Disallowed Goal From a Passback Violation

Striking is not defined in the Laws of the Game.  Referees must therefore apply commonly accepted usage and common sense in identifying the actions which would properly be called striking.  As a foul, striking consists of a player making (or attempting to make):

• direct contact with an opponent;
• on the field during play;
• using a hand, elbow, arm, head, or knee;

or by throwing any object at an opponent (including the ball).  Underlying the concept is the notion that the action involves at least some degree of force — merely touching an opponent would clearly not be seen as a striking foul.  There should be no hesitation in whistling the offense and indicating the correct restart (direct free kick or penalty kick) — according to the IFAB, advantage is not applied to such behavior unless there is a clear, immediate possibility of a goal.

If the referee’s decision is that a striking foul has occurred, the assumption should be that a red card should be shown and the player should be sent off (violent conduct).  A red card must be given when the striking is performed:

• using the backhand, open-handed slap, fist, or poking fingers; or
• in a manner intended to increase pain, injury, or humiliation.

Particular attention must be paid to striking the head, face, or other vulnerable parts of the body (e.g., the eyes).  Grabbing the hair of the opponent could be considered striking or holding but, in either case, would be evaluated using the above criteria.  If the contact does not involve force and would thus not be considered a foul, the referee must still consider the likelihood of misconduct punishable by a red card if it is performed in an insulting, offensive, or derisory manner designed to provoke, intimidate, or humiliate the opponent (the card would not be reported as violent conduct but as insulting or offensive language, which includes gestures).

Prior to play restarting following the display of a card, the referee can revise his decision about what he observed on the field, re-evaluate the significance of the player action, or receive additional relevant information from another official (either or both  assistant referees or the fourth official).  As a result of this further reflection or assistance from other members of the officiating team, the referee can:

•  rescind the card entirely,
•  decide that the card should be given to a different player,
•  display a card to additional players,
•  or display a different color card in place of the one originally shown.

As a practical matter, it must be emphasized that the occasion for such an action should be infrequent, that the need to rescind a card is reduced by having as much information as possible before displaying a card, and that referees should not be seen as acting in response to player appeals.  If play has been properly restarted, any cards shown must be reported.

In this example, the offense must be properly understood in the following terms:
• The ball was clearly kicked by a Toronto defender
• The ball was neither deflected nor accidentally misdirected — that is, the pass was deliberate
• It is irrelevant that the pass was arguably not to the goalkeeper
• The goalkeeper clearly handled the ball directly from the kick by his teammate
• Instead of playing the ball in some other way, the goalkeeper chose to handle it, thus removing the ball from active challenge by the Columbus attacker

Referees must be alert to the possibility of even uncommon offenses such as this.
The requirements of the “iron triangle” (played by the teammate’s foot, deliberate action,
goalkeeper directly handling) were met and the violation should have been called.

http://www.ussoccer-data.com/docfile/OffsideOnCornerKick.htm

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/Allowance_for_Time_Lost_Position_Paper.pdf

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/AdvantageAndThePenaltyArea.pdf

Although all aspects of the referee’s match report must meet high standards of clarity, accuracy, brevity, and pertinence, those sections involving misconduct require special attention, and reporting on acts of misconduct leading to a send off merit the highest concern.

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/MatchReportsAndDiscipline.PDF

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/ObjectsOnField1.pdf

Despite these understandable concerns and good intentions, U.S. Soccer cannot approve the use of padding on goalposts or crossbars in affiliated matches

http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/Padded%20Goal%20Structures%20_2_.pdf