A&H

Quick Questions

Wolfy123

New Member
1) Kicking the ball away - cautioned under what? Can it be a sin bin offence?

2) High boot, direct free kick? When do you determine its a yellow card?
 
The Referee Store
1. Did the player kick the ball away to protest your decision or to waste time? Only you can judge that. C2 for the former or C4 for the latter. If C2, then it can have sin bin.

2. High boot is only free kick if it is
A. Direct free kick: contact is made with opponent and/or it's careless or worse (under one of DFK categories likely as (attempting to) kick an opponent)
B. Indirect free kick: if no contact made and it is playing in a dangerous manner.

It is only a yellow card if it is reckless. It's a red card if it uses excessive force or it is violent. Again, only you can judge this based on definitions in law 12.

Hope this helps
 
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High boot, or “high kick” as they tend to say on this side of the pond, is one of the great prevailing myths of the game.

In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with the boot being as high in the air as the player can get it.

As @one said, it might be a kicking foul or playing in a dangerous manner—depending on other factors.

If the player makes contac, it gets pretty easy as a kicking foul, but I don’t think that’s what the OP was about. But that is generally when you are going to think about a caution.

For dangerous play, the key is whether a dangerous play is unfairly affecting an opponent—the classic example is a player backing off a header because of the high kick. But if both players are trying to kick a high ball, nothing to call (even if it is foolish for them to be trying to kick it).

I think the game is well served by referees never uttering the words “high kick” or “high boot” when calling actual offenses as it perpetuates the myths. I think we should be saying “dangerous play” and perhaps adding “your foot was in his face” to be clear what the actual offense is. (I get so tired of the yells of “high kick ref!” when there is no effect on an opponent.
 
As @socal lurker pointed out, there's nothing necessarily wrong with a 'high boot,' especially if there's nobody nearby.

If it's the classic scenario of a foot raised in proximity to an opponent (but with no contact), then you have to decide whether it meets the definition of "playing in a dangerous manner" which is an indirect free kick offence defined in law as:
any action that, while trying to play the ball, threatens injury to someone (including the player themself) and includes preventing a nearby opponent from playing the ball for fear of injury.

So if the raised foot threatened injury to someone, it's an indirect free kick - but only if there's no contact. If there's contact it has to be a direct free kick and any potential card would be judged as per the criteria in Law 12.
 
When do you determine its a yellow card?

If it is risky contact IMO. Guidelines I've been given is a mandatory caution if it's a kick to the head/face.

You'll be looking at red if it is studs into the face though, even if the contact is fairly minimal.

But that's assuming it's the traditional 'high kick' offence, I give more leeway if it's a case of the opposition player putting his head down into the ground or hip area and sometimes give it the other way in those cases.

For dangerous play, the key is whether a dangerous play is unfairly affecting an opponent—the classic example is a player backing off a header because of the high kick. But if both players are trying to kick a high ball, nothing to call (even if it is foolish for them to be trying to kick it).

I agree with this fully. Watch for players having to flinch out of going for it due to the danger and that's a very easy sell for an indirect free-kick.
 
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