Playing the ball isn't all that matters


One of the flash-points of the recent Chelsea v Manchester United Premier League clash, was the tackle by Darren Fletcher on Ashley Cole, judged by referee Andre Marriner to be a foul. It was the resulting free kick that led to the Chelsea’s winning goal. 

Darren Fletcher has this season built quite a reputation as a hard man, perhaps seeing himself as the Scottish version of Roy Keane who held that position for many years with United. Arsène Wenger, after Arsenal’s game at Old Trafford, accused Fletcher of using ‘anti-football tactics’. 

If Fletcher was accurately reported in the press, then this would seem to be a reputation he revels in. ‘I love challenging myself against the best players in the Premier League. I say to myself, I’m going to see how good they are. I’m going to ask them “Do you fancy it? Do you like getting kicked? As soon as you get the ball I’m going to be in your face. You are not going to like it one bit. Are you ready for that? Because that is what you are going to get.’ 


I think it follows from that that some of his tackles will be borderline but the foul given for his tackle on Ashley Cole was hotly disputed by Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney. So what’s new? 

The basis for their claim was that Fletcher 'got the ball'. This is one of the biggest myths in football today, the belief that if a player gets the ball, no matter how, then it is perfectly fair. This is a belief that sadly is perpetuated by football reporters and television commentators. So often they will view the replays in slow motion and say ‘well he definitely got a foot to it’ as if that’s all that matters. 

I guess that almost every referee this weekend will get at least one complaint when awarding a free kick, ‘I got the ball ref’. Playing the ball first, can make a tackle legitimate in certain circumstance but the whole subject is more complex than that. Certainly it can apply when a player stretches out a foot to play the ball. If he plays the ball and the opponent then falls over his outstretched leg then it is considered perfectly fair. 

If, however, he makes contact with the opponent on his way to the ball, bringing him down, then this is a foul. But there is also the situation when the player plays the ball first but then brings down the opponent, as opposed to the opponent falling over his leg. The most obvious case is when the ball is played with one foot but the player’s trailing foot follows through to take the opponent’s legs. It is not impossible but it is very difficult to tackle fairly from behind. Even if the ball is played, the likelyhood is that the player is going to carry on through the player’s legs. If this is done with any speed, it can be seriously dangerous. 

Then there are the tackles from distance which are committed recklessly or using excessive force either with one foot or two. The problem in these cases is that the players have very little or no control over their action once they have started the tackle and serious injury could occur. 

What Darren Fletcher did was to tackle from the front, turning across Ashley Cole as he did and came away with the ball. This could be perfectly fair but in many cases the player then uses his body, often his thigh or backside, to lever the opponent off the ball. Playing the ball first but subsequent use of the body makes it an offence. As Cole went flying backwards this is obviously what referee Marriner considered happened and awarded the fateful free kick, even though Fletcher played the ball. 


Dick Sawdon Smith 

 

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© R Sawdon Smith 2009