Emergency brake (football)
As an emergency brake (in Austria also goal robbery ) is colloquially referred to in football as the thwarting of a clear scoring chance by certain rule violations. This offense was always punished with a permanent expulsion (a red card ) until May 31, 2016 - even in the case of alleged trivialities . Since the modification of the football rules on June 1, 2016, the red card has been replaced by a yellow card in certain cases .
Regulatory requirements
A clear scoring chance or a clear goal must be prevented by illegal behavior in order to act as an "emergency brake".
There is a clear chance of scoring if, after the normal course of the game, it can be assumed that a goal could have been scored with a high degree of probability from the specific game situation, e.g. an attacker broke through or could have played a teammate in a very good position. There is no fixed distance to the goal from which a clear chance of scoring can exist, depending on the game situation this can even be given in individual cases when the ball is still in the attacker's half of the field, but usually only from about Middle between the center line and the penalty area, a corresponding situation can be assumed. A clear goal is prevented if, without the illegal intervention, the ball would have gone into the goal without a doubt or, if necessary, just missed it. The type of illegal interference is fundamentally irrelevant if the person intervening is a player, substitute, expelled player or team official.
However, there are the following exceptions:
- The violation of the rules is a "technical" offense; the goalkeeper touches the ball with his hand, although this would or would be forbidden according to the " back pass rule "
- a goal could not have been scored at all, i.e. after an indirect free kick , if the ball has not been touched by any player other than the shooter, or after a referee ball, once the ball has been touched.
It is up to the referee to decide whether there was a clear chance to score. The referee must take into account where the fouled player was, where his teammates and opponents were, where the ball was at the moment the rule was violated, what speed and direction it was, in which direction the attacker's path was going, whether the player who was fouled had control of the ball or was able to bring it under control within a very short time, as well as the distance and angle to the goal. The fact that the fouling player was the “last man” (ie the field player or goalkeeper closest to his own goal line ) is of no significance in itself, the overall impression is decisive. The decision on “emergency brake” is a factual decision by the referee.
However, the continuation of the game always depends on the violation, i.e. penalty kicks , direct and indirect free kicks are possible. If there is no "emergency brake", other personal punishments are of course possible, in particular a warning after unsportsmanlike conduct.
Special feature in the penalty area
Since June 1, 2016, an "emergency brake" is no longer punishable in all cases with a red card. A yellow card is sufficient if all of the following apply:
- A goal is prevented or a clear scoring opportunity is thwarted,
- the violation is punished with a penalty,
- the offense takes place in the fight for the ball - but only if there is also a chance to play the ball in accordance with the rules -
- the offender is a player (not a substitute) and
- the violation of the rules was not to be punished with a red card per se (which would be the case, for example, if there was an overly severe or brutal foul).
On the other hand, an emergency brake in the penalty area due to harmless fouls such as holding or pushing continues to be punished with a red card because the defending player does not try to play the ball, the same applies to prohibited hand play or interventions of any kind by substitutes.
Criticism ("triple punishment")
Before June 1, 2016, according to some stakeholders, a. of the DFB , who had already submitted an amendment request to the IFAB , to a "triple punishment " after an emergency brake in the penalty area : penalty (1) - and thus mostly to a goal, a permanent expulsion (2) and as a result a lock (3). (Often the ban is not counted and the entire concept is also referred to as “double punishment”.) At its 129th annual meeting on February 28, 2015, the International Football Association Board initiated “steps to change the triple punishment” because it was “too harsh " be. A request from UEFA for a yellow instead of a red card was rejected.
On the other hand, it was argued that this procedure only consistently complies with the rules: a foul in the penalty area leads to a penalty (as compensation for the missed goal opportunity) and an emergency brake leads to a permanent expulsion from the field (as a personal punishment for the offender), in which the following block is only the logical consequence and actually part of the field reference. Attention was also drawn to a possible tactical unfairness of the defenders after such a mitigation: with a so-called “one hundred percent” chance, a defender could simply wait until the attacker is in the penalty area and then foul him - this would result in a penalty but not a red card and should the penalty be saved, the defending team would have taken advantage of the defender's irregular behavior.
It was also important to note that - regardless of whether or not there was a clear scoring chance - depending on the type of rule violation, especially in the case of a particularly severe foul, a red card would also have to be shown in the future, which could have caused greater interpretation difficulties.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Spiegel Online : Controversial rule: triple punishment remains for the time being , February 28, 2015, accessed on March 20, 2015.
- ↑ FIFA : IFAB takes steps to amend 'Triple Punishment' , February 28, 2015, accessed March 20, 2015.