Soccer Rules-Foul- Striking

Most acts on a soccer field are fouls only by degree, becoming fouls only if done in an unfair manner. One act that is almost always a foul, though, is the foul of ?striking??which can be the first step on the road to a fight.

If a player is struck by an opponent?s foot, we would the act ?kicking.? If done with any other part of the body, or with a rock, ball, or any other thrown object, it will be the foul of ?striking.? This foul includes any attempts to hit someone, and if done deliberately will constitute a form of misconduct. While striking can occur carelessly through ordinary contact during the run of play, the important thing that the referee will be judging is whether the contact was superficial (in which case there would be no foul since it will have no effect on play) or whether it injured or placed the opponent at a disadvantage. If done carelessly, it will warrant a direct kick; if done deliberately, it will warrant a caution or send-off, as well.

Aside from incidental contact, or careless arm motions that are part of clumsy play, many striking incidents take place in the blink of an eye and can turn a game from sportsmanlike to nasty in a heartbeat. Elbows in the face or dug into the ribs of opposing players, and blows delivered with a balled fist can all escalate into a game-ending brawl. The referee will always be looking to distinguish careless arm motions, which carry no malice, from the deliberate attempt to do violence. Deliberate violence has no place on the soccer field, and neither do those who commit it. For this reason, deliberate blows delivered during a game constitute the offense of violent conduct, which is a red-card offense, and for the good of the game these offenders are sent off the field as quickly as possible.

Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace (tm) science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.