This play occurs at the very end of regulation time. A good motto to live by that I have taught for years, “the game is not over until the paperwork is done”. In this situation, you can see the referee “stop” as he feels that nothing will happen and the game is over. Referees must follow the play until the final whistle to ensure incidents like this are dealt with. Unfortunately, there was no action by the referee crew.

Action to be taken: The referee MUST follow play at all times. Referees cannot assume that nothing will happen. Players are taught to play the whistle.

The Assistant Referee must also get involved here. He may not see the contact or how severe it is, but he must raise the flag for the infraction and then the referee and the AR must have a conversation about the incident.

So, what is the decision here? Let’s break it down:

1. The GK comes out of her penalty area to play the ball.
2. The attacker, also is sprinting to play the ball, so we have a 50/50 ball. The question is, who is playing fair and who is not? Both players have a right to the ball.
3. The GK gets to the ball first and gets the first touch.
4. The attacker leaves her feet and jumps into the GK. Players take the risk of their actions once they leave their feet.

Now referees need to decide on the punishment.

1. A careless decision only means a foul. This is more than a foul.
2. A reckless decision has the result of a caution. The player acts recklessly.
3. Endangering the safety of a player results in a red card.

Due to the fact that the attacker left her feet and jumped into the GK, the correct action by the referee should be a red card.