[Football] Kicking the ball away

[andy_lee007uk]

I thought the FA had cracked down on this, this season? I distinctly remember one of our players getting booked early on in the season for this "offence" even though it was claimed at the time that they were actually kicking the ball to the correct place to take the free kick?

Over the last few weeks I've noticed numerous players in other matches (we watch a lot of football in our household, casual viewers of other teams, diehard Albion fans). That the players are kicking the ball away for opposition throw ins, free kicks, etc. and the referees do nothing?

Is it a case of the refs just can't be bothered to pick the players up on it? It wasn't seen by the on field ref (I doubt VAR would say anything), or have they been instructed to be a bit more lenient (as in if a player kicks it a few yards as opposed to blasting the ball halfway down the pitch in anger!).

 

[Milano]

What makes it worse is Howard Webb made a big thing of stressing that this clamp down wasn’t just for the first few weeks of the season…….

 

[Weststander]

The refs have given up, what a joke.

 

[BNthree]

Refs just undermining themselves by not sticking to it. Players will try to get away with whatever they can. The officials need more of a backbone

 

[Van Cleef]

I was delighted when they decided to crack down on this. It had come to the stage when at pretty much every free kick players were flicking the ball 5 yards away, standing over the ball to stop a quickie or picking the ball up running back a few yards then lobbing the ball over the head of the oppo player. It's as if the refs feel they've made their point and it's all been forgotten.

 

[pasty]

Simple rule update. When a free kick is awarded, no member of the opposing side is permitted to touch the ball whatsoever. If they do, instant yellow card. Problem eradicated within a week.

 

[Weststander]

Exactly the same as multiple players aren’t allowed to hector the ref. The numbers have reduced, but within a few feet several are at it ….. not punished.

For a long time we were the naive play by the rules fools, then there was a sea-change where Dunk got on the ref’s case. If you can’t beat them …. .

Something I think mid game, wouldn’t it be great if this ref enforced all the rules, including all the new mandatory yellow card laws. From the first second. Dishing out yellows to cheats. I’d absolutely luv it.

 

[El Turi]

Booking players for dissent and time wasting was a fad for the first couple of weeks of the season. Typical weak management by the moronic PGMOL and the incompetent Premier League officials.

 

[Sheebo]

Again, the Fulham bloke did it clearly on 90 mins last week (was it 8 or so added on so could we’ll have cost us 2 points). Ref went to book him, made the action to get the card out, realised he was already on a yellow, so bottled it. Absolutely disgraceful.

 

[Bodian]

Simple rule update. When a free kick is awarded, no member of the opposing side is permitted to touch the ball whatsoever. If they do, instant yellow card. Problem eradicated within a week.

If the refs stuck to it for a whole week that is.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

 

[GT49er]

Good heavens! If only PGMOL had an iota of common sense, this is something where VAR could be usefully implemented. Not as exciting as finding a way to disallow perfectly good goals though, so probably not for them.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

It was always going to be aload of old shit.
Similar to the crowding the ref initiative. Non - big 6 clubs will pick up a few cards, before the refs give up on it.

I remember Gross got one early on for kicking the ball away, in about the 2nd match of the season.
There was a game shortly afterwards where a Liverpool player (Diaz I think) did exactly the same thing, in the first 5 minutes. Then stood in front of the player trying to take a quick freekick about 10 minutes later. Nothing.
Same old, same old.

I think Dunk also picked one up, when he rolled the ball away, seemingly remembering half way through his action, trying to stop himself, but it was too late.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Similarly the extended extra time is more commonly enforced when a big 6 club aren't winning, than at any other time.

 

[Muzzman]

I would have been more surprised if this rule was maintained. At the beginning of the season, I think a fair majority on here predicted it would be adhered to for a couple of weeks before they fell back to their lazy officiating. So no surprise.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I would have been more surprised if this rule was maintained. At the beginning of the season, I think a fair majority on here predicted it would be adhered to for a couple of weeks before they fell back to their lazy officiating. So no surprise.

I remember this also and was staggered at the collective naivety. We've been here how many times?

 

[GT49er]

Watching out for this - and telling the on-field referee that it's happened! Now, that would be a useful function for the VAR!