Rugby tackles!

[Leicesterbaggie]

When are referees going to penalise holding and pulling players down in the penalty area. Match after match players are rugby tackled to the ground and nothing is given. Outside of the penalty area the most innocuous tackles are punished. It could easily be eradicated if referees had the courage to penalise players. They would soon get the message and stop doing it. It is getting to the stage where a free kick or a corner into the penalty area looks like a rugby scrum.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

When are referees going to penalise holding and pulling players down in the penalty area. Match after match players are rugby tackled to the ground and nothing is given. Outside of the penalty area the most innocuous tackles are punished. It could easily be eradicated if referees had the courage to penalise players. They would soon get the message and stop doing it. It is getting to the stage where a free kick or a corner into the penalty area looks like a rugby scrum.

Agreed! More penalties for this and less for hand ball.

[Dubbag]

Got confused for a moment, as I thought it was a rugby question...but get it now. It is the sheer inconsistency of it all. I would imagine because of that, that players take advantage of it by pulling and dragging out of an opponent. Even allowing for poor decisions by refs, the rules themselves seem to be interpreted differently by each ref, with no help what so ever from linesmen.

[Prando]

I am sure the majority of supporters are in favour of referees dealing and penalising players for the behaviour outlined.
I am uncertain as to what rule the referee could use ? In the older days, he was precluded from awarding a foul as the ball was not in play?
Is that still the case I wonder ? Maybe along the same lines as sending the team manager/coaches off the pitch ?

[Q165]

When are referees going to penalise holding and pulling players down in the penalty area. Match after match players are rugby tackled to the ground and nothing is given. Outside of the penalty area the most innocuous tackles are punished. It could easily be eradicated if referees had the courage to penalise players. They would soon get the message and stop doing it. It is getting to the stage where a free kick or a corner into the penalty area looks like a rugby scrum.

Here, here. Have always been so irritated by it and it suddenly seems to have got much worse.

[Omegstrat6]

Totally agree Leics! Lots of stuff I don't get -made all the worse by the inconsistency of refereeing. Of course, football is a "physical"/ "contact" sport but surely that should still preclude things like shirt pulling (Grant was a victim of quite a bit of this on Saturday which went un-noticed or ignored by the ref) or holding onto players (which now seems to be the norm for every corner kick in every game). I also dislike shoulder barging players off the ball. A bit of contact is fair enough, if the player is actually going for the ball, but its very easy if an attacking player is moving at speed with the ball to be unbalanced and pushed off it by a heavy shove-it hardly takes great skill from the defender does it!

[Dubbag]

I am sure the majority of supporters are in favour of referees dealing and penalising players for the behaviour outlined.
I am uncertain as to what rule the referee could use ? In the older days, he was precluded from awarding a foul as the ball was not in play?
Is that still the case I wonder ? Maybe along the same lines as sending the team manager/coaches off the pitch ?

I honestly think a sin bin type rule should be introduced. There needs to be something put in place as discipline of players has broken down. Last ref I remember seeing in control of game was the bald Italian ref who retired some years back. Players didn't mess around with him. Called respect, rarely used in the English language nowadays..

[Prando]

I honestly think a sin bin type rule should be introduced. There needs to be something put in place as discipline of players has broken down. Last ref I remember seeing in control of game was the bald Italian ref who retired some years back. Players didn't mess around with him. Called respect, rarely used in the English language nowadays..

There is certainly little respect for the referees from the players.

I’d be interested to understand what are the ref’s options within the rules for such goalmouth nonsense? Specifically when the corner has NOT been taken.

[Dubbag]

There is certainly little respect for the referees from the players.

I’d be interested to understand what are the ref’s options within the rules for such goalmouth nonsense? Specifically when the corner has NOT been taken.

I believe the laws are there prando but they (refs) have little confidence in the appeals process by clubs after they have made a decision...
I can not blame them as they have no back ups against big clubs and money..

[kettering_baggie]

Well, I may now go and watch rugby, I’m so pi$$ed off with football.