A few plays I have a question about I would like to get an opinion from refs here. 1 - Player gains ball by sticking his foot out and making contact with opposing team's player who is taking a swing at the ball. Foul ? 2 - 14:05 - 14:20. Not interested much in the arm action, more on the left leg of the defender that comes from high behind the player and down on his thigh. PK ? 3 - Ball deflected by arm, ends up in GKs possession who quickly starts a counter which results in a goal. Should VAR go back that far to look for an irregularity in the build up of the play ?
OK... I'll play. 1. Not a foul. A foul is careless... I don't see the play by blue as being careless -he got the ball and was kicked by white who goes down. The fact that white kicks blue's foot isn't blue's fault. 2. Penalty? Is it in the box? Foul? I don't think so. 3. Your question was whether VAR should go all the way back to that ball/hand contact... I would say I hope not. As you say, the keeper gets the ball, and plays it out. Green plays through white, both forward and backward, and eventually scores. VAR looks at the attacking phase of play. Not sure where it begins in the fast forwarded part, but it's after the keeper releases the ball into play. But, the other thing to consider is that I doubt there are many that would call that a hand ball.
Even as it's an accidental handball, the goal scoring opportunity isn't created for a while, so that rationale doesn't really apply either.
I was thinking about that, but want sure how to approach it. If an accidental handball changes possession and creates a goal scoring opportunity, it would begin the attacking phase of play, wouldn't it? So, I thought that was part of the question of how far back VAR should go.
I agree in general. But the attacking player doesn't actually touch the ball. The player kicking the ball kicks the foot and then hits the ball. I've seen these fouls been given in the past if the player kicking the ball has complete control of the all and is about to take a shot. Half of his body is in the box. His left half which gets hit by the leg from the defender coming down on his thigh. Yes, the attacking play begins right after the deflected cross. For me the hand ball is not really part of the attacking play. It would be a loose definition of gaining advantage from a handball here. But it's a handball for me as the player jumps in air a moves his arm ... even if it's accidental.
1) Is this not a trip? Sticking your foot in the path of the opponent causing him to stumble? Green does not get the ball, nor is his foot 'already there'. Looks like a foul to me. 2) Ignoring the arm action, which I find hard -- once the reach-around leg gets the ball, there is going to be some leeway on the contact coming down. Leaving out the arm action, which I find very hard, no foul for me. (Including the arm action, I see this as a foul and a PK.)