football commentators - "contact"

[superfrank]

we are forever hearing football commentators talk about whether there is "contact" in reference to free-kick and penalty decisions.

football is a contact sport and i find this pretty bl00dy annoying because whether there is contact or not has nothing to do with whether a foul has been committed or not according to the laws of the game.

Foul (association football)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foul_%28as ... ootball%29

Direct free kick offences

A direct free kick offence occurs when a player commits any of the following in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:

Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
Tripping or attempting to trip an opponent
Jumping at an opponent
Charging an opponent
Striking or attempting to strike an opponent
Pushing an opponent
Tackling an opponent

Or commits (one of) the following offences:

Holding an opponent
Spitting at an opponent
Handling the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area).

In determining whether a player deliberately (direct free kick), or accidentally (no offence) handled the ball, the referee has several different considerations- whether the arm moved towards the ball, how long the player had to react, whether the player had his eyes on the ball and whether the players arm is in a "natural" or an "unnatural" position.

If a direct free kick offence occurs within a team's own penalty area it becomes punishable by a penalty kick, irrespective of the position of the ball, provided the ball was in play.

[pdupre1961]

So, your NOT allowed to tackle the opponent in the penalty area then.

[superfrank]

So, your NOT allowed to tackle the opponent in the penalty area then.

in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force

football is the beautiful game, and the world game, because it is essentially a very simple game with a very simple set of rules.

rugby union is a poor game (imho!) because it requires a lot of complicated rules that few really understand.

[Dublin_Flyer]

rugby union is a poor game (imho!) because it requires a lot of complicated rules that few really understand.

"knock on by the blue team so play is brought back but the first knock on was by the red team so scrum to reds while the ref talks to his touch judge about hands in the ruck"

Perfectly simple!