Question from Venezuela - Uruguay [R implied]

[Dave216J]

Hey, a quick question from a re-watch of Venezuela-Uruguay:

Late in the game, result not really in question, Venezuela #6 is standing with the ball at his feet near the top of the box, just outside. He flips the ball up to himself and juggles it four times, then heads it back to the keeper, who catches it. Uruguay floods the ref with complaints.

The ref awards a free kick at the point of the juggling.

Can anyone explain? What call might it have been? And, if you are playing the ball with your feet, can you flip it to your own head and pass it back for keeper to use hands, or should that have been an indirect kick in the box?

Thanks!

[Ref Flunkie]

Hey, a quick question from a re-watch of Venezuela-Uruguay:

Late in the game, result not really in question, Venezuela #6 is standing with the ball at his feet near the top of the box, just outside. He flips the ball up to himself and juggles it four times, then heads it back to the keeper, who catches it. Uruguay floods the ref with complaints.

The ref awards a free kick at the point of the juggling.

Can anyone explain? What call might it have been? And, if you are playing the ball with your feet, can you flip it to your own head and pass it back for keeper to use hands, or should that have been an indirect kick in the box?

Thanks!


Did the referee issue a caution? If he did, it's an IDFK at the spot of the juggling (trickery/USB). If he did not and simply wanted to call it a passback, then IDFK at the spot of the pickup.

[blech]

Hey, a quick question from a re-watch of Venezuela-Uruguay:

Late in the game, result not really in question, Venezuela #6 is standing with the ball at his feet near the top of the box, just outside. He flips the ball up to himself and juggles it four times, then heads it back to the keeper, who catches it. Uruguay floods the ref with complaints.

The ref awards a free kick at the point of the juggling.

Can anyone explain? What call might it have been? And, if you are playing the ball with your feet, can you flip it to your own head and pass it back for keeper to use hands, or should that have been an indirect kick in the box?

Thanks!


It was an odd sequence, and a true moment of chaos in the game. I believe that he whistled for misconduct on the defender for unsporting behavior in the manner in which he played the ball with his foot, before juggling it and then ultimately heading it back to the goalie. The unsporting part is that a defender is not permitted to evade the rule against the passback to the goalie by juggling it in this manner, i.e., while a header back to your goalie is okay if it's in the regular course of play, you can't play it with your feet up to your own head (and then have your goalie use his hands).

That said, and maybe I just missed it in the melee, I never saw him issue a card to the defender, which would seem mandatory in this situation.

The other piece about this that has always been somewhat odd to me is that there is nothing that prohibits the defender from juggling it like this back to his own goalie or even just kicking it back to his own goalie - the infraction comes only if the goalie in such an instance subsequently uses his hands. If the goalie plays the ball with his feet, there is no whistle at all no matter how much juggling has occurred. That being the case, it seems like it makes more sense to award the indirect free kick from the place where the goalie picks up the ball as you would on a standard pass back that is played by the goalie with his hands (as that is the act that completes the improper play). But I believe instead in the case of this kind of USB that it actually goes back to the location of the unsporting behavior.

If it was anything else, you've got me, and again the oddest thing about it is that I don't believe he issued a card (although I'm sure someone will tell us if that's not correct).

[campton]

This was the first thing my illinois instructor taught me that i didnt know when i started reffing. Thats trickery, mandatory caution and then an IDFK from the spot at which the trickery begins.

[IASocFan]

This was the first thing my illinois instructor taught me that i didnt know when i started reffing. Thats trickery, mandatory caution and then an IDFK from the spot at which the trickery begins.

The first thing I thought when the passback rule was explain with this mandated caution is that since it's so plainly stated who would ever do that! :eek:

[Alberto]

I cannot state in more uncertain terms that it was a truly horrible game. Why the last round of group matches are taking consecutively and not concurrently is terrible. I understand that there are not that many groups, but going into the game knowing the result of the first game creates howlers like this where both teams are content to play for a tie to each advance.

[DadOf6]

The other piece about this that has always been somewhat odd to me is that there is nothing that prohibits the defender from juggling it like this back to his own goalie or even just kicking it back to his own goalie - the infraction comes only if the goalie in such an instance subsequently uses his hands. If the goalie plays the ball with his feet, there is no whistle at all no matter how much juggling has occurred. That being the case, it seems like it makes more sense to award the indirect free kick from the place where the goalie picks up the ball as you would on a standard pass back that is played by the goalie with his hands (as that is the act that completes the improper play). But I believe instead in the case of this kind of USB that it actually goes back to the location of the unsporting behavior.

Minor quibble: there is no prohibition on passing the ball back to the 'keeper, only on him handling the ball after the pass.

There is a prohibition on using trickery to get around the rule. It is called when the trickery happens and it does not depend on the 'keeper handling the ball.

Engages in trickery to circumvent the goalkeeper's limitation on handling the ball played from a teammate's foot (the defender who initiates the "trickery" is cautioned, the decision does not require the the goalkeeper actully handles the ball, and the misconduct can occur during dynamic play or at a restart).

[blech]

Minor quibble: there is no prohibition on passing the ball back to the 'keeper, only on him handling the ball after the pass.

There is a prohibition on using trickery to get around the rule. It is called when the trickery happens and it does not depend on the 'keeper handling the ball.

Wow! If you hadn't included the ATR, I never would have believed it. It sure seems like a hard call to sell if the goalie doesn't use his hands and instead plays the ball with his feet. Thanks for the good find.

[Ref Flunkie]

Wow! If you hadn't included the ATR, I never would have believed it. It sure seems like a hard call to sell if the goalie doesn't use his hands and instead plays the ball with his feet. Thanks for the good find.

I think the sell is that you would never do this for any other reason then for trickery. I tend to agree though, if the score is 5-0 or something and the guy doesn't pick up the backpass, then I probably just give the "trickster" a lecture.