and, more importantly, it can be a flashpoint that could turn nasty very quickly.

[Maguire]

As long as the player is deemed "in control" of the ball, he is allowed to prevent an opponent from getting to the ball. Being in control can mean that the player isn't physically touching the ball, and its generally recognised that as long as the ball is within 2 metres (6 feet) of the player, then he is in control of it.

I think that covers it (not sure if it's 2m, but the general point) - they're not "obstructing" the attacker if they have position between them and the ball, they're in control of it.

Doesn't bother me tbh, worse things in football

[Tony Le Mesmer]

But it's exactly the same with diving, feigning injury, time wasting, mouthing off at the officials, pulling shirts, feigning assaults...

It's incremental and by the time anyone recognises it as a problem its too prevalent to do anything about it without ruining a season or two sending players off and banning them left right and centre. Some of this sort of thing can also be subjective and very difficult to spot or judge with any real certainty.

Yep, all annoying things we'd rather see out of the game.

But what happended on Friday night when Noel Hunt was booked for blatently kicking the ball away after the whistle had gone to waste time? Chants of "You dont know what you're doing"

[Hoop Blah]

But it's exactly the same with diving, feigning injury, time wasting, mouthing off at the officials, pulling shirts, feigning assaults...

It's incremental and by the time anyone recognises it as a problem its too prevalent to do anything about it without ruining a season or two sending players off and banning them left right and centre. Some of this sort of thing can also be subjective and very difficult to spot or judge with any real certainty.

Yep, all annoying things we'd rather see out of the game.

But what happended on Friday night when Noel Hunt was booked for blatently kicking the ball away after the whistle had gone to waste time? Chants of "You dont know what you're doing"

I'd guess that most of those chanting were doing so because when their player did the same thing in the first half he didn't get booked.

[ZacNaloen]

^ What hoop said.

I was annoyed at the inconsistency nothing more.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Have to admit i dont recall the other playing doing it. Still, I bet if a Reading defender got pulled up for Obstruction like that, the Ref would get abuse for it. In fact, almost every game I go to I see the Ref getting abuse for nothing more than applying the laws of the game.

[TBM]

But it's exactly the same with diving, feigning injury, time wasting, mouthing off at the officials, pulling shirts, feigning assaults...

It's incremental and by the time anyone recognises it as a problem its too prevalent to do anything about it without ruining a season or two sending players off and banning them left right and centre. Some of this sort of thing can also be subjective and very difficult to spot or judge with any real certainty.

Yep, all annoying things we'd rather see out of the game.

But what happended on Friday night when Noel Hunt was booked for blatently kicking the ball away after the whistle had gone to waste time? Chants of "You dont know what you're doing"

I'd guess that most of those chanting were doing so because when their player did the same thing in the first half he didn't get booked.

I thought that but then tbf it was only his own time he was wasting.......Hunt did it when we were 1-0 up

[Hoop Blah]

Agreed TBM, it is a supposed mandatory booking for kicking the ball away these days though (although I think it's actually only if it's for dissent but that's not what we're told by the experts).

I actually think the ref got it right. At the time I thought Rodriguez was probably just about already into his stride and shooting when the whistle went. Hunts was a bit more obvious and we were obviously defending a 1-0 lead which is always going to mean the Ref's on the lookout for time wasting.

[PieEater]

[

But what happended on Friday night when Noel Hunt was booked for blatently kicking the ball away after the whistle had gone to waste time? Chants of "You dont know what you're doing"

I thought it was the irony of not actually being offside until he touches the ball even though he was clearly in an offside position (after the new "Hull" interpretation of the offside rule), when he touches it and becomes offside he's booked for timewasting.