1. Direct free kick
The provision as it is printed, and everything on Ruleside that turns on it.
If an offence involves contact, it is penalised by a direct free kick.
Verdicts that turn on it 6
Walk the tree to any of these and this clause is part of the answer.
- Indirect free kick: playing in a dangerous manneroff-the-ball
- No offence: play onfoul-sanction
- Penalty kick, no card: careless foulfoul-sanction
- Direct free kick, no card: careless foulfoul-sanction
- Penalty kick + yellow card: reckless challengefoul-sanction
- Direct free kick + yellow card: reckless challengefoul-sanction
Explained in the rules library 9
The plain-language pages that build on this provision.
Applied in these incidents 8
Real decisions where this clause decided what should have happened.
- Martinez brought down by two defenders at once, penalty given despite debate over who touched the ball firstArgentina vs Austria
- Mbappé goes down after Mané's sliding tackleFrance vs Senegal
- Messi goes down in the box, correctly no penaltyArgentina vs Algeria
- Modric's missed clearance correctly given as a penaltyEngland vs Croatia
- Fabinho's follow-through with exposed studs should have been a yellow cardBrazil vs Morocco
- Bruno Guimaraes stamps on Hakimi's foot, no card shownBrazil vs Morocco
- Saliba's stamp on a grounded opponent should have been a yellow cardFrance vs Senegal
- Vinicius Junior should have had a reckless-challenge yellow cardBrazil vs Morocco
Questions that ask it 5
Points in a walk where the reader is deciding this provision.
- handoff_foulmisconduct
- Was the contact careless, or was it holding, impeding with contact, or throwing an object?foul-sanction
- Did this happen inside the offender's own penalty area?foul-sanction
- Did the player act with disregard for the danger or consequences to the opponent?foul-sanction
- Did the player use excessive force, or endanger the safety of the opponent?foul-sanction
The Laws of the Game are published by The IFAB and quoted here for the purpose of explaining the decisions on this site. Ruleside is not affiliated with The IFAB or FIFA. Every clause of Fouls and Misconduct that Ruleside cites.